A report of a study from the Brookings Institution indicates that in their current design, online courses are difficult, especially for students who are least prepared. These students’ learning and persistence outcomes are worse when they take online courses than they would have been had these same students taken in-person courses.
The report can be obtained at https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/ccf_20170609_loeb_evidence_speaks1.pdf.