Internet-Based Learning Doesn't Take less Time than Classroom Learning

Does internet-based learning take less time than classroom learning, as claimed by many authors?   Probably not.

Cook, Levison and Garside, (2010, Advances in Health Sciences Education, 15(5):755-70), looked at studies that compared the amount of time spent learning a topic in the classroom and over the internet.  They found that internet-based methods not necessarily any more efficient than classroom-based  In fact, if you use methods that increase learning, like interactivity, internet-based learning may take longer. 

"... our data suggest that there are few shortcuts to learning.  In this review, nearly all of the modifications of IBL [internet-based learning] to improve learning outcomes (interactivity, feedback, audio, video, etc.) required more time on task."  

Internet-based methods can be great time savers if you're at the cost of getting to a classroom, but learning takes time,  no matter how it is delivered.