Audiences and outcomes in online and traditional American government classes: a comparative two-year case study.

A study was conducted to examine the differences inherent in the teaching of “American National Government” via the Internet and in a traditional lecture/discussion format. It was noted that a wide variety of literature exists to suggest that the mode of teaching has little relevance. Data were dr...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:PS: Political Science & Politics Vol. 34; no. 1; pp. 135 - 142
Autores principales: Botsch, Carol S., Botsch, Robert E.
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Cambridge University Press March 2001
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:A study was conducted to examine the differences inherent in the teaching of “American National Government” via the Internet and in a traditional lecture/discussion format. It was noted that a wide variety of literature exists to suggest that the mode of teaching has little relevance. Data were drawn from a quasi-experimental field study conducted in late 1997 on students' characteristics and their changes in political knowledge and attitudes. The findings indicated that the Web classes did not produce significantly higher grades or suffer from higher dropout rates than the traditional classes, although a substantial difference existed in how students perceived the difficulty of the courses. It was concluded that Web classes in American government are at least as effective as traditional class models in developing healthier, more active, and knowledgeable minds.