Student Performance and Course Modality: The Relationship between Outcomes, Modality, and Course Subject

The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify if a significant relationship existed between teaching modality and student performance outcomes while also considering the factor of course subject being taught during the 2021-2023 academic years. Three courses were included in the research: Math 1630 Finite Mathematics, English 1010 Composition I, and Biology 1110 General Biology. Each of the three courses are introductory level courses in the math, English, and science subject. The study also included statistical analysis on gender as related to student performance outcomes. The findings presented of this research showed a significant relationship between teaching modality and student performance outcomes. Students who took Math 1630 as a Desktop Video Course (DVC, virtual synchronous courses via Zoom or Microsoft Teams) performed significantly better than students who took the in-person course. Also, students performed better in the web Biology course than in the DVC and in-person courses. Students who took the English course in a web format significantly performed better than students who took the course in DVC and in-person formats. Female students who took Math 1630 as a DVC course performed significantly better than female students who took the course as a web or in-person course. Male students in English performed significantly better when they took the course as a web course compared to male students who took the course as DVC or in-person courses. For both male and female students in Biology, student performance was significantly better when the course was taken as a web course. Thus, faculty, advising staff, and students should determine which modality is appropriate for each course subject and student characteristics.