EXAMPLE 1 Learning on the Web

An optimistic account of learning online reports a study at Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The authors of the study claim that students taking undergraduate courses online were “equal in learning” to students taking the same courses in class. Replacing college classes with websites saves colleges money, so this study seems to suggest we should all move online.

College students are the subjects in this study. The explanatory variable considered in the study is the setting for learning (in class or online). The response variable is a student’s score on a test at the end of the course. Other variables were also measured in the study, including the score on a test on the course material before the courses started. Although this was not used as an explanatory variable in the study, prior knowledge of the course material might affect the response, and the authors wished to make sure this was not the case.