April 08--Chicago Public Schools students who used online courses to make up for failed math classes fared worse than those who took traditional remedial courses during summer school, according to new research on the effectiveness of online learning.
The study, led by the American Institutes for Research, bills itself as the first in-depth examination of popular online courses that have won substantial investment from school systems and are seen as critical tools for reaching students who need to catch up.
Researchers found that a higher percentage of students who took traditional classes earned passing grades and scored slightly better on tests at the end of the course than those who took online classes.
"I think the study findings raise some important cautions about the use of fairly standard, widely used online courses for, in this case, very at-risk students," said Jessica Heppen, the study's lead researcher.
"Which doesn't mean we throw the baby out with the bathwater," Heppen said. "There is continued need to improve opportunities for students to re-engage with content and school when they become disengaged, and have a lightbulb go off."
Researchers published their findings in a series of reports, two of which were released on Friday.
The study was conducted on approximately 1,200 CPS high schoolers who enrolled in summer school during 2011 and 2012 after failing second semester algebra.
Researchers focused on algebra courses, they said, because more students fail that course than any other, and students who fail Algebra I are "particularly unlikely" to graduate. Students who needed to make up the course were randomly assigned to take either the online or "face-to-face" classes.
Researchers said their findings suggest both online and "face-to-face" courses allowed students to make up for failed classes. But the study also found that neither form of learning appeared to do much to change the direction for students with "generally low-performing trajectories."
"In the short term, it does worse than traditional classroom environment," Heppen said of the computerized classes. "In the long run, there isn't a difference."
"I think it raises a question of -- if offering online options provides more students the opportunity to recover credit -- does the longer-term lack of difference outweigh the shorter-term differences you see?" Heppen asked.
Vendors pitch computer-based remedial classes -- described by the researchers as "online credit recovery" courses -- as flexible, customizable and engaging ways to help students win back required credits.
CPS has long employed such products, and currently pays several companies to administer those courses to eligible students.
