The Impact of Online Learning Strategies on Students’ Academic Performance: A Systematic Literature Review

Ramiz Zekaj

Abstract


Today, online learning is a challenging teaching strategy used by higher educational institutions (HEI) and requires ample technological and psychological preparation. This study aims to assess whether the transition to the virtual classroom improved or deteriorated students’ academic performance. Through a systematic literature review, 37 related literatures sourced from Science Direct, Taylor & Francis, and Emerald Insight were obtained. A ten-year timeframe between 2012 and 2022 was used to narrow down the searches. The criteria used for the selection of literature were based on the provided abstract, journal impact factor, and contain the relevant keywords for the study. In this study, four different aspects linked with online learning strategies were noted, namely: technical, technological, psychological, and physical. Findings from this study reveal that online learning strategies are often linked with technical, technological, physical, and psychological elements. Results also show that students’ performance is highly dependent on the presence of these elements during online classes. Furthermore, this study recommends the continued use of online learning if both students and instructors are technologically and physically prepared.

 

https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.22.2.9


Keywords


online learning; academic performance; Higher Educational Institutions

Full Text:

PDF

References


Addae, H. Y., Alhassan, A., Issah, S., & Azupogo, F. (2022). Online learning experiences among nursing and midwifery students during the Covid-19 outbreak in Ghana: A cross-sectional study. Heliyon, 8(12), e12155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12155

AECT. (nd) Theory of Distance Education. The Handbook of Research for Educational Communications and Technology. http://members.aect.org/edtech/ed1/13/13-03.html

Agyeiwaah, E., Badu Baiden, F., Gamor, E., & Hsu, F. C. (2022). Determining the attributes that influence students' online learning satisfaction during COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education, 30, 100364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhlste.2021.100364

Al-Kahtani, N. (2022). A survey assessing the health science students' perception towards online learning at a Saudi Higher Education Institution during COVID-19 pandemic. Heliyon, 8(9), e10632. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10632

Alkis, N., & Temizel, T.T. (2018). The Impact of Motivation and Personality on Academic Performance in Online and Blended Learning Environments. Educational Technology & Society, 21(3), 35-47. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26458505

Avci, U., & Ergün, E. (2022). Online students’ LMS activities and their effect on engagement, information literacy and academic performance. Interactive Learning Environments, 30(1), 71-84. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2019.1636088

Broadbent, J. (2017). Comparing online and blended learner's self-regulated learning strategies and academic performance. The Internet and Higher Education, 33, 24-32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2017.01.004

Brown, T., Robinson, L., Gledhill, K., Yu, M. L., Isbel, S., Greber, C., Parsons, D., & Etherington, J. (2022). Predictors of undergraduate occupational therapy students' academic performance during the Covid-19 pandemic: A hierarchical regression analysis. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 1-3. https://doi.org/10.1080/11038128.2022.2123854

Byukusenge, C., Nsanganwimana, F., & Tarmo, A.P. (2022). Effectiveness of Virtual Laboratories in Teaching and Learning Biology: A Review of Literature. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 21(6), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.21.6.1

Cavanaugh, J., Jacquemin, S., & Junker, C. (2022). A look at student performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Quality Assurance in Education. Ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1108/QAE-01-2022-0008

Clark, A. E., Nong, H., Zhu, H., & Zhu, R. (2021). Compensating for academic loss: Online learning and student performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. China Economic Review, 68, 106-116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chieco.2021.101629

Country Health Ranking & Roadmaps. (nd). County Health Rankings Model. Retrieved from Country Health Ranking & Roadmaps: https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/explore-health-rankings/county-health-rankings-model/health-factors/physical-environment#:~:text=The%20physical%20environment%20is%20where,travel%20to%20work%20and%20school

Davis, A., Rand, R., & Seay, R. (2016). Remote Proctoring: The Effect of Proctoring on Grades. In T. G. Calderon (ed.). Advances in Accounting Education, Vol. 18: Teaching and Curriculum Innovations. (pp. 23-50). Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Diab-Bahman, R., Al-Enzi, A., Sharafeddine, W., & Aftimos, S. (2021). The effect of attendance on student performance: implications of using virtual learning on overall performance. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 14(3), 1175-1192. https://doi.org/10.1108/jarhe-04-2021-0135

Halabi, A., Essop, A., Carmichael, T., & Steyn, B. (2014). Preliminary evidence of a relationship between the use of online learning and academic performance in a South African first-year university accounting course. Africa Education Review, 11(3), 405-423. https://doi.org/10.1080/18146627.2014.934995

Hashemi, A. (2021). Effects of COVID-19 on the academic performance of Afghan students’ and their level of satisfaction with online teaching. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 8(1), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2021.1933684

Horzum, M., Önder, I., & Be?oluk, ?. (2014). Chronotype and academic achievement among online learning students. Learning and Individual Differences, 30, 106-111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2013.10.017

Jia, C., Hew, K.F., Jiahui, D., & Liuyufeng, L. (2022). Towards a fully online flipped classroom model to support student learning outcomes and engagement: A 2-year design-based study. The Internet and Higher Education, 56, 100-108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2022.100878Kim, S., Jeong, S. H., Kim, H. S., & Jeong, Y. J. (2022). Academic Success of Online Learning in Undergraduate Nursing Education Programs in the COVID-19 Pandemic Era. Journal of professional nursing: official journal of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 38, 6–16. https://doi.org/10.1016

Kuan, F., & Lee, S.W. (2022). Effects of self-efficacy and learning environment on Hong Kong undergraduate students’ academic performance in online learning. Public Administration and Policy: An Asia-Pacific Journal, 25(3), 251-263. https://doi.org/10.1108/pap-08-2022-0100

Lee, D., Rothstein, R., Dunford, A., Berger, E., Rhoads, J.F., & DeBoer, J. (2021). “Connecting online”: The structure and content of students' asynchronous online networks in a blended engineering class. Computers & Education, 163, 104-110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.104082

Lemay, D. J., Bazelais, P., & Doleck, T. (2021). Transition to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 4, 100-130. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2021.1871633

Li, J., & Che, W. (2022). Challenges and coping strategies of online learning for college students in the context of COVID-19: A survey of Chinese universities. Sustainable Cities and Society, 83, 103-115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2022.103958

Li, Q., Bañuelos, M., Liu, Y., & Xu, D. (2022). Online instruction for a humanized learning experience: Techniques used by college instructors. Computers & Education, 189, 104-114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104595

Lukas, B. A., & Yunus, M. M. (2021). ESL Teachers’ Challenges in Implementing E-learning during COVID-19. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 20(2), 330-348. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.20.2.18

McPhee, I., & Söderström, T. (2012). Distance, online and campus higher education: reflections on learning outcomes. Campus-Wide Information Systems, 29(3), 144-155. https://doi.org/10.1108/10650741211243166

Mendoza, N., Yan, Z., & King, R.B. (2022). Supporting students’ intrinsic motivation for online learning tasks: The effect of need-supportive task instructions on motivation, self-assessment, and task performance. Computers & Education, 193, 104-116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104663

Mukuna, K. R., & Aloka, P. J. (2020). Exploring educators' challenges of online learning in COVID-19 at a rural school, South Africa. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 19(10), 134-149. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19.10.8

Rissanen, A., & Costello, J.M. (2021). The effectiveness of interactive online tutorials in first-year large biology course. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education. Ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-09-2020-0312

Stevens, G. J., Bienz, T., Wali, N., Condie, J., & Schismenos, S. (2021). Online university education is the new normal: but is face-to-face better? Interactive Technology and Smart Education, 18(3), 278-297. https://doi.org/10.1108/itse-08-2020-0181

Strang, K. (2016). How student behavior and reflective learning impact grades in online business courses. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 8(3), 390-410. https://doi.org/10.1108/jarhe-06-2015-0048

Sun, T., & Kim, J-E. (2022). The Effects of Online Learning and Task Complexity on Students’ Procrastination and Academic Performance. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction. http://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2022.2083462

Tan, C. (2021). The impact of COVID-19 on student motivation, community of inquiry and learning performance. Asian Education and Development Studies, 10(2), 308-321. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeds-05-2020-0084

Tang, Y., Tseng, H., & Tang, X. (2022). The impact of information-seeking self-efficacy and online learning self-efficacy on students' performance proficiency. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 48(5), 102-110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2022.102584

Theobald, M., & Bellhäuser, H. (2022). How am I going and where to next? Elaborated online feedback improves university students' self-regulated learning and performance. The Internet and Higher Education, 55, 100-108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2022.100872

Wang, Q., Xiong, C., & Liu, J. (2021). Does culture or self-directed learning drive online performance? International Journal of Educational Management, 35(6), 1077-1098. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijem-06-2020-0327

Xing, W. (2022). Does the early bird catch the worm? A large-scale examination of the effects of early participation in online learning. Distance Education, 43(3). https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2022.2088476

Yang, A., Chen, I.Y.L., Flanagan, B., & Ogata, H. (2022). How students’ self-assessment behavior affects their online learning performance. Computer and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 3, 100-113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2022.100058

Yee, B. C., Mohd Nawi, A., & Abdullah, T. (2022). Potential disruptive innovation: online learning of public speaking courses in higher education. Foresight, 24(3/4), 445-455. https://doi.org/10.1108/fs-01-2021-0017

Zhao, H., Yang, X., Qu, F., Zhang, X., Song, L., & Yang, X. (2022). The impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on physical fitness and academic performance of Chinese college students. Journal of American College Health, 1-8. Advance online publication.

Zimmerman, W. A., & Kulikowich, J.M. (2016). Online Learning Self-Efficacy in Students With and Without Online Learning Experience. American Journal of Distance Education, 30(3), 180-191. https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2016.1193801


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


e-ISSN: 1694-2116

p-ISSN: 1694-2493