ABSTRACT
Although a class in which time is split between online and face-to-face instruction is the primary definition of “blended learning,” a common and alternate blend occurs at the program level, when students take some classes face to face and other online. For several years, we have been investigating this form of blending and its relationship to retention when compared with taking classes solely face to face or solely online. We found that students blending their classes had significantly better outcomes than students taking only online classes and, in most cases, at least as well as students taking only face-to-face classes.
Just as comparing outcomes between students who take only face-to-face classes and those of students who take any online classes obscures important differences among the latter, there are important outcome differences among students who are blending their classes in different proportions and among students taking blended classes in different proportions. This chapter explores those differences for both bachelor’s and associate’s students and looks at how they impact retention and are, in turn, impacted by such factors as credits attempted and students’ age, race, and Pell status. The results suggest the importance of digging deeply into one’s data to better support one’s students.
