Online vs. In-Class: Comparison Based on Grades

Abstract

This study forms two portfolios, online and in-class, each consisting of ninety matched undergraduate classes offered at a university and compares them on the basis of the grade performance of the students. The enrollment in the two portfolios is 1,958 and 2,073 students respectively. It finds that students in the online portfolio get lower grades compared to those in the in-class portfolio. Furthermore, the difference is significant for students with the following characteristics: female, white, closer proximity to campus, and income level. In the two years after portfolio formation, irrespective of the grade performance and other characteristics, a significantly lower proportion of the online students compared to the in-class students take the subsequent course (relative to their portfolio course). Subject to this caveat, the grade performance of students in the subsequent course is not different for the two groups.