What kinds of courses are students taking online, why are they turning to online courses, and how are they performing? How are their schools monitoring and supporting these students? How can we know if online learning is effective, if we don't have answers to all these questions?

These are the questions that drove the IES-funded research by collaborators from EDC, the American Institutes for Research (AIR), and the REL Midwest's Virtual Education Research Alliance. Their report, Online Course Use in Iowa and Wisconsin Public High Schools: The Results of Two Statewide Surveys, includes a survey instrument other states can employ to assess their use of online learning and identify where improvements may be required to improve student learning.