Assessing Blended Learning: Student Outcomes and Perceptions

This paper describes the conversion of an introductory computing course to the blended learning model at a small, public liberal arts college. Blended learning significantly reduces face-to-face instruction by incorporating rich, online learning experiences. We provide the motivation for the change and report initial results from a pilot study. More specifically, we compare student learning outcomes in the traditional and blended learning sections of the course and assess student satisfaction with blended learning. We found that student performance in the traditional and blended learning sections of the course were comparable. Students reported high levels of interaction with their instructor, and student satisfaction with the course increased by the end of the semester. We conclude by offering lessons learned for others interested in adopting blended learning.