An exploratory study of live vs. web-based delivery of a phlebotomy program

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Online Learning Pedagogy

Background:

• Increased web-based education necessitates evaluating its impact on student outcomes and course quality.
• Traditional live classroom settings are being compared against online delivery models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare cognitive outcomes and student perceptions of course quality in live versus web-based phlebotomy programs.
• To assess the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education in different delivery formats.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental design was employed.
• Students self-selected into either a live classroom or a web-based phlebotomy program.
• Cognitive outcomes and course quality perceptions were measured.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in cognitive outcomes were observed between live and web-based groups.
• Student perception of course quality differed for Principle One (student-instructor contact) in Part I, favoring live instruction.
• No significant differences in perceived course quality across the Seven Principles were found for Part II.

Conclusions:

• While constructivist pedagogy in Part II did not enhance cognitive outcomes, it may have improved knowledge retention.
• Student-instructor contact perception improved in the web-based group for Part II.
• Further research with larger samples is recommended to refine course quality assessment instruments.