I'm afraid this is not a good idea. What are you considering to compare? Academic results? And then, how are you going to measure it?. The results from online and face-to-face programs are different not because someones "know more" but because the different attitudes and competences developed. Search for research in this field.

Thank you very much for your insights. I will take your suggestions into consideration.

See this paper "Assessing the Factors Deemed to Support

Individual Student Intrinsic Motivation in

Technology Supported Online and

Face-to-Face Discussions" by Ronnie H. Shroff and Douglas R. Vogel

Journal of Information Technology Education Volume 8, 2009. I am not sure it really has what you want, but it might help. I attach it.

Hello, Devendar. Honestly, I am just starting to think about the project. I have been doing some literature review. There are a few considerations: 1) There is almost no research being done in Costa Rica about the experience of online students; 2) Since this might be an exploratory study, I am thinking about the possibility of a qualitative design; 3) I work for a university and have full access to all virtual classrooms in Blackboard, and also to students for interviews or focus group techniques. Right now, I have a vague construct, which I call "experience in online courses", which may include motivation, participation, social interaction with peers, interactions with professors, engagement in study behavior, administrative and pedagogical support, etc.

Hello, Adetoun. Thank you very much for your suggestion. I will take a look at this paper. I have downloaded the paper already.

I am interested in doing research in online instruction at the high school level. There is not a great deal of comparison between online and face to face but this may not be the ideal comparison as Antonio stated. My experience is that it is difficult to get students to engage in the course. I am interested in what instructor behaviors/methods are successful in getting students to participate in their course. Also I am interested in what types of students might be best suited for online instruction or what types of skills do we need to teach students in order for them to succeed. The iNACOL organization has some good publications that may assist you. If you are interested in collaborating please contact me directly.

Thank you very much, Beth!

In the field of second language teaching and learning (mostly ESL but also Spanish, French, Italian, etc.), there was a lot of research done this way (comparing face to face vs. online) in the late 1990s and then early in the 2000s. A lot of these studies focused on students' attitudes and motivation.

However this approach has been criticized in more recent years, and researchers have called for a different perspective, looking at understanding how learning may be *different* across the two media, and therefore how technology can be best used to support learning. You can access a lot of this literature in the journal "Language Learning and Technology" (http://llt.msu.edu/archives/index.html)

There are many variables that need to be considered. First of all, the experience of distance students accessing materials only through technology will be very different from that of students who use technology only to complement face-to-face teaching. What you need to focus on is what technology is used for - ie what the aims are (e.g. to facilitate communication (CMC), to present interesting and engaging materials - e.g. for reading, listening, etc., to respond to different learners' styles, etc. ) and outcomes (what is expected in terms of measurable changes). Then you can see whether the technology is actually helpful in that particular context and for that particular purpose.

Thank you very much, Antonella. I will take your suggestions into consideration. This forum has helped me a lot!

I teach both online and face-to-face in the same academic program. What would you like to know?

Thanks, Doris. I was just trying to get some insights about how to go about with my dissertation. At first, I thought about comparing academic achievement in online and face-to-face programs, but I realized this is not a good idea (as Dr. Bartolome commented in his response to my original question). Online learning has its own unique characteristics, and I am starting to think about a qualitative design or some kind of mixed-methods design to address the study. I am thinking now of focusing on "transactional presence", a construct related to students' perceptions of the quality of the relationship with peers, teachers, and the institution. I have the opportunity of conducting the study at the University where I work, since we offer both online and classroom programs in the same fields of study. I guess what I would like to know now is if I am in the right track, and some suggestions as to what might be a good research topic in this area.

E.S Garcia: I have been teaching a unit with high school seniors for a number of years, wherein they are asked to develop an imaginary city block in an imaginary city using research into their own aspirations for future college/career development. I started years ago, before the rise of Second Life, etc. The concept of role playing avatars had advanced in various on line gaming was something in place for many of these children, so they grasped that. I did not have resources to create actual digital presence, but the motivation and thinking in terms of role playing was key. Rather than fighting or adventuring, there was building and vigorous, and to date, I have not developed a virtual reality, as such. What was exciting, and something I am trying to understand was the explosion of engagement by the students, their facility with moving back and forth between the classroom and the sharing of their own experiences discovering what they could create. I coined a term: "virtuality", meaning this experience of moving back and forth between reality and a virtual world, and have been following various threads on RG, to develop my understanding of what the principles behind this might be. Seymore Papert's "objects to think with", was an inspiration, as well as the University of Chicago's economics departments development of what was later the game "Roller Coast Tycoon. I feel one key is the maintaining of a shared goal among the participants and defined roles acting within a commonly shared well defined environment. The specific events that are generated, I termed "scenarios".

Thanks for your comment, Jonathan. What you have been doing with your students is something I can relate to, since I also started teaching online some 11 years ago, when all this "boom" about "virtual education" (as we call it in Latin America -- "educación virtual"), was just starting to get into the picture. Many of the so-called "web 2.0" tools, such as wikis, discussion forums, blogs, and also social networks, were not popular nor well-known at the time, but we managed to have the students use the tools that we had in innovative ways. I guess what you are talking about is how important it is to build real collaborative bonds, which is the real essence of everything the students do, both inside the classroom, and in the "virtuality" that you mention.

Edgar: Well said! With the overwhelming nature of the rush to implement technology in education, I believe what we are talking about is that "collaboration" that a teacher cultivates in the student as both move between the abstract and the concrete natures of human cognition. Striking a balance between the face-to-face and the online can result in a beautiful thing! I applaud your question, and look forward to following the response thread!

Discuss: http://ifets.info/journals/2_3/russell_book_review.pdf

And also: http://www.nosignificantdifference.org/

Thank you very much, Dr. García-Aretio.