No Significant Difference

About the Database

The No Significant Difference database was first established in 2004 as a companion piece to Thomas L. Russell’s book, “The No Significant Difference Phenomenon” (2001, IDECC, fifth edition), a fully indexed, comprehensive research bibliography of 355 research reports, summaries and papers that document no significant differences (NSD) in student outcomes between alternate modes of education delivery.  Redesigned in 2010 and provided as a service of WCET, (WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies), a division of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, the database was designed to expand the offerings from the book by providing access to appropriate studies published or discovered after its publication.

This site is intended to function as an ever-growing repository of comparative media studies in education research. Both no significant differences (NSD) and significant differences (SD) studies are constantly being solicited for inclusion in the website. In addition to studies that document no significant difference (NSD), the website includes studies which do document significant differences (SD) in student outcomes based on the mode of education delivery.

Contribute to the Collection

In its new home on the DETA Research website, the database is intended to continue to function as an ever-growing repository of comparative media studies in education research. The current collection is in need of both updates to the current records, as well as the addition of current and emerging research.  As such, both NSD and SD studies are constantly being solicited for inclusion in the website.  If you are interested in assisting as a contributor or editor, contact us.

Records: 210

The Master’s Degree in Social Work at Cleveland State University and the University of Akron: A Case Study of the Benefits and Costs of a Joint Degree Program Offered via Videoconferencing

1998

Excerpt

Comparisons were made of grade averages for students at sending and receive sites … The ‘t’ statistic was not significant (5 percent level) in any of the comparisons made. There is no significant difference in learning outcomes, as measured by grades, for students at send or receive sites. By implication there is no evidence of either a positive or negative effect due to the use of videoconferenceng technology nor of grading bias on the part of instructors.

Finding

No Significant Difference

Comparative Analysis of Learner Satisfaction and Learning Outcomes in Online and Face-to-Face Learning Environments

2000

Excerpt

This empirical study compared a graduate online course with an equivalent course taught in a traditional face-to-face format on a variety of outcome measures… there was no difference between the two course formats in several measures of learning outcomes… The overall mean rating of the face-to-face class projects was 3.47 (SD= .60) and the mean rating for the online class projects was 3.40 (SD= .61). The difference in the project ratings for the two groups was not significant… The results . . . of this study show that student satisfaction with their learning experience to be slightly more positive for students in a traditional course format although there is no significant difference in the quality of the learning that takes place. These results support the argument that online instruction can be designed to be as effective as traditional face-to-face instruction… Using a blind review process to judge the quality of the major course projects, the ratings of the three independent reviewers showed no difference in the quality of the projects across the two course formats. In addition, the distributions of course grades for both the online and face-to-face classes were to a large extent equally distributed. The findings of this study show that online learning can be as effective as face-to-face learning in many respects in spite of the fact that students in online programs may be less satisfied with their experience than students in more traditional learning environments.

Finding

No Significant Difference