Hiring Prospects of Online Education: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment
Last registered on March 12, 2020
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information
General Information
Title
Hiring Prospects of Online Education: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0003538
Initial registration date
November 07, 2018
Last updated
March 12, 2020 6:14 PM EDT
Location(s)

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Primary Investigator
Name
Olga Churkina
Affiliation
Georgia State University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)
PI Name
Omar Asensio
PI Affiliation
Georgia Institute of Technology
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PI Name
Ross Rubenstein
PI Affiliation
Georgia State University
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Additional Trial Information
Status
In development
Start date
2019-02-01
End date
2021-06-01
Keywords
Education, Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
The present research is intended to assess the employment premium of online specialization certificates by way of a randomized field experiment. The project draws upon labor market discrimination literature and speaks to the growing interest in the future of online education opportunities. The study’s results will inform job candidates as well as MOOC platforms of potential benefits of online certifications as from the potential employers’ standpoint.
External Link(s)
Registration Citation
Citation
Churkina, Olga, Omar Asensio and Ross Rubenstein. 2020. "Hiring Prospects of Online Education: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment." AEA RCT Registry. March 12. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.3538-2.1.
Former Citation
Churkina, Olga, Omar Asensio and Ross Rubenstein. 2020. "Hiring Prospects of Online Education: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment." AEA RCT Registry. March 12. http://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/3538/history/64198.
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details
Interventions
Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2019-02-01
Intervention End Date
2021-06-01
Primary Outcomes
Primary Outcomes (end points)
The response rates to the CVs sent to the job postings in the forms of call-backs and e-mails offering to participate in the next step of the hiring process or conduct the interview.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Secondary Outcomes
Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
Experimental Design
Experimental Design
The design is based on the seminal paper by Bertrand M. & Mullainathan S. (2004). Are Emily and Greg More Employable than Lakisha and Jamal? A Field Experiment on Labor Market Discrimination. The American Economic Review, 94(4), 991-1013.

The treatment group consists of fictitious applicants’ CVs with an online specialization certification on them while the control group includes the ones whose CVs don’t include this proof of the extra skills, holding every other applicant’s characteristics equal. The instruments include four variations of the CVs by the job applicant’s gender and regarding presence/absence of the online specialization certification on their CVs.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer
Randomization Unit
Individual job applications
Was the treatment clustered?
No
Experiment Characteristics
Sample size: planned number of clusters
4,000 job applications
Sample size: planned number of observations
4,000 job applications
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
The number of job applications is expected to be up to 1,000 for each type of fictitious CVs: male applicants with online specialization certificate on their CVs, male applicants without online specialization certificate on their CVs, female applicants with online specialization certificate on their CVs, female applicants without online specializate certification on their CVs
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB
INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARDS (IRBs)
IRB Name
Georgia State University's Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2018-07-24
IRB Approval Number
H18648
Analysis Plan