The Effects of Virtual Groups on Learning Outcomes in an ITV Delivered International Business Course

Abstract

Recently, faculty at a small public, liberal arts University delivered two sections of an international business course, one by the face-to-face method—instructor and students in the same room—and one partially by interactive television (ITV)—instructor and some students in the same room and some students remotely located. The delivery of the course included in-class and out-of-class group assignments. Groups were formed at the beginning of the semester and remained the same throughout the semester. Each group in the ITV section included one student from the remote location. These virtual groups had access to university supplied webcams to augment the commonly used communication technologies (e-mail, text messaging, cell phones, etc.). Student learning was assessed using a final exam, peer evaluations, and an end-of-semester survey. The perceptions of learning for the students in the ITV section were lower than the face-to-face section; however, the direct assessments showed no significant difference in learning outcomes between the sections. A more detailed description of the results and ideas for further research are presented.