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Name___________Todd J. Vatalaro____________Group No.__H7701__ The College of Professional Studies has permission to use my research proposal as example of acceptable work. This authority includes the right to duplicate the manuscript as well as check out the proposal from one of the College libraries. Signature____________________________________________ Date____________ The College of Professional Studies may not use my research proposal as an example of acceptable work. Duplication of the manuscript as well as circulation of the work is prohibited. Signature____________________________________________ Date____________

A Study of the Comparison between Distance Education and Traditional Education

A Proposal Submitted

By

Todd J. Vatalaro

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

The Bachelor of Science Degree

In Organizational Behavior

The University of San Francisco College of Professional Studies

November 23, 2002

Evaluation of Research by USF Faculty Student Name____Todd J. Vatalaro___________________ Group____H7701__________________________ Proposal Title A Study of the Comparison between Distance Education and Traditional Education. Instructor’s Comments: Research Proposal Evaluation Outstanding ______ Good ______ Satisfactory ______ Meets Minimum Standards ______ Unsatisfactory ______ __________ ________________ Date USF Faculty

Table of Contents

Page Abstract i Chapter 1: Introduction p. 1-5 Background 1 Problem Statement 6 Research Question to be Answered 6 Statement of Research Objective 6 Definition of Terms 7 Importance of the Study 7 Scope and Delimitations of the Study 7 Chapter 2: Review of the Literature p. 8-11 Chapter 3: Methodology p. 12-15 Introduction 12 Subjects 13 Research Design 14 Operational Definitions 14 Instrumentation 14 Procedures 15 Treatment of Data 15 References p. 16-16

Abstract

1. Title: A Study of the Comparison Between Web-based Education and

Traditional Classroom Education.

2. Statement of the Problem: Today distance education has become a

popular means for organizations and educational institutions to expand the

means of teaching to its employees and students. The problem is that

more research needs to be done to determine if web-based education is

as effective as traditional education. Web-based programs are designed to

provide education that is equal to or better than the traditional classroom.

Typically these courses are never evaluated to determine their

effectiveness. The goal of this study was to determine if web-based

education is better, worse, or as good as traditional education.

3. Research Objectives: To Investigate if Web-Based is as equal as

Traditional Education.

4. Brief Statement of Research Method: From a population of 3 schools in

Sacramento, California, one hundred (18 to 25) year old females were

chosen to take the same course. (50) would take the class in the

traditional way and (50) would take a web-based course.

5. Resources Needed and Available: Approval from Los Rios Community

College District and advice from the dean of the History department;

collection and comparison of the test scores; budget of $500.

6. Projected Start and Completion Date: One full Fall, academic semester.

No dates available at this time.

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Chapter One

Introduction

Background of the Problem

What is was based learning? Web-based learning is course work that is

taken over the Internet. Web-based education used to be called correspondence

studies. These courses were offered through various forms of media like the mail,

cable television broadcast and video. What is distance learning today? Some of

the older techniques are still in existence. However, it now comprises of internet-

based courses, video conferencing, streaming video and audio (Killion, 2000).

Distance education has been around since the written language. Major

universities have utilized correspondence study courses since the 1890s to

provide off-campus learning opportunities for millions of adults. In the sixties, a

team of Wisconsin extension consultants helped Great Britain develop off-

campus teaching systems needed to establish the British Open University.

Arguably, the invention of television and video recording had the most profound

influence on distance learning in the 1950’s. In the 1980's broadcast television

was changing with the advent of satellite and cable programming services. To

respond to the shift in technology, satellite television networks were being

created that would deliver training and instruction.

Large corporations like IBM and Kodak recognized the benefit from

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providing training using satellite transmissions. The Department of Defense also

invested heavily into all branches of the military to set up a satellite networks for

training purposes. By serving their members at a distance, time and money could

be saved long-term by reducing the amount of travel and loss of work hours of an

employee.

Arguably the most significant advancement in distance education took

place with the introduction of the Internet and web sites. The roots of the Internet

lie in a joint project developed by the United States military and the Rand

Corporation. The project was called ARPANET. The goal of the ARPANET was

to allow US authorities to communicate with one another in the aftermath of a

nuclear attack.

During the 1960’s all forms of communication went through a hub, or

centralized location. A foe of the United States could attack these centralized

locales, bringing all communication to an end. Communication networks of the

day were chained point-to-point, with each place on the network dependent on

the link before it. If one point in the network were disabled, the whole network

would become useless. As the saying goes, “a chain is only as strong as its

weakest link.”

Living with the threat of a nuclear war prompted a new way of looking at

communications in America. America needed to develop a communication

system that would allow defense branches of the United States government to

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stay in contact with one another in case of a national emergency. The project

was known as ARPANET. The United States government would spend millions of

dollars on ARPANET.

The cold war network project ARPANET successfully connected various

computer systems across America. The ARPANET project continued for years

and was gradually phased out after it was declared complete and the Cold War

ended.

Scientist and engineers were allowed access to the existing ARPANET

networks. This allowed scientists and engineers to communicate and share

information across numerous universities. Scientists and engineers were amazed

and excited about this new, revolutionary way of communicating. They

continually improved and modernized this network. The network grew as new

schools and government agency would connect their computer systems to this

network.

Many different protocols and computer languages were also being

developed. Organizations and scientists began to argue over what would be

defined as the “standard.” Everyone was convinced that his or her way of

computing and networking was superior. One protocol that was gaining a

foothold was TCP/IP. TCP/IP is a networking protocol that is robust enough to

handle the high volume of information being transferred over the network. TCP/IP

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also allowed different computer systems to communicate with one another.

With TCP/IP, a global network was becoming a reality. Universities and scientists

from America and Britain successfully were communicating and exchanging data

with one another.

Initially, use of the Internet was mostly limited to e-mail and newsgroups.

In 1991, the University of Minnesota came up with an easy way to organize

information called Gopher, the predecessor to the World Wide Web.

Gopher, using a series of menus, was soon used to organize all kinds of

information stored on servers in universities, libraries, and government agencies.

But what came to be known as "gopherspace" was very chaotic and time

consuming. Search utilities within Gopher, such as Archie and Veronica, were

helpful but didn’t even come close to the efficiency of the search engines we

know today.

In the early 1990's the United States government decided to release use

of the Internet to the public an opened it up for commercial activity. Also during

this period Apple and IBM were introducing low cost consumer computers. These

two events would ignite an economic firestorm that would permanently change

the way people did business. Internet use was growing by more than 10 percent

a month.

The early 80’s ARPANET had only about four hundred hosts. In 1990

there were over one hundred thousand. With the introduction of the Internet also

4

came the mass use of e-mail. E-mail is an abbreviation for electronic mail, an

electronic means for communication. People from all around the world were now

able to send messages and correspond with one another instantly.

The Internet was exploding in excitement, and its success would become

a catalyst for new and improved methods of distance learning. Professionals in

the field of distance education say that the personal computer and the Internet

reinvented the face of education and how students learn at a distance. Current

estimates suggest that over four million computers are part of the Internet.

5

Statement of the Problem Today web-based education has become a popular means for

organizations and educational institutions to expand the means of teaching its

employees and students. The problem is that more research needs to be done to

determine if web-based education is as effective as traditional classroom

education. Web-based programs are designed to provide education that is equal

too or better than the traditional classroom. Typically these courses are never

evaluated to determine their effectiveness. The goal of this study was to

determine if web-based courses are better, worse, or as good as traditional

classroom education.

Research Question to be Answered Is web-based education better, worse, or as good as traditional classroom

education?

Statement of Research Objective

The research objective is to investigate whether web-based education is

as effective as a traditional classroom education. Today web-based education is

offered in nearly every higher education institution. Its popularity has raised

questions about its credibility. This study will provide a way to document and

measure students multiple question test scores to determine if web-based

education is as effective as classroom face-to-face education.

6

Definition of Terms Independent variable: Web-based Education vs. Traditional Education.

Dependent variable: Test scores.

Importance of the Study This research study is important to institutions and organizations that are

expecting that web-based education is as effective as traditional education.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study This study selected subjects that were enrolled at three junior colleges in

Sacramento, California. Subjects were required to complete an introduction to

History course.

The findings of this study are limited in scope, as it is focused on the

comparison of a web-based and education and traditional education History

class. Due to the increasing use of web-based distance education in America,

this study was intended to see if web-based education is better, worse or as good

as traditional class room education.

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Chapter Two Review of Related Literature

This chapter will look at other studies in the field of web-based education. In the

review of literature related to web-based education, the research focused on

web-based education vs. traditional education, to help determine if web-based

education is better, worse or as good as traditional education. For the purpose of

this study, the primary focus of the research is student post-test scores, and final

grades to help evaluate the two groups.

Web-based is becoming a more vital part of the higher education family.

Just about every American university offers online web-base courses. This form

of distance education reaches a broader student audience, better addresses

student needs like transportation, saves money, and more importantly uses the

principles of modern learning pedagogy (Fitzpatrick, 2001).

The most significant impact on adult learning over the past few years has

been online web-based distance learning. Early research indicates that online

learning is at least as effective as learning in conventional classrooms, a studies

summarized by the Center for Excellence in Distance Learning report that

technology has a positive impact on learning effectiveness. (Killion, 2000).

However according to Robbie Fitzpatrick (2001), technology also has a

negative effect on the distance learner. Case in point, a study of student

frustration with web-based courses maintains, “the literature about distance

education is dominated by enthusiastic studies and accounts.”

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A research study by Rhonda Brady (2002) states the first obstacle that educators

and students face with online courses is the fact that everyone taking the course

is not on the same technological level. The first primary objective is to come up

with ways to help facilitate the teaching of the actual technology needed before

they can even get to the course offered. Only 10% to 15% of all articles published

about online educations by 1991 were research studies. So up to this point in the

history of distance education researches are beginning to look at the possible

problems that relate to this form of education.

Dan Carnevale (2002) brings up another issue in web-based education,

accreditation. Accrediting officials are trying to determine how to evaluate

web-based programs that let students gain credit via online instruction.

In a recent issue of Distance Education System Wide Interactive

Electronic Newsletter Volume 6.3 March (2001) looked at ways to create

assessment tools for distance education. Susan B. Miller, Director, University of

Wisconsin set out to modify existing “Classroom Assessment Techniques”

(CATs) to help faculty assess distance education courses. Miller also shares

online web-base resources with instructors interested in leveraging the innovative

technologies in the field of distance education. The material on these websites

allows instructors to use assessment tools and guidelines that will help to give

them methods that are effective but not time-consuming. Tools like: articulation

of goals,

9

specification of the strategies intended to achieve these goals and the reason

that these strategies are expected to be effective; agreement on the evidence

that will convince specified individuals that the strategies have achieved the

goals; and the gathering, interpretation, and the use of information.

As Kouzez and Posner (2002) put it, “The key to success and perhaps

even survival in the next century- for all of us, but for the leaders especially-is the

familiar expression “lifelong learning.” As researchers and educators get more

involved in the uses for web-based education and how to overcome the barriers

to learning, we will continue to see improvements in the delivery of curriculum,

course materials and proper assessment.

The literature reviewed suggests considerable research has found that

successful distance-learning students tend to be highly motivated, self-disciplined

and are generally older than traditional students. The literature reviewed also

concludes that there are no significant differences found between pre-test scores,

homework grades, research paper grades and final test scores of distance

learning students and traditional students.

Nevertheless, there were significant differences between the two groups with

regard to age, post test scores and final exam scores.

This study, provides data and analysis on students of distance learning

and those of traditional learning, based on and post-testing comparisons.

10

This study will attempt to answer the question is web-based education: better,

worse, or as good as traditional face-to-face classroom education.

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Chapter 3

Methodology

Introduction

This study will attempt to contribute the following question: Is web-based

education better than traditional education?

The research objective is to (measure, compare, investigate) student test

scores in relation to web-based education and traditional education.

Subjects

For this study the participants were (100) undergraduate students enrolled

in Introduction to History classes at a small sized community college in

Sacramento, California. The university offers AA degrees in liberal arts and GE

transferable units to both UC and USC institutions. The Introduction to History

was designed to develop an understanding of basic History. A multiple-choice

test was developed to determine the level of understanding of basic History. One

hundred students were enrolled in the same Fall semester. Fifty students would

attend the traditional on-campus classroom and the other fifty students would

take the same web-based online course via the Internet. Both groups were

female and were 18-25 years old. These students were free to choose to take

the traditional class or the online web-base class. These courses had identical:

content, timelines, guidelines and material.

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Both web-based and traditional classes had the same instructor, studied the

same course content, used the same course materials, completed the same

assignments, and were allotted the same time frame for completion of

assignments. All were given the same (post-test), final exam. The multiple choice

post-test was designed, by the instructor.

A quasi-experimental research design was used to collect data for the study. An

analysis of co-variance was used to compare the two variables. The significant

element of quasi-experiments is the measure of the dependent variable, which it

allows for comparison. In such cases, quasi-experimentation often involves a

number of strategies to compare subjectivity, such as rating data, testing,

surveying, and content analysis. This research looked at testing results. Once all

the test scores were collected it was time to test and see if there was a significant

differences between web-base and traditional education test scores.

The researcher used the Mann-Whitney U test method for this data. Using

the Mann-Whitney U the researchers were able to test the frequency of

occurrence within these to independent categories.

13

Research Design

This study is the comparison of distance education compared to traditional

education.

Operational Definitions

The independent variable in this study is distance education vs. traditional

education. Students will attend these classes that will be facilitated by the

instructor chosen for this study. Web-based distance education is learning that

occurs when learner and instructor are separated by time and space and is not

real-time. Web -base instruction is a formalized teaching system specifically

designed to be carried out remotely over the Internet. Traditional education

involves internal students attending resident classes conducted by faculty

members on a campus and requires a physical face-to-face interaction.

The dependent variable is test scores.

Instrumentation

The research instrument used for this study will be a multiple-choice test

with 100 questions.

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Procedures

The researchers worked with the dean of the History department and the

instructor of the courses. Test scores from (100) subjects were compared. This

study had approval from Los Rios Community College. Once all the test scores

were collected by the instructor the researcher was able to obtain copies of the

original tests given back to the instructor. Age and ethnicity was obtained to look

at the demographic variables.

Treatment of Data

The data from the tests will be reviewed and examined for comparison.

The collected nominal data will be analyzed using the chi-square. Using the chi-

square the researchers were able to test the frequency of occurrence within

these to independent categories.

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