The paper investigates the effect of introducing a course in Web Development for Chinese students on their academic achievements and the basic competencies, using traditional and online approaches. For the experimental learning purposes, 300 students were selected from three universities located in China's largest cities: Shanghai, Beijing, and Tianjin. A course in Web Development was designed and implemented to achieve the research objectives. The study results showed that the difference in the learning outcomes of the two groups was insignificant and did not depend on the training format. Online learners had more feedback and were able to take lectures and practical training more quickly. Further research requires quantifying and comparing the effects of online learning in programming instruction using the instrumental variable method and structural equation modeling to reveal the causal relationship between the two. The study can be useful to developers of training programs to create both traditional and online courses because the data obtained during this research can improve the effectiveness of the new course.