If you have taken one of my online classes, you are probably aware that I am a fan of Khan Academy how-to videos. Well not everyone feels the way I do and there has been much discussion in the higher education circles about the pros and cons of Khan Academy. Today, an author proposed a rigorous study (http://chronicle.com/blognetwork/castingoutnines/2013/02/11/does-khan-academy-help-learners-a-proposal/) of the possible benefits of Khan Academy using a well-known experiment previously conducted on a specific type of learning – peer instruction. While such a study would possibly add valuable information to the discussion, I tend to agree with a comment one of the readers posted about the merits of the study. She said something to the effect “if a student tells me he was helped by the Khan Academy videos, I tend to believe him.” True this is anecdotal but it rings true with me.
