Online learning does well in US ED study

The US Department of Education released a "study of studies" that reviewed 51 studies of online learning completed during the past 12 years and found that students who took all or part of their course online did better than those in face-to-face classes. Inside Higher Ed has a great overview of the study. Be sure to look at the various comments posted by readers of the Insider Higher Ed column to get a good flavor of the debate over online courses.

What was most interesting about the study was its finding that online students increased their "time on task" compared to face-to-face students. I think the important conclusion is that it is learning that counts -- and lectures, teaching styles, websites, text books, etc. are all tools to create effective and flexible learning environments.