The Effects of Distance Education on K-12 Student Outcomes: A ...

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A common “codebook” or heuristic descriptive system should be created and refined to ensure that outcomes from distance and online learning programs can be accurately compared to other online and distance programs and to face-to-face instruction. A descriptive system supporting comparative analysis <strong>of</strong> all varieties <strong>of</strong> traditional and online and distance learning delivery systems will dramatically increase both the generalizability <strong>of</strong> results and the synthesizability <strong>of</strong> research findings available to inform development, implementation and institutionalization <strong>of</strong> online and distance learning programs. 4. Finally, standards are needed for reporting the academic and programmatic outcomes <strong>of</strong> distance education programs. Many K-12 distance education programs collect admirable amounts <strong>of</strong> data, and conduct in-house analyses, but until there are standards set to guide the reporting <strong>of</strong> data, educational research will remain limited to examining results from only a small, enlightened subset <strong>of</strong> these programs. <strong>The</strong> actions recommended require coordination and leadership. Leadership should begin at the national level and include pr<strong>of</strong>essional organizations like the North American Council on Online Learning and ISTE. <strong>The</strong> United States Department <strong>of</strong> <strong>Education</strong> and the leading pr<strong>of</strong>essional organizations and groups should assume a leadership role organizing a national distance learning and online learning community <strong>of</strong> practice to work toward enacting these crucial action recommendations. <strong>Distance</strong> educators belong to a wide variety <strong>of</strong> overlapping pr<strong>of</strong>essional groups and associations that have the potential to contribute to a powerful and effective coalition. <strong>The</strong> larger coalition needed to weld a broader pr<strong>of</strong>essional consensus should serve as a central clearinghouse for information about K-12 online and distance education, a matchmaking service for programs and evaluators, and as an organizational focus for organizing national efforts to support online and distance learning policy and program development. Learning, progress, and data-driven decisions require the availability <strong>of</strong> relevant data. <strong>The</strong> K-12 distance education and online learning communities certainly have the infrastructure for sharing that information. An adequate and uniform system for describing academic and programmatic outcomes within and across a variety <strong>of</strong> programs and instructional delivery systems, and uniform metrics and standards that can support comparisons within and across the various delivery systems and instructional modalities. With ubiquitous availability <strong>of</strong> good information on the performance <strong>of</strong> all K-12 educational programs and instructional systems, parents and practitioners, policymakers and national political leadership can and will make the very best informed decisions about how to best educate and equip all our children for life and success during the ensuing twenty-first century. 20 <strong>of</strong> 32
References References marked with an asterisk indicate studies used in the meta-analysis. Allen, M., Bourhis, J., Burrell, N., and Mabry, E. (2002). Comparing student satisfaction with distance education to traditional classrooms in higher education: A meta-analysis. <strong>The</strong> American Journal <strong>of</strong> <strong>Distance</strong> <strong>Education</strong>, 16, 83 – 97. *Alaska Department <strong>of</strong> <strong>Education</strong> and Early Development. (2003). Spring 2003 benchmarks, Delta/Greely School District - Delta Charter Cyber School. Juneau, AK: Author. Online at http://www.eed.state.ak.us/tls/assessment/AsmtVer/SchoolAsmtVerSuptSearch.cfm Arkansas Virtual School. (2003). 2002-2003 Testing Overview. Dardanelle, AR: author. Bangert-Drowns, R., Hurley, M., Wilkinson, B. (2004). <strong>The</strong> effects <strong>of</strong> school-based writing-tolearn interventions on academic achievement: a meta-analysis. Review <strong>of</strong> <strong>Education</strong>al Research, Spring 2003, 74 (1), 29-58. Barker, K., & Wendel, T. (2001). E-Learning: Studying Canada's Virtual Secondary Schools. Kelowna, BC: Society for the Advancement <strong>of</strong> Excellence in <strong>Education</strong>. Online at http://www.excellenceineducation.ca/pdfs/006.pdf. Bernard, R. M., Lou, Y., Abrami, P.C., Wozney, L., Borokhovski, E., Wallet, P.A., Wade, A., and Fiset, M. (2003). How does distance education compare to classroom instruction? A meta-analysis <strong>of</strong> the empirical literature. Presented as a Symposium at the Annual Meeting <strong>of</strong> <strong>The</strong> American <strong>Education</strong>al Research Association, Chicago, IL. Bianchi, W. (2002). <strong>The</strong> Wisconsin School <strong>of</strong> the Air: Success Story with Implications. <strong>Education</strong>al Technology & Society 5 (1). Blomeyer, R. (2002). Virtual Schools and E-Learning in K-12 Environments: Emerging Policy and Practice, in NCREL Policy Issues, Issue 11, April 2002. Naperville, IL: North Central Regional <strong>Education</strong>al Laboratory. Online at http://www.ncrel.org/policy/pubs/pdfs/pivol11.pdf. Bolton, J. (2002). Web-based <strong>Distance</strong> <strong>Education</strong>: Pedagogy, Epistemology, and Instructional Design. University <strong>of</strong> Saskatchewan. Online at http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/802papers/boulton/boulton.pdf Bond, A. (2002). Learning Music Online: An Accessible Program for Isolated Students. Kensington Park, SA: Australian National Training Authority. Online at http://www.ncver.edu.au/research/proj/nr1013.pdf. Bransford, J., Brown, A., & Cocking, R. eds. (1999). How People Learn. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. 21 <strong>of</strong> 32
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