Virtual instruction effects within University courses. A boon for those who need it, a bane for others

Abstract

We examine the effects of virtual instruction on academic achievement at theUniver-sidad de la Rep ́ublica, Uruguay, in 2022. We analyze student performance by considering thesequential nature of the evaluation process within the courses. Our results reveal that studentsin virtual courses are less likely to be active or achieve course approval. When possible, we usealternative identification strategies that show the stability of the estimated effects. We also findthat the gap in the results is explained by the sequence of intermediate tests, which combinedifferent performances in terms of retention and test scores. We highlight the importance of ef-fective targeting as the negative effects disappear for students facing constraints on attendance.