(Translated by https://www.hiragana.jp/)
Distance Learning in Higher Education: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment
IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/iza/izadps/dp12298.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Distance Learning in Higher Education: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment

Author

Listed:
  • Cacault, M. Paula

    (University of Geneva)

  • Hildebrand, Christian

    (University of St. Gallen)

  • Laurent-Lucchetti, Jérémy

    (University of Geneva)

  • Pellizzari, Michele

    (University of Geneva)

Abstract

Using a randomized experiment in a public Swiss university, we study the impact of online live streaming of lectures on student achievement and attendance. We find that (i) students use the live streaming technology only punctually, apparently when random events make attending in class too costly; (ii) attending lectures via live streaming lowers achievement for low-ability students and increases achievement for high-ability ones and (iii) offering live streaming reduces in-class attendance only mildly. These findings have important implications for the design of education policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Cacault, M. Paula & Hildebrand, Christian & Laurent-Lucchetti, Jérémy & Pellizzari, Michele, 2019. "Distance Learning in Higher Education: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment," IZA Discussion Papers 12298, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp12298
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://docs.iza.org/dp12298.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Byron W. Brown & Carl E. Liedholm, 2002. "Can Web Courses Replace the Classroom in Principles of Microeconomics?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(2), pages 444-448, May.
    2. Ludger Woessmann, 2016. "The Importance of School Systems: Evidence from International Differences in Student Achievement," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 30(3), pages 3-32, Summer.
    3. Eric P. Bettinger & Lindsay Fox & Susanna Loeb & Eric S. Taylor, 2017. "Virtual Classrooms: How Online College Courses Affect Student Success," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(9), pages 2855-2875, September.
    4. David J. Deming & Noam Yuchtman & Amira Abulafi & Claudia Goldin & Lawrence F. Katz, 2016. "The Value of Postsecondary Credentials in the Labor Market: An Experimental Study," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 106(3), pages 778-806, March.
    5. William T. Alpert & Kenneth A. Couch & Oskar R. Harmon, 2016. "A Randomized Assessment of Online Learning," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 106(5), pages 378-382, May.
    6. David J. Deming & Claudia Goldin & Lawrence F. Katz & Noam Yuchtman, 2015. "Can Online Learning Bend the Higher Education Cost Curve?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 105(5), pages 496-501, May.
    7. Maya Escueta & Vincent Quan & Andre Joshua Nickow & Philip Oreopoulos, 2017. "Education Technology: An Evidence-Based Review," NBER Working Papers 23744, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Joyce, Ted & Crockett, Sean & Jaeger, David A. & Altindag, Onur & O'Connell, Stephen D., 2015. "Does classroom time matter?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 64-77.
    9. Wößmann, Ludger, 2016. "The Importance of School Systems," Munich Reprints in Economics 43463, University of Munich, Department of Economics.
    10. David Figlio & Mark Rush & Lu Yin, 2013. "Is It Live or Is It Internet? Experimental Estimates of the Effects of Online Instruction on Student Learning," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 31(4), pages 763-784.
    11. William G. Bowen & Matthew M. Chingos & Kelly A. Lack & Thomas I. Nygren, 2014. "Interactive Learning Online at Public Universities: Evidence from a Six‐Campus Randomized Trial," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(1), pages 94-111, January.
    12. Michael S. McPherson & Lawrence S. Bacow, 2015. "Online Higher Education: Beyond the Hype Cycle," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 29(4), pages 135-154, Fall.
    13. Xu, Di & Jaggars, Shanna Smith, 2013. "The impact of online learning on students’ course outcomes: Evidence from a large community and technical college system," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 46-57.
    14. Michael Spence, 1973. "Job Market Signaling," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 87(3), pages 355-374.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Hugues Champeaux & Lucia Mangiavacchi & Francesca Marchetta & Luca Piccoli, 2022. "Child development and distance learning in the age of COVID-19," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 659-685, September.
    2. Beniamino Callegari & Christophe Feder, 2022. "A Literature Review of Pandemics and Development: the Long-Term Perspective," Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, Springer, vol. 6(1), pages 183-212, March.
    3. Chien-Chih Wu & *Hsiao-Wen Chao & Chia-Wen Tsai, 2021. "The Effects of Facebook Live-Stream Teaching on Improving Students' Dance Skills: Impacts on Performance, Learning Motivation, and Physical Activity Class Satisfaction," International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning (IJMBL), IGI Global, vol. 13(4), pages 1-18, October.
    4. Beniamino Callegari & Christophe Feder, 2022. "The long-term economic effects of pandemics: toward an evolutionary approach [Epidemics and trust: the case of the Spanish flu]," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 31(3), pages 715-735.
    5. Clark, Andrew E. & Nong, Huifu & Zhu, Hongjia & Zhu, Rong, 2021. "Compensating for academic loss: Online learning and student performance during the COVID-19 pandemic," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    6. De Paola, Maria & Gioia, Francesca & Scoppa, Vincenzo, 2022. "Online Teaching, Procrastination and Students’ Achievement: Evidence from COVID-19 Induced Remote Learning," IZA Discussion Papers 15031, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Philipp Hansen & Lennart Struth & Max Thon & Tim Umbach, 2021. "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Teaching Outcomes in Higher Education," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 073, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.
    8. Nishihata, Masaya & Kobayashi, Yohei, 2024. "Inequalities in student learning and screen time due to COVID-19: Evidence from Japan," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    9. Petersen, Luba & Rholes, Ryan, 2022. "Macroeconomic expectations, central bank communication, and background uncertainty: A COVID-19 laboratory experiment," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    10. Wada, Shuhei, 2021. "Online education and the Great Convergence," MPRA Paper 108793, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. Bandar N. Alarifi & Steve Song, 2024. "Online vs in-person learning in higher education: effects on student achievement and recommendations for leadership," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-8, December.
    12. Riudavets-Barcons, Marc & Uusitalo, Roope, 2023. "School Closures and Student Achievement: Evidence from a High Stakes Exam," IZA Discussion Papers 16074, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    13. Fábio Albuquerque, 2022. "Overall Satisfaction with the Emergency Remote Teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic from the Perspective of Higher Education Students in Portugal ," GATR Journals jmmr299, Global Academy of Training and Research (GATR) Enterprise.
    14. Birdi, Alvin & Cook, Steve & Elliott, Caroline & Lait, Ashley & Mehari, Tesfa & Wood, Max, 2023. "A critical review of recent economics pedagogy literature, 2020–2021," International Review of Economics Education, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    15. Gong, Jie & Liu, Tracy Xiao & Tang, Jie, 2021. "How monetary incentives improve outcomes in MOOCs: Evidence from a field experiment," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 905-921.
    16. Islam Majzoub, 2024. "In-Person Versus Online Learning About Students’ Perception," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(8), pages 373-390, August.
    17. Nabil Afodjo & Christopher Cotton & Maggie Jones, 2023. "Student Experiences with COVID-19 in Canada," Working Paper 1511, Economics Department, Queen's University.
    18. Agasisti, Tommaso & Barucci, Emilio & Cannistrà, Marta & Marazzina, Daniele & Soncin, Mara, 2023. "Online or on-campus? Analysing the effects of financial education on student knowledge gain," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    19. Merkus, Erik & Schafmeister, Felix, 2021. "The role of in-person tutorials in higher education," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 201(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Hoque, Nazmul & Basher, Syed Abul & A.K. Enamul, Haque, 2022. "Do Students Perform Better in Online Delivery of Education? Evidence from Bangladesh," MPRA Paper 112981, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Marigee Bacolod & Latika Chaudhary, 2018. "Distance To Promotion: Evidence From Military Graduate Education," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 36(4), pages 667-677, October.
    3. Jacqmin, Julien, 2019. "Providing MOOCs: A FUN way to enroll students?," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 32-39.
    4. Maria De Paola & Francesca Gioia & Vincenzo Scoppa, 2022. "Online Teaching, Procrastination And Students’ Achievement: Evidence From Covid-19 Induced Remote Learning," Working Papers 202202, Università della Calabria, Dipartimento di Economia, Statistica e Finanza "Giovanni Anania" - DESF.
    5. Benjamin T. Skinner, 2019. "Making the Connection: Broadband Access and Online Course Enrollment at Public Open Admissions Institutions," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 60(7), pages 960-999, November.
    6. Bosshardt, William & Chiang, Eric P., 2018. "Evaluating the effect of online principles courses on long-term outcomes," International Review of Economics Education, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 1-10.
    7. Marigee Bacolod & Stephen Mehay & Elda Pema, 2018. "Who succeeds in distance learning? Evidence from quantile panel data estimation," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 84(4), pages 1129-1145, April.
    8. Hardt, David & Nagler, Markus & Rincke, Johannes, 2022. "Can peer mentoring improve online teaching effectiveness? An RCT during the COVID-19 pandemic," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    9. Justin C. Ortagus & Lijing Yang, 2018. "An Examination of the Influence of Decreases in State Appropriations on Online Enrollment at Public Universities," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 59(7), pages 847-865, November.
    10. Hugues Champeaux & Lucia Mangiavacchi & Francesca Marchetta & Luca Piccoli, 2022. "Child development and distance learning in the age of COVID-19," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 659-685, September.
    11. Engelhardt, Bryan & Johnson, Marianne & Meder, Martin E., 2021. "Learning in the time of Covid-19: Some preliminary findings," International Review of Economics Education, Elsevier, vol. 37(C).
    12. Clark, Andrew E. & Nong, Huifu & Zhu, Hongjia & Zhu, Rong, 2021. "Compensating for academic loss: Online learning and student performance during the COVID-19 pandemic," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    13. Joshua Goodman & Julia Melkers & Amanda Pallais, 2019. "Can Online Delivery Increase Access to Education?," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 37(1), pages 1-34.
    14. Nick Huntington-Klein & James Cowan & Dan Goldhaber, 2017. "Selection into Online Community College Courses and Their Effects on Persistence," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 58(3), pages 244-269, May.
    15. Rachel Baker & Brent Evans & Qiujie Li & Bianca Cung, 2019. "Does Inducing Students to Schedule Lecture Watching in Online Classes Improve Their Academic Performance? An Experimental Analysis of a Time Management Intervention," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 60(4), pages 521-552, June.
    16. Cassandra M.D. Hart & Elizabeth Friedmann & Michael Hill, 2018. "Online Course-taking and Student Outcomes in California Community Colleges," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 13(1), pages 42-71, Winter.
    17. Yi Lu & Hong Song, 2020. "The effect of educational technology on college students’ labor market performance," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 33(3), pages 1101-1126, July.
    18. Justin C. Ortagus, 2018. "National Evidence of the Impact of First-Year Online Enrollment on Postsecondary Students’ Long-Term Academic Outcomes," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 59(8), pages 1035-1058, December.
    19. Liao, Haoye & Ma, Sen & Xue, Hao, 2022. "Does school shutdown increase inequality in academic performance? Evidence from COVID-19 pandemic in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    20. Agasisti, Tommaso & Barucci, Emilio & Cannistrà, Marta & Marazzina, Daniele & Soncin, Mara, 2023. "Online or on-campus? Analysing the effects of financial education on student knowledge gain," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    live streaming; distance learning; EduTech;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I26 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Returns to Education

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp12298. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Holger Hinte (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/izaaade.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.