Learning styles and academic performance in Distance Education: a research in specialization courses

Abstract

The objective of the study is to identify whether learning styles impact academic performance and online and face-to-face assessment activities in Distance Education. Learning styles were mapped using the Index of Learning Styles of Felder and Soloman (1991). For data analysis, generalized linear models methodology was adopted; the Wald test was used to evaluate the effect of the factors. The findings are: 1. The predominant profile of the sample consists of the following styles: active, sensory, verbal and sequential. 2. Learning styles impacted academic performance only in the Active/Reflective dimension. 3. Significant differences were found between the mean of online and face-to-face assessment activities only in the Sensory/Intuitive dimension. 4. The means of online assessment activities are larger in every styles dimensions.