A Comparison of Student Outcomes in a Music Course Via Two Instructional Modes
Method
Participants
Participants included 123 undergraduate non-music elementary education majors enrolled in a four-year southwestern university. Participants ranged from sophomore to senior status. Students' ages ranged from 19 to 45 with an average age of 24.5 (two students did not provide their ages). The average age of students enrolled in the on-campus sections was 22.6 and the average age of students enrolled in the online sections was 28.1. There were 117 females and 6 males. Two males and 41 females enrolled in the online sections and 4 males and 76 females enrolled in the on-campus sections.
Procedures
Participants enrolled in either a traditional on-campus music course or an on-line Internet section of the same course. The study was conducted during the fall 2000 and spring 2001 semesters. During the fall semester, students enrolled in one of two on-campus sections or the on-line section. During the spring semester, students enrolled in either one on-campus section or the on-line section. The same instructor taught all sections of the music course. The course syllabus, textbook, and course content were the same for each section for both semesters. Each student completed a consent form, questionnaire, and pretest before instruction began. In addition, each student completed a posttest at the end of the semester. The pretest and posttest consisted of the same 50 questions. The posttest was part of a comprehensive final that all students completed.
The Music Course
The music course was titled "General Music for Children" and designed for non-music elementary education majors. The course content consisted of providing students with a basic understanding of the elements of music (rhythm, melody, harmony, and form). The same information was presented in all sections. The same text was used for both the on-campus and on-line sections. The text used for all sections was Understanding Music Fundamentals (2nd Edition) by Phyllis Gelineau. The text was a supplemental to instructor lectures and online information. Students were referred to the text for further reading during class discussions. Except for written exams for the traditional on-campus class, all course requirements were the same including developing music lesson plans focusing on the "Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills."
Traditional On-Campus Section
Students in the traditional on-campus sections completed the necessary consent form, questionnaire and pretest on the first day of class. The traditional on-campus sections were designed as a traditional course meeting for 50 minutes twice a week. The meetings consisted of lecture, class demonstration, class discussion, and question/answer format. There were four exams scheduled throughout the semester. At times, handouts were distributed and homework assigned. The posttest was given in conjunction with the final comprehensive final exam at the scheduled time during the final exam week.
Online Internet Section
Students enrolled in the online Internet course completed the consent form, questionnaire, and pretest online. To allow all students time to complete the necessary forms, Internet course information was not available for the first week of the semester. Students entering the course after this week were asked to complete the consent form, questionnaire, and pretest before proceeding to course information. Following the first week of the semester, the course information was open for students. Students enrolled in the on-line Internet section moved through the course at their own pace. There were, however, specific due dates for several assignments throughout the course. All students had to complete all assignments prior to a predetermined course-ending date.
Course information for the on-line section was divided into 15 units. Each unit consisted of five different sections: Introduction, Instructor Comments, Vocabulary, Learning Activities, and Wrap Up. The five sections attempted to imitate a "normal" class presentation. The Introduction section provided the students with a glimpse of the material to be presented in the particular unit. In the Instructor Comments section of each unit, information related to the unit topic was presented. For most units, this section contained the majority of relevant content. In the Vocabulary section, important terms introduced in the unit were listed. The Learning Activities section offered students a variety of assignments to enhance the learning process. The activities imitated tasks completed in the on-campus sections either in class or on an exam. Finally, the Wrap Up section reviewed key points in the current unit and introduced students to material in the proceeding unit. The posttest was given in conjunction with the final comprehensive final exam. From several predetermined-time options, students selected a time to take the posttest (and comprehensive final exam) on campus. Cooper (2000) recommended this policy of taking a comprehensive exam on-campus.