Evaluating ADAPT: a hybrid instructional model combining Web-based and classroom components

The purpose of this evaluative study was to determine the effectiveness of a hybrid instructional model, called ADAPT (Active Discovery And Participation thru Technology) that combines the important features of traditional classroom instruction (classroom, instructor, textbook) with those of computer-mediated instruction (learning by performing rather than listening, frequent assessment and feedback). In combination, the model is distinguished from either distance or traditional instruction, and can be employed in campus computer labs. Both the ADAPT model and the traditional approach were used to teach a 10-week study skills course, the objective of which was to improve students’ academic performance, as measured by grade point averages. Results of using the two approaches and comparing them to one another and to a matched control group experiencing neither yielded an overall significant difference as well as significant differences between each condition. Students taught using ADAPT achieved the highest GPAs, relative to past performance, while those not taught achieved the lowest, with conventionally taught students in between. The hybridity of the ADAPT model seemed to provide students both structure and opportunity for involvement in the learning process.