Undergraduate students who chose the online version of an introductory course on climate change performed 2% worse (on a scale of 0–100) than those who chose the face-to-face version. The convenience of the online course—it required only one synchronous, online meeting per week versus three synchronous, on campus meetings per week—might be worth this small penalty. In particular, students who have to be away from campus classrooms for employment opportunities, family obligations, athletic events, year-abroad programs, or social distancing are well served by an online format.
