A researcher is conducting research on using technology in teaching.

The researcher has two groups. The first group receives instruction via a PowerPoint presentation that is online. The second group attends a class and receives instruction from a teacher face to face. The researcher classifies the students based on when they volunteer for the study. The first 50 students who volunteer receive online instruction. The next 50 receive instruction by attending a class with a teacher. The type of instruction the student receives is the: a. Dependent variable b. Independent variable c. Confounding variable d. Standardized variable