A true experiment comparing student performance and satisfaction in face-to-face and online education: case study of a science course in a liberal arts university

This study realizes a true experiment to assess differences in student performance and satisfaction across online and face-to-face classroom settings. Data were collected from 747 students enrolled in a common core science course in a residential liberal arts university. The instructor, course materials, and assessments were consistent between the two delivery modes. Based on the employment of qualitative and quantitative analysis, the learning outcomes of the major course assessments (i.e., midterm and research report) and student perception were compared. This study reveals that students achieved comparable in medium order analytical skills (i.e. midterm) between the two delivery modes. Compared with face to face settings, online education obtained pronounced higher score in high-order analytical skills development (i.e. research report), but had lower score of student satisfaction. These findings are interpreted that online education can achieve comparable or even better outcomes when the course is designed with sound pedagogical practice. Both faculty and students need time to adopt online education especially in the context of Liberal Arts University, which emphasis on close faculty-student interaction.