Predicting success in the undergraduate hybrid business ethics class

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to use data available through the hybrid (blended online and face to face) learning environment to explore both a direct behavioral measure of conscientiousness and gender in predicting hybrid classroom performance. Design/methodology/approach – Variables measuring both student conscientious behavior, in the hybrid classroom, and gender were examined to determine their relationship to student final grades (i.e. success) in hybrid undergraduate business ethics courses. Findings – The author finds that: first, conscientiousness continues to be a solid predictor of academic success; second, gender continues to be an insignificant predictor of success in the online/hybrid environment; third, using direct behavioral measures of conscientiousness yields results consistent with prior research that linked inventory-based conscientiousness levels to academic performance; and finally, the archiving and data-collection functions of the hybrid classroom represent a rich trove of behavioral data that may be mined for clues to predict student academic success. Research limitations/implications – As the research is based on data from six hybrid business ethics classrooms at one institution, future research could be extended to different classrooms and different institutions compared across nations. Research implications include highlighting the potential value of using direct measures of conscientiousness to predict performance. Practical implications – The study sheds light on the tremendous possibilities for conducting applied research on educational performance outcomes using the rich data inherent in the hybrid learning environment. The author has suggested numerous ways to mine the data from the online portion of the hybrid classroom to explore antecedents of academic success. The author suggests that the hybrid classroom can provide data to act as an early warning system for educators to identify struggling students. Originality/value – The paper builds upon an exploratory study of the use of direct behavioral (rather than inventory self-report) measures of personality in research on educational outcomes as well as introducing avenues for original research on learning behavior based on data afforded by the hybrid educational environment.