eLearning tão eficaz quanto treinamento em sala de aula

E-Learning as Effective as Classroom Training

The August issue of T+D magazine reports on research from the Department of Defense's Advanced Distribute Learning Initiative (ADL) and the University of Tulsa, which finds that e-learning is as effective as classroom offerings.

In their work, Traci Sitzmann, Robert Wisher, Kurt Kraiger, and David Stewart conducted a meta-analysis of 96 previously conducted studies that compared the effects of Web-based and classroom instruction. Most of the instruction in the 96 studies targeted declarative knowledge (i.e., knowledge of facts, concepts and principles) rather than procedural knowledge (i.e., practical skills). E-learning and classroom learning were found to be equally effective when the content and learners were similar in both the Web-based and the classroom courses. Also, learners were equally satisfied with the two methods of instruction. According to Brenda Sugrue, ASTD's senior director of research, the "no significant difference" finding is common when comparing the effectiveness of any two instructional media.

However, Sitzmann, Wisher, Kraiger, and Stewart found that e-learning was more effective than classroom instruction when learners had more control over the content, sequence, or pace of the material. Learner control did not affect satisfaction with e-learning. This finding bodes well for modularized asynchronous e-learning and on-demand access to informational content where learners have, by default, more control over when and what they learn.

A full report of this study is available in the ASTD website.