A recent article published in The Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration took a look at student retention rates with regard to eLearning. In the article entitled “Comprehensive Assessment of Student Retention in Online Learning Environments”, researchers came up with some interesting information about the habits of distance learning students.
The authors of this study, Wallace E. Boston, Phil Ice, and Angele M. Gibson, explored the relationship between online students and retention at a large online university. It is well known that attrition rates (the rate of student loss) at traditional learning institutions have been on the rise for quite some time. The authors of this study wanted to examine the behavior of students involved in the online, or non-traditional, mode of obtaining an education. As they state in their study, “It is imperative that a model of prediction concerning student retention in online learning is found to assist institutions across the higher education community in preventing attrition and advancing student persistence, therefore setting the path for matriculation.” The researchers also sought to determine the factors that influence student retention in online courses.
In this study, the researchers found that an online institution’s transfer credit policy may affect the retention rate of online students. Simply stated, students who were not allowed to transfer credits for previous course work to their chosen online program were more likely to exit an online program before completion. Another factor that may influence the retention rate of students taking eLearning courses, including online certificate courses, is the number of courses they are enrolled in per year. The researchers in this study found that the more courses a student is enrolled in per year, the more likely the student is to complete his or her chosen online program or eLearning goals. Another factor that was found by the authors of this study to influence online student retention rates involved grading. Students whose most recent online course grade was an F or a W (W meaning withdrawn with no credit given for the course) were less likely to complete their eLearning program. The last factor the researchers found to be an influence over the retention of eLearning students was overall GPA (Grade Point Average). As you would probably imagine, the higher the student GPA, the more likely he or she is to complete an online program or course work.
Beyond the four factors discussed above, the authors of this study suggest that the relationship between the online student and the educating institution plays an important role in eLearning student retention. In looking at the implications of this study, the researchers suggest, “Interaction with faculty, administrative personnel and offices, and other students may also factor into engagement levels. Those levels of engagement are important in face-to-face environments but may be more important in online environments.”
The full text of this article may be found in the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, Volume IV, Number I, Spring 2011, University of West Georgia, Distance Education Center and retrieved at the following web address: http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring141/boston_ice_gibson141.html.
How important is an online institution’s transfer credit policy to you in selecting a provider? Please post a comment below to share your thoughts.