Online Learning and Student Experience—a Study of the Impact of Non-Traditional Learning Environments on the Development of Students’ Relationships and Academic Performance

• Activity Number: 125 - SPEED: Modernization of What, How, and Where We Teach Statistics Part 1
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Monday, July 29, 2019 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
• Sponsor: Section on Statistics and Data Science Education
• Author(s): Alicia Lamere* and Kristin Kennedy
• Companies: Bryant University and Bryant University
• Keywords: online; student performance; relationships; distance-learners; analysis; survey

Abstract

The availability of online learning opportunities continues to grow, with approximately one third of enrolled undergraduate students taking part in at least one online course in 2017. While online courses allow distance-learners to access content that might otherwise be unavailable to them locally, the trade-off is the loss of a traditional classroom environment. Several studies have also looked at the impact of friendships on a person’s happiness. This study seeks to determine the impact of the lack of face-to-face contact on student performance, satisfaction, and well-being—while especially considering the roll of friendships and relationships. Students were randomly selected at Bryant University from both online and traditional courses. They were surveyed in order to characterize the impact of online versus traditional classroom environments. In particular, students were asked about their academic performance, relationships with other students and their instructor, and their overall emotional well-being. The analysis and results will be explored.