An investigation of effectiveness differences between in-class and online learning: an engineering drawing case study

The use of learning technologies has increased rapidly during the last two decades, primarily for online learning but also for in-class learning. It has become widely accepted that online learning may offer conveniences and cost reductions. However, a comparison of student performance when engaged in online learning versus in-class learning and the corresponding implications have yet to be thoroughly investigated—especially in STEM education. The gap in the current relevant literature motivates this research. In this paper, two key questions are addressed: (1) which learning mode generates a better student performance in STEM education, in-class or online mode? (2) what types of factors affect learning performance for in-class and online modes? To help analyze these questions, the authors designed and implemented an engineering drawing case study. The case investigated whether there exists a significant statistical difference in the performance of two student groups. In one, 32 students were asked to be physically present in a classroom, to listen to a lecture given by an instructor, and to participate in class discussion prior to taking a quiz. In the other, 32 different students received the same content online and were allowed the same time to study as well as post to an online discussion board before taking an identical quiz. A hypothesis test was then used to analyze the performance difference. The results show that there is no significant learning outcome difference between in-class and online learning modes in engineering drawing content. The relevant previous experience has significant impacts on the learning outcomes for both in-class and online learning modes.