Demand for online teaching - Evidence from a large-scale survey experiment
During the Covid-19 pandemic most higher education institutions were forced to offer teaching online. In the wake of the pandemic, a natural question is at what rate institutions should continue using online teaching in traditional face-to-face educations. On the one hand, online teaching allows for increased flexibility for students and lecturers as it liberates teaching from physical factors such as place, capacity and potentially time if the lecture is recorded. On the other, online teaching may reduce the extent to which social and academic ties among students are forged and potentially increase the distance between students and lecturers, compared to face-to-face physical lectures.
While economists have gauged the impact of online teaching on test scores, little is known about students’ reflections on and demand for online teaching. In cost-benefit evaluations of whether to increase or decrease the share of online teaching, students’ perceptions of the effects of online teaching, compared to face-to-face physical interaction, is a key component for at least two reasons. First it serves as a signal of their perceived learning outcomes and, second, it might be important factor for the demand for different study programs.
In this project, we aim to provide insights on how students at different stages of their educational track assess effects of online teaching on their own motivation and progression. We do this by implementing an experiment in a large-scale survey concerning students’ experiences with digital tool in their programs. The survey will be sent to Norwegian second year bachelor’s students, second year master’s and students who are at their second or fifth year of a professional master’s program.
Our experimental design is based on the factorial design literature. We will present each student with a scenario describing planned changes of different aspects of their study program and implement three between-subjects treatments with regards to the share of online teaching. For comparison we will also randomly vary whether the scenario prefigures status quo or increases in students’ tuition fees for each semester. The current fees are about 600 NOK (≈60 USD) at public institutions in Norway. Based on the information provided, we ask students to evaluate three claims regarding their motivation, learning outcomes, and probability of finishing their degree on time. Our design will allows us to express compare the effects of our online-teaching treatments on these outcomes, with the effects of increased cost of education.
While economists have gauged the impact of online teaching on test scores, little is known about students’ reflections on and demand for online teaching. In cost-benefit evaluations of whether to increase or decrease the share of online teaching, students’ perceptions of the effects of online teaching, compared to face-to-face physical interaction, is a key component for at least two reasons. First it serves as a signal of their perceived learning outcomes and, second, it might be important factor for the demand for different study programs.
In this project, we aim to provide insights on how students at different stages of their educational track assess effects of online teaching on their own motivation and progression. We do this by implementing an experiment in a large-scale survey concerning students’ experiences with digital tool in their programs. The survey will be sent to Norwegian second year bachelor’s students, second year master’s and students who are at their second or fifth year of a professional master’s program.
Our experimental design is based on the factorial design literature. We will present each student with a scenario describing planned changes of different aspects of their study program and implement three between-subjects treatments with regards to the share of online teaching. For comparison we will also randomly vary whether the scenario prefigures status quo or increases in students’ tuition fees for each semester. The current fees are about 600 NOK (≈60 USD) at public institutions in Norway. Based on the information provided, we ask students to evaluate three claims regarding their motivation, learning outcomes, and probability of finishing their degree on time. Our design will allows us to express compare the effects of our online-teaching treatments on these outcomes, with the effects of increased cost of education.