Cognitive Learning Exercise - Research Paper Example

This paper endeavors to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual learning, it has utilized two articles, one by Peter W Stonebraker and James E Hazeltime (2004)- Virtual Learning Effectiveness and secondly, Online Teaching Effectiveness: A Tale of Two Instructors by Paul Gorsky and Ina Blau (2009). The first article by Stonebraker and Hazeltime was a study intended to explore considerable relationships that may exist in a corporate virtual teaching environment. The study defined, scrutinized and quantified the efficacy of corporate virtual teaching program.

The study has added to the understanding of the variables that were in tandem or associated with a successful learning programs in the dynamic virtual learning environments. The study identified specific non-collinear predictor variables with the contentment in the lessons, and of contentment with completion of the lessons. The study reveals that self-imported learning outcomes of the courses are in agreement with those of reported outcomes for live classrooms that are above APICS society test performance rates.

In analyzing the efficacy of virtual learning, this article employs previously formulated literature relevant to the study (Stonebraker and Hazeltin, 2004). . Virtual learning is also cited to be more flexible with added elements of assessment, broader range of stimuli and sources for participants to apply (Buzzetto-More and Informing Science Institute, 2008).  On the subject of age and advancement in technology, younger participants may perform better older ones due to their advanced comparative technological competence.

Conversely, older students may possess a more established and mature outlook that might compensate for the technological advantage associated with younger students. These literatures and the article itself do not clearly spell out the impacts of technology and age in virtual learning programs. In determination of the effectiveness of virtual learning, the study employed an electronic questionnaire sent to 338 participants in an APICS CPIM test preparation courses offered in seven semesters over a two and one third year period.

The instructions used during the study period, though application-based, contained some aspects of theory, process and elements of generality often related to traditional learning programs. The second article by Gorsky and Blau evaluates the literature on the efficiency of virtual learning environments base on the performance of two instructors. One of the instructors received very high commendation from the students he instructed, the other got low commendation. This unique situation offered an opportunity to use spontaneous scrutiny of their course forums.

The purpose for which the study was carried out was to investigate the behavior that materialized and to formulate proposals that could be adopted to develop best and worst practice for the instructors in regard to the degree of