Study Overview
- Title:
- Evaluating the impact of Southern New Hampshire University’s blended learning program on learning outcomes (South Africa)
- Study is 3ie funded:
- No
- Study ID:
- RIDIE-STUDY-ID-5ceb8900c7db4
- Initial Registration Date:
- 05/27/2019
- Last Update Date:
- 05/24/2019
- Study Status:
- Ongoing
- Location(s):
- South Africa
- Abstract:
The Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU)/Kepler university program was established in Rwanda to develop a high quality, low-cost model of higher education. The program uses a blended learning model of online courses and in-person instruction with a focus on improving job market outcomes for students. The learning program has since expanded to other locations. In 2018, the first cohort of students - primarily international - enrolled in the SNHU program in South Africa. IDinsight is conducting a prospective evaluation of the program's impact on their cognitive and non-cognitive skills compared to their counterparts enrolled in other local universities.
- Registration Citation:
Bier, R. and Dawoodjee, I., 2019. Evaluating the impact of Southern New Hampshire University’s blended learning program on learning outcomes (South Africa). Registry for International Development for Impact Evaluations (RIDIE). Available at: 10.23846/ridie179
- Categories:
- Education
- Additional Keywords:
- Secondary ID Number(s):
Principal Investigator(s)
- Name of First PI:
- Rebecca Bier
- Affiliation:
- IDinsight
- Name of Second PI:
- Inez Dawoodjee
- Affiliation:
- IDinsight
Study Sponsor
- Name:
- Southern New Hampshire University
- Study Sponsor Location:
- United States
Research Partner
- Name of Partner Institution:
- Southern New Hampshire University; Scalabrini Centre
- Type of Organization:
- Research institute/University
- Location:
- United States
Intervention Overview
- Intervention:
The Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU)/Kepler university program was established in Rwanda to develop a high quality, low-cost model of higher education. The program uses a blended learning model of online courses and in-person instruction with a focus on improving job market outcomes for students. In 2018, SNHU collaborated with its on-site partner, the Scalabrini Centre, to expand the learning program to Cape Town, South Africa, primarily targeting students who hold refugee or asylum seeker statuses.
- Theory of Change:
Students receive a curriculum specifically tailored to application and core competencies, as well as a bachelor's degree from SNHU upon successful completion of the program. This system of tertiary education, focusing on application and providing more flexibility through the blended model, can have a positive impact on students' learning outcomes, specifically on their (1) critical reasoning skills (2) computer literacy, and (3) English comprehension skills. The program can also have long run effects on students’ employment prospects via better cognitive skills formation.
- Multiple Treatment Arms Evaluated?
- Yes
Implementing Agency
- Name of Organization:
- IDinsight
- Type of Organization:
- NGO (International)
Program Funder
- Name of Organization:
- Southern New Hampshire University
- Type of Organization:
- Research Institution/University
Intervention Timing
- Intervention or Program Started at time of Registration?
- Yes
- Start Date:
- 02/01/2018
- End Date:
- 11/30/2019
Evaluation Method Overview
- Primary (or First) Evaluation Method:
- Difference in difference/fixed effects
- Other (not Listed) Method:
- Additional Evaluation Method (If Any):
- Other (not Listed) Method:
Method Details
- Details of Evaluation Approach:
IDinsight is conducting a difference-in-differences evaluation to measure relative changes in learning outcomes for treatment vis-a-vis comparison groups between baseline and follow up rounds of data collection. Students, primarily international, enrolled in the SNHU program make up the treatment group. The comparison group is composed of similar students entering their first year of tertiary education at South African higher education institutions.
- Outcomes (Endpoints):
We are measuring students' cognitive and non-cognitive skill outcomes. Cognitive skills are measured through a series of tests which produce quantitative learning scores for students. Non-cognitive skill outcomes will be measured using the Anchored Big Five Inventory (ABFI) tool. This is a soft-skills assessment appropriate for multiple country contexts.
- Unit of Analysis:
- Individuals/ Students
- Hypotheses:
How much are SNHU students in Cape Town learning, compared to peer migrant students at local South African universities? How does the SNHU program impact students’ professional skills and employability, as compared to the counterfactual options available to similar migrants?
- Unit of Intervention or Assignment:
- Individuals/Students
- Number of Clusters in Sample:
- Number of Individuals in Sample:
- 300
- Size of Treatment, Control, or Comparison Subsamples:
- 150 students in treatment, 150 students in comparison
Supplementary Files
- Analysis Plan:
- IDinsight-SNHU Pre-Analysis Plan RIDIE Registry.pdf
- Other Documents:
Outcomes Data
- Description:
- A primary dataset will be generated to measure outcomes. Contributions to this dataset will come from students' academic tests, a demographic survey and a non-cognitive skill measurement tool.
- Data Already Collected?
- No
- Data Previously Used?
- Data Access:
- Data Obtained by the Study Researchers?
- Data Approval Process:
- Approval Status:
Treatment Assignment Data
- Participation or Assignment Information:
- Yes
- Description:
- Data Obtained by the Study Researchers?
- Data Previously Used?
- Data Access:
- Data Obtained by the Study Researchers?
- Data Approval Process:
- Approval Status:
Data Analysis
- Data Analysis Status:
Study Materials
- Upload Study Materials:
Registration Category
- Registration Category:
- Prospective, Category 1: Data for measuring impacts have not been collected
Completion Overview
- Intervention Completion Date:
- Data Collection Completion Date:
- Unit of Analysis:
- Clusters in Final Sample:
- Total Observations in Final Sample:
- Size of Treatment, Control, or Comparison Subsamples:
Findings
- Preliminary Report:
- Preliminary Report URL:
- Summary of Findings:
- Paper:
- Paper Summary:
- Paper Citation:
Data Availability
- Data Availability (Primary Data):
- Date of Data Availability:
- Data URL or Contact:
- Access procedure:
Other Materials
- Survey:
- Survey Instrument Links or Contact:
- Program Files:
- Program Files Links or Contact:
- External Link:
- External Link Description:
- Description of Changes:
Study Stopped
- Date:
- Reason: