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

Library Skills Instruction: A Comparison of Students in a Web-based Course evrsus a Traditional Instruction Course

2000

Excerpt

… various measures of demographics and satisfaction levels showed interesting significent differences between the traditional and web groups… for the other seven [of 10] background variables, almost all indicated significant differences between the two groups at … The web students were very happy with their choice of course format and indicated comfort and benefit from it and the activities. They were also very comfortable with the technology format and the electronic databases they used. . . . These facts were revealed by t-test comparisons for the course ratings, where significant differences (p<.05 and p<.01) between the two groups did exist on four of the course rating variables. These variables related to benefit of course, comfort level, continuation of the LME 101 requirement, and credit motivating students to learn… With regard to interaction variables, differences of means tests were performed on the eight satisfaction variables after each instructional method was further subdivided according to the three control variables–residence, year of high school graduation, and age. Among non-dorm residents web-based instruction was rated significantly higher on four of the variables. They related to benefit, comfort, course continuatioin, and academic credit… By controlling for year of high school graduation, t-test comparisons for the two groups revealed those who had graduated before 1998 rated the web course significently higher on the same four areas: benefit, comfort, course continuation, and academic credit. For the age variable, older students gave significantly higher ratings for the web course on the same four evaluation items. These parallel findings indicate that older, non-dorm, non-traditional students benefit most from web-based instruction.

Finding

Significant Difference – Better Results with Technology

Comparing Learning Outcomes between Traditional and Distance Introduction to Philosophy Courses

2007

Excerpt

The results of the study indicated that the traditional and distance students did not differ significantly in their in [sic] performance on graded assignments … No significant differences were found between the traditional and distance students in mean scores on the five tests or the two papers.

Finding

No Significant Difference