This study addressed several outcomes, implications, and possible future directions for blended learning (BL) in higher education in a world where information communication technologies (ICTs) increasingly communicate with each other. In considering effectiveness, the authors contend that BL coalesces around access, success, and students’ perception of their learning environments. Success and withdrawal rates for face-to-face and online courses are compared to those for BL as they interact with minority status. Investigation of student perception about course excellence revealed the existence of robust if-then decision rules for determining how students evaluate their educational experiences. Those rules were independent of course modality, perceived content relevance, and expected grade. The authors conclude that although blended learning preceded modern instructional technologies, its evolution will be inextricably bound to contemporary information communication technologies that are approximating some aspects of human thought processes.

The authors used the Health Risk Behavior Survey for University Students to assess the prevalence of tobacco use among undergraduates in the Florida state university system. They examined the relationships of gender, marital situation, and minority status to 6 smoking behaviors (tried cigarettes, smoked regularly, tried to quit smoking, age when first smoked regularly, number of cigarettes smoked in the last month, and number of days smoked in the past month). Findings suggested that White students were more likely than minority students to try cigarettes and women more likely than men to smoke regularly. Married students smoked more regularly than others and were less likely than single students to have tried to quit smoking. The investigators suggested analyzing latent behaviors associated with smoking and called for a national meta-analysis of data from smoking studies to help clinicians deal with student tobacco use.

Student growth patterns in Web-enhanced and on-line courses lead the University of Central Florida (UCF) to expect large populations for both categories. The authors describe the UCF process for implementing and evaluating Web-based instruction. The office of Course Development and Web Services supports faculty in preparing and delivering their on-line courses. Additionally, faculties are given support for the transition through a semester-long course in Web-based teaching. The Center for Distributed Learning provides administrative and registration services in addition to coordinating and marketing interactive television, video, and Web-based courses. The Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning provides additional support for faculty as they work with the new technologies. Finally, UCF is conducting a comprehensive impact evaluation of distributed learning including differential success, demographic trends, impact on teaching, and impact on students with differing learni ng styles. The model used at UCF is compared with the Twente TeleTOP method (De Boer, 1999) and the generalizability of this model to other institutions is discussed.

To capture the student voice, university researchers examined the high-stakes Student Perception of Instruction form, administered online to students each semester, allowing them anonymous feedback on their courses. A total of 2,171,565 observations were analyzed for all courses each semester from fall 2017 through fall 2022. The results indicated that 68% of students responded identically to each of the protocol’s 9 Likert scale items, essentially straight-lining their rating of instruction and casting doubt on the validity of their engagement with the process. Student responses by various University demographics are presented. We discuss the potential influences of students’ reactions and present a possible model for effective teaching and evaluation.

Each year, OLJ presents a special section devoted to research shared at the Online Learning Consortium conferences. We are happy to present five research articles selected from the many presented at OLC Accelerate, held virtually November 9-18, 2020 and OLC Innovate, held virtually March 15-19, 2021. We invite the readers to consider presenting their research to OLC conferences in the future and submitting to OLJ to share their work with others in the field.