The 'No significant difference' phenomenon, catalogued through dozens of research studies over the years, is the observation that distance or online learning is at least as good as (if not better) than traditional in-class teaching. This article, though, is a thorough review of the oft-cited studies. The author's conclusions are unsettling: "This review found no study, no evidence of any kind that categorically proves that technology does not impact learning in some way, positively or negatively." But one wonders (as, indeed, does the author, though in an oblique manner) whether such proof could ever be forthcoming: "It is difficult, if not impossible, to apply scientific methods to social science hypothesis. Human cognition has, to date, provided no quantifiable absolutes or baseline from which research can benchmark." But if this is true, then why are so many researchers applying scientific methodology to the study of social phenomena?
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