The Effect of Goal-Setting Prompts in a Blended Learning Environment – Evidence from a Field Experiment

Erwin Amann () and Sylvi Rzepka ()
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Erwin Amann: University Duisburg-Essen
Sylvi Rzepka: University of Potsdam

No 25, CEPA Discussion Papers from Center for Economic Policy Analysis

Abstract: We investigate how inviting students to set task-based goals affects usage of an online learning platform and course performance. We design and implement a randomized field experiment in a large mandatory economics course with blended learning elements. The low-cost treatment induces students to use the online learning system more often, more intensively, and to begin earlier with exam preparation. Treated students perform better in the course than the control group: they are 18.8% (0.20 SD) more likely to pass the exam and earn 6.7% (0.19 SD) more points on the exam. There is no evidence that treated students spend significantly more time, rather they tend to shift to more productive learning methods. The heterogeneity analysis suggests that higher treatment effects are associated with higher levels of behavioral bias but also with poor early course behavior.

Keywords: natural field experiment; blended learning; behavioral economics; goal-setting (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C93 D91 I21 I23 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cbe, nep-edu and nep-exp
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pot:cepadp:25

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