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A Comparative Analysis of Student Performance in Lower Division Computer Science Courses in Face-to-Face Mode vs. Distance Learning Mode

Vladimir Briller and John D. Carpinelli New Jersey Institute of Technology

Abstract

Computer engineering and computer science students at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) take a two-course sequence on the fundamentals of computer science as parts of their plans of study. The two courses, CIS 113 and CIS 114, cover topics in computer system basics, algorithm design, data abstraction, programming languages, data structures, and program development and debugging. Students may take either course in face-to-face mode or in distance learning mode.

This paper presents an analysis of student performance in the two courses for both modes of instruction. The analysis covers course offerings from the Fall 1994 semester through the Spring 2001 semester and includes a population of over 5,700 students. This paper also analyzes variances in the performance among distance learning students. For some instructors, the student course passing rates were consistently higher than for the others. That, coupled with better scores on student evaluations, allowed us to emphasize the impact of teaching style and teaching methodologies on the course outcomes for the distance learning students.

1. Introduction

There are several studies of the performance of students in traditional, face-to-face courses offered in distance learning mode, for example [1]. In general, these studies show no significant difference in student performance between the two modes of instruction. However, they are typically limited to student performance in individual courses. They do not assess how well students retain the knowledge gained in these courses and how well they perform in subsequent courses that use this knowledge. In this study, we assess the performance of students in two freshman computer science courses. Both courses are offered in both face-to-face and distance learning modes. This study is a follow-up to a previous study by the authors that analyzed the performance of students in upper-division computer engineering courses [2].

Freshman computer science and computer engineering students at the New Jersey Institute of Technology take CIS 113 and CIS 114, Introduction to Computer Science I and II. The first course, CIS 113, covers basic concepts of computer systems, software engineering, algorithm design, programming languages and data abstraction. Students in this course use C++ as the primary programming language. This course serves as a prerequisite for CIS 114, which covers

Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright Ó 2002, American Society for Engineering Education

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Briller, V., & Carpinelli, J. (2002, June), A Comparative Analysis Of Student Performance In Lower Division Computer Science Courses In Face To Face Mode Vs. Distance Learning Mode Paper presented at 2002 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada. 10.18260/1-2--11221