Online Learning Bibliography
A running list of every sources cited in my notes posts. Each post carries its own references; this page collects them all in one place.
This bibliography is a work in progress. It will grow and change as more research is reviewed and added.
References
Alpert, W. T., Couch, K. A., & Harmon, O. R. (2016). A randomized assessment of online learning. American Economic Review, 106(5), 378–382.
Altindag, D. T., Filiz, E. S., & Tekin, E. (2021). Is online education working? (NBER Working Paper No. 29113). National Bureau of Economic Research.
Bernard, R. M., Abrami, P. C., Lou, Y., Borokhovski, E., Wade, A., Wozney, L., Wallet, P. A., Fiset, M., & Huang, B. (2004). How does distance education compare with classroom instruction? A meta-analysis of the empirical literature. Review of Educational Research, 74(3), 379–439.
Bettinger, E. P., Fox, L., Loeb, S., & Taylor, E. S. (2017). Virtual classrooms: How online college courses affect student success. American Economic Review, 107(9), 2855–2875.
Bird, K. A., Castleman, B. L., & Lohner, G. (2022). Negative impacts from the shift to online learning during the COVID-19 crisis: Evidence from a statewide community college system. AERA Open, 8.
Figlio, D., Rush, M., & Yin, L. (2013). Is it live or is it internet? Experimental estimates of the effects of online instruction on student learning. Journal of Labor Economics, 31(4), 763–784.
Fischer, C., Baker, R., Li, Q., Orona, G. A., & Warschauer, M. (2022). Increasing success in higher education: The relationships of online course taking with college completion and time-to-degree. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 44(3), 355–379.
Hart, C. M. D., Baker, R., Hill, M., Alonso, E., & Xu, D. (2026). Online student performance under synchronous and asynchronous instruction in California community colleges. Research in Higher Education, 67(3), Article 16.
Hart, C. M. D., Friedmann, E., & Hill, M. (2018). Online course-taking and student outcomes in California community colleges. Education Finance and Policy, 13(1), 42–71.
Jaggars, S. S. (2014). Choosing between online and face-to-face courses: Community college student voices. American Journal of Distance Education, 28(1), 27–38.
Johnson, H., & Mejia, M. C. (2014). Online learning and student outcomes in California’s community colleges. Public Policy Institute of California.
Kofoed, M. S., Gebhart, L., Gilmore, D., & Moschitto, R. (2024). Zooming to class? Experimental evidence on college students’ online learning during COVID-19. American Economic Review: Insights, 6(3), 324–340.
Means, B., Toyama, Y., Murphy, R., Bakia, M., & Jones, K. (2010). Evaluation of evidence-based practices in online learning: A meta-analysis and review of online learning studies. U.S. Department of Education.
Shea, P., & Bidjerano, T. (2018). Online course enrollment in community college and degree completion: The tipping point. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 19(2), 282–293.
Wladis, C., Hachey, A. C., Manly, C. A., & Conway, K. M. (2025). Competing hypotheses about online versus face-to-face course outcomes: Analysis leveraging the unique circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. Online Learning, 29(3), 176–210.
Worsham, R., Swanson, E., & Avery, C. N. (2025). Going the distance or growing more remote? The academic impacts of course modality following pandemic-era investments (EdWorkingPaper 25-1183). Annenberg Institute, Brown University.
Xu, D., & Jaggars, S. S. (2014). Performance gaps between online and face-to-face courses: Differences across types of students and academic subject areas. The Journal of Higher Education, 85(5), 633–659.
Xu, D., Ran, F. X., & Zhou, X. (2023). Adopting online learning in college developmental education coursework: Impact on course persistence, completion, and subsequent success. American Journal of Distance Education, 37(1), 21–37.
© 2026 Matthew MacNaughton. This work is licensed under a .