Media and Pedagogy in Undergraduate Distance Education: A theory-based meta-analysis of empirical literature

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Media and Pedagogy in Undergraduate Distance Education: A theory-based meta-analysis of empirical literature

Y. Lou
R. M. Bernard
P. C. Abrami

Abstract

This meta-analysis employs a theoretical framework in quantitatively synthesizing empirical studies that investigate the effects of distance education (DE) versus classroom instruction on undergraduate student achievement. Analyses of 218 findings from 103 studies were conducted according to how media were used to support DE pedagogy. The results indicate that the effect sizes for synchronous instructor-directed DE were consistent and not significantly different from zero, in asynchronous DE, media only supporting independent learning was generally less effective than media supporting collaborative discussion among students, although both subsets were significantly heterogeneous. Follow-up analysis of asynchronous DE findings was framed in terms of three patterns of interaction—student-content, student-instructor and student-student.

Keywords

Distance education, Technology-mediated learning, Meta-analysis

Annotation

This meta-analysis looks at the effects of synchronous versus asynchronous learning and communication in classroom settings. The study’s results show there is non-statistically significant difference between distance and face-to-face synchronous instructor-led courses. Asynchronous courses were generally less effective when considering group discussions. The authors conclude their article with four recommendations for distance learning best practices.

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About the Study

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