Maring J, Behar R; Florida International University, Miami, FL. maringj@fiu.edu.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference in student performance in a physical therapy pathology class based on format of instruction delivery: distance internet based versus traditional classroom instruction. BACKGROUND: Technology, and especially distance education is having a tremendous impact on the way instruction is being delivered in the post-secondary setting. Little is specifically known about the impact this mode of delivery has on student learning. Previous research did not control for academic ability or compare outcomes based on a uniform method of measurement. SUBJECTS: This study included all the students enrolled in a physical therapy pathology course. There were 32 females and 18 males. 60% were Hispanics, 20% were White, 16% were Black and 4% were Asian/Pacific Islanders. METHODS: A counterbalanced design was used in each student received half of the instruction in a traditional class and half in a web-based format. Student learning was measured by midterm and final multiple-choice exams. A survey was conducted to gain qualitative insight into the student’s overall impression of the learning experience based on format of presentation. ANALYSIS: A matched-pair t-test was used to compare the means of the percent correct questions based on material presented in class versus the means of percent correct questions based on material presented on-line. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the survey responses. RESULTS: Students performed significantly better on questions based on material presented in the web-based format (t=3.102; p<0.003) Students expressed a strong preference for the classroom format (78%). CONCLUSIONS: Although students preferred traditional classroom instruction, they performed significantly better on questions in which the material was presented in a distance format. A focus group discussion following the course completion suggested that differences in note-taking abilities may have influenced this outcome as classroom lecture outlines were less complete than those presented on line. Further investigation is warranted as distance-education becomes an increasingly important mode of instruction in both post-secondary education and continuing education opportunities. FUNDING SOURCE: None.

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