Technology-mediated learning and prior academic performance

Business school expenditures related to online learning environments continue to rise at a somewhat unabated pace. Yet, little is known about the nature of learning in these technology-mediated learning environments. Prior research has generally assumed that the effects of technology-mediated learning (TML) are uniform across students and learning objectives. Using Bloom and Anderson et al.'s taxonomy, we focus on the lower-level learning objectives – for which TML tools are particularly appropriate – to investigate whether the effectiveness of TML is related to students' prior academic performance. Our results indicate that for the learning objectives examined, use of the online environment is of greatest benefit to students with a history of lower achievement. These findings lend credence to the assertion that the benefits of learning in TML environments are contingent upon the individuals and the technologies involved. Implications for research and practice are discussed.