Reducing Racing During Online Instruction with Contingent Postfeedback Delays

Abstract

Online instruction has become more prevalent in higher education over the last decade. Research investigating the effectiveness of this mode of instruction indicates that it is as good as, or better than, instruction in traditional classroom settings. In addition to the various benefits of online learning, there are also unique challenges that accompany this form of instruction. One of these challenges is racing during self-paced lessons. When racing occurs students are not attending to the instructional material and are instead moving through a lesson in an apparent attempt to escape the instructional context as quickly as possible. The purpose of our study was to assess the impact of contingent postfeedback delays on racing during an online lesson. Results from three separate experiments indicate that postfeedback delays can be an effective way to manage racing during a self-paced online lesson for some students.