Different Forms of Learning and Their Relationship with Learning Outcomes Based on an “Object-Oriented Programming” Course as an Example

Due to the pandemic, learning transformed from traditional face-to-face modes through emergency remote to distance and blended or hybrid learning. The choice of the form of teaching-learning determines how exactly studies are carried out and what role the teacher has. It is crucial to identify the optimal choice among these learning options as each offers its own set of advantages, and both students and teachers have their individual preferences. The aim of this paper is to ascertain the advantages and disadvantages of different forms of learning and examine the variations in learning outcomes in the context of different learning forms. A study was conducted by analyzing academic performance over five academic years, from 2018 to 2022, in the course “Object-oriented programming”, where the grading system encompasses weekly programming assignments, quizzes based on lecture material, a group project, two programming tests and a final examination. Based on the points obtained in the course, the highest results were achieved in 2020 when emergency remote teaching was used. The results for 2019, which was the last ‘normally’ conducted year, were the weakest, while those for 2021 with distance learning were back to their pre-COVID levels. Offering a possibility to choose between in-class and distance education led to improved results in 2022. The comparison of the various learning forms revealed that there is no one optimal method. However, it can be speculated that blended and hybrid learning will displace face-to-face learning.