Classrooms Without Walls: A Comparison of Instructor Performance in online Courses Differing in Class Size

It is difficult to deny that online learning has had steady growth in recent years. A benefit to any institution implementing online courses is not needing a physical space for a group of students. In an online classroom, there are no physical barriers limiting the number of desks that can be placed in the classroom. With the potential to have larger class sizes, how might that affect instructors’ ability to perform their teaching duties? The purpose of this study was to look at instructors’ performance while teaching online courses and how class size might influence their performance. The results of this study suggest that there may be some negative consequences in terms of instructor performance and the quality of instruction in online courses with larger class sizes.