Comparison of Knowledge Gained in a Face-to-Face Versus an Online College-Level Nutrition Course

Abstract

Although evidence exists that online education can result in comparable outcomes to the equivalent face-to-face (F2F) version of a course, there is still a dearth of literature. The objective of this pilot was to investigate differences in academic performance between students participating in the F2F versus online versions of Nutrition 10, an introductory, college-level nutrition course. Students enrolled in Nutrition 10 (F2F; n = 907) and Nutrition 10V (virtual; n = 1,239) completed a 27-item nutrition knowledge questionnaire before (pre-) and after the class (post-) developed from the learning objectives (α = 0.92). Students who took the class, regardless of delivery method, improved their nutrition knowledge (+6.9 points; p < 0.01). In the F2F class, students exhibited a greater improvement in nutrition knowledge (+7.7 points; p < 0.01) compared with the virtual class (+6.3 points; p < 0.01). There were significant differences in grades based on the quarter when the course was offered. Fall 2019 F2F students received a grade that was 3% higher than the virtual course (p < 0.05), whereas winter 2020 virtual students received a grade that was 1.2% higher than the F2F course (p < 0.01). Although F2F and online education share many similarities, there are still significant differences between the two modalities.

Keywords:

• Nutrition education
• Online learning
• Methods of instruction
• Higher education