Recent research finds that when examining factors impacting learning in the online classroom, "consistency, or less time variation, is a statistically significant explanatory variable, whereas effort, or total minutes spent online, is not" (Patron & Lopez, 2011, pg. 1). As such, perhaps the key to effectively learning in a virtual environment rests not in total time investment in the course, but rather in consistently engaging in learning activities over time to maxime the cognitive gains of distributed learning.  As highlighted by this study, "student advisors should emphasize that "studying hard" (total minutes) is not as important as "studying smart" (consistency)" (pg. 7).

See the full research report at: http://www.thejeo.com/Archives/Volume8Number2/PatronandLopezpaper.pdf