Online learning more effective than face to face

A recent report from GetEducated.com written for the U.S. Department of Education,  has concluded that Online & blended education is more effective than residential method alone.

This conclusion was reached after analyzing research studies undertaken from 1996 to 2008 that address this topic, concluding the following:

1. Online education is more effective than face-to-face learning;
   
2. Online learning combined with some face-to-face learning (blended learning) is the most effective;
   
3. Face-to-face learning alone is the least effective method among the three types studied.

Note that these findings are specific to college-level learning as the researchers found that not enough studies exist to merit a valid comparison at the K-12 level.

The full version of this report is available here:

Dept of Education: “Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning” (PDF)