Zooming to Class? Experimental Evidence on College Students' Online Learning during COVID-19
Kofoed, Michael S.
Zooming to Class? Experimental Evidence on College Students' Online Learning during COVID-19 - American Economic Review: Insights 2024 - 324-340
One persistent question in higher education is the efficacy of online education. In the fall of 2020, we randomized 551 West Point students in a required introductory economics course across 12 instructors to either an online or in-person class as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Final grades for online students dropped by 0.215 standard deviations, a result apparent in both assignments and exams and largest for academically at-risk students. A postcourse survey finds that online students struggled to concentrate in class and felt less connected to their instructors and peers. Our results show detrimental effects for online learning.
2640-205X
Economic Education
Higher Education
Research Institutions
Teaching of Economics
Undergraduate
Health Behavior
Zooming to Class? Experimental Evidence on College Students' Online Learning during COVID-19 - American Economic Review: Insights 2024 - 324-340
One persistent question in higher education is the efficacy of online education. In the fall of 2020, we randomized 551 West Point students in a required introductory economics course across 12 instructors to either an online or in-person class as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Final grades for online students dropped by 0.215 standard deviations, a result apparent in both assignments and exams and largest for academically at-risk students. A postcourse survey finds that online students struggled to concentrate in class and felt less connected to their instructors and peers. Our results show detrimental effects for online learning.
2640-205X
Economic Education
Higher Education
Research Institutions
Teaching of Economics
Undergraduate
Health Behavior