Online Courses and Innovative Teaching Models in China's Higher Education System

Researchers at the Beijing Institute of Technology conducted a study on the effectiveness of online courses and innovative teaching models in China's higher education reform. The study found that students in online courses scored significantly lower than those in traditional classrooms, highlighting the need for innovative teaching models to offset the negative effects of limited teacher presence. The research also showed that teacher-student interaction positively contributes to academic performance but negatively moderates the relationship between the innovative teaching model and academic achievement.

Key Takeaways:

• The study analyzed the teaching outcomes of online courses and explored the impact of innovative teaching models on students' academic performance in online courses.
• The results showed that students in online courses score significantly lower than those in traditional classrooms, with a -10.4% difference in academic performance.
• Innovative teaching models can partially offset the negative effect of limited teacher presence in online courses, with a 7.2% improvement in academic performance.
• Teacher-student interaction positively contributes to academic performance, with a 3.5% increase in academic performance when teacher-student interaction is present.
• However, teacher-student interaction negatively moderates the relationship between the innovative teaching model and academic achievement, with a -2.1% decrease in academic performance when both teacher-student interaction and innovative teaching models are present.
• The study suggests that large-scale online degree programs may not be suitable for the current context, and it is essential to balance the frequency and depth of teacher-student interaction when designing innovative teaching models.
• The research has been peer-reviewed and published in the journal Education and Information Technologies, Volume 2025.

Statistics:

• 10.4%: The percentage difference in academic performance between students in online courses and traditional classrooms.
• 7.2%: The improvement in academic performance achieved through the use of innovative teaching models in online courses.
• 3.5%: The increase in academic performance due to teacher-student interaction in online courses.
• -2.1%: The decrease in academic performance due to the negative moderation effect of teacher-student interaction on the relationship between innovative teaching models and academic achievement.

Sources:

• Zhang, L. (2025). The Effects of Online Courses On Academic Performance: the Role of Innovative Teaching Models and Teacher-student Interaction. Education and Information Technologies, 2025.
• Education and Information Technologies. (2025). Peer-reviewed journal article.
• Springer. (www.springer.com; www.springerlink.com/content/1360-2357/)
• Beijing Institute of Technology. Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research. (Beijing 100081, People's Republic of China)