| The purpose of this causal-comparative research study is to determine if potential causal relationships exist in academic achievement as shown in final course percentage grades of non-traditional learners registered for a post-licensure Registered Nurse - Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-BSN) program course using the online and traditional face-to-face classroom learning environment delivery methods. The independent variable associated with the study is the course delivery method with variations being the online learning environment through the main campus at Morehead State University and the traditional face-to-face classroom learning environment offered at the MSU at Prestonsburg regional campus center. Both variations are used specifically for the delivery of RN-BSN courses. The dependent variable associated with the study is academic achievement as shown in final course percentage grades of non-traditional learners registered specifically for the delivery of NURB 327 - Transition to Professional Nursing Practice in both learning environments. The course syllabus (Appendix A) and instructional learning guide (Appendix B) for NURB 327 - Transition to Professional Nursing Practice indicate that the course description, purpose of the course, course learning outcomes, course units, evaluation method, grading scale, and textbooks are very similar for both course sections. The nature of collaboration, teaching strategies, attendance policies, course procedures, and calendars vary to some degree for both course sections. The measure that was used is an independent samples t-test data from SPSS 16.0, which is one of the most common used techniques for testing a hypothesis to determine if potential causal relationships exist between sample means. |
