Was “Returning to Normal” More Effective? Comparing Online and Offline Learning in English as a Foreign Language

Abstract

The aim of this research was to investigate whether a post-pandemic return to more face-to-face teaching was any more effective than during-pandemic online teaching, using examination results as an indicator. It compares the two middle years of a four-year undergraduate degree in English as a Foreign Language over two consecutive years. Year 1 saw 73% of the time spent online teaching and learning, while Year 2 spent 25%. The relative effects on the examination results of more versus less online were compared. The participants were 105 Methodologists (future teachers) and 272 Translators (N = 377), predominantly female (83%). Entry scores were checked to ensure the similarity of the cohorts. Examinations were taken twice a year. On one course, more online yielded better performance on both occasions. On three others, more online yielded better performance in the Winter but equivalent performance in the Summer. Of 24 Effect Sizes (ESs), only 3 were in favour of more offline. The average ES was 0.10 in favour of more online, 0.21 in Winter and 0.05 in Summer. Thus, more online learning was modestly more effective than less online learning. This had implications for course designers/university managers in terms of the degree of return to face-to-face learning.

Keywords

• online learning
• face-to-face learning
• offline learning
• remote learning
• examinations
• English as a foreign language