February 12, 2009

Factors that Affect Online Student Retention

By: in Distance Learning Administration, Online Education

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Editor’s Note: These suggestions for improving online student retention come from Michael Herbert, chair of the Criminal Justice Department at Bemidji State University, where he serves as an online faculty mentor and is on the University’s Center for Extended Learning Committee. In an email interview with Distance Education Report he gave insights he gained from a study of retention at his institution.

1. Online students need to feel integrated into the program and the institution. Research has shown that responsiveness to student’s needs is a critical variable in terms of retention. A sense of belonging as a student, whether traditional or distance learner, has been shown to be an important aspect in retention, and responsiveness to student’s needs is a large determinant in a student feeling like they are part of a course or an institution. Intuitively we can assume that if students are not engaged and do not perceive themselves as an integral part of their environment they will likely choose to leave that environment and seek one where their needs are met.

2. Pedagogy and instructor training affect online student retention. There is a huge (and flawed) assumption that professors who teach on-campus courses can automatically do a good job teaching online courses. Teaching online has its own very distinct set of instructor skills that are essential for an online course to be successful. While online instruction may not have its own separate pedagogy, those professors who teach well in the traditional (on-campus) setting need to add to their skill set those additional unique skills required for a successful online course. So in that sense it may not be a matter of developing a separate pedagogy for online teaching, but expanding those traditional teaching skills with resources that allow an effective transition between on-campus and online course delivery.


3. Family obligations affect online student retention. If we look at retention in terms of categories of variables the most commonly used categories are a) personal variables, b) institutional variables and c) circumstantial variables. With that noted, family obligations would fall under the personal variable category and while my research did not specifically delineate family obligations as a separate response, most research would indicate that family obligations would certainly have an impact on retention for several reasons. These may include the sharing of domestic/household responsibilities, having access to the household computer, and those additional personal responsibilities that are associated with caring for a spouse/significant other and any children or other family members in cases where the student is responsible for the care of an elderly parent or relative.

Excerpted from Get Your Retention Act Together Now: 8 Pieces of Advice, Distance Education Report, May 1, 2007

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Comments

KAren | August 31, 2011

I certainly do not agree with the assumption that professors who are good F2F teachers are also good on-line teachers. It is extremely difficult for most senior faculty members to develop teachnigue and skills specific to good online teaching to the degree of their highly tuned best practices in F2F teaching.

Yangtae Kim | January 22, 2012

Online class may not have a binding power as strong as a face-to-face class.
One good way to retain students in an online class may be that instructor should know the intellectual or spiritual interest each student has. One-to-one (instead of one-to-group) direct communication, not limited to the class material, will be a very effective way to come to know student's interest. Once you know student's interest, you can talk about the class material on the base of student's interest so that student will feel integrated into the class. Moreover, from the one-to-one direct communication, instructor can come to know student's domestic situation and find the common interesting fact that can be used in explaining the class material, in which student's family members may encourage student and participate in the online class together with student.

Bill Knowles | January 22, 2012

I am in the embryonic stages of learning how to teach online classes. Not having taught one before, and a biased attitude has kept me from seeking out the opportunity.

Being a higher ed. music teacher, there are many applied classes that simply will not work online due to the live one on one nature of teaching instrumental and vocal training, therefore I have had the belief that if any of my courses are to be residential why use online for this degree? But as I have learned some subjects such as Music Appreciation, Music History, and Music Fundamentals can easily be transferred to online classes, and am willing to make this available to my students.

Bill Knowles

Bobbi Linkemer | January 23, 2012

Being very new to online learning, I have already come to realize that what I brought to the classroom is very different from what will be required of me as an online "facilitator." In classroom teaching, the instructor's ability to engage and motivate students is critical; in online teaching, the responsibility for being engaged and motivated shifts to the students. The facilitator (I am struck by the difference in the instructor's designation) is in the background, ready to answer questions and help when needed but never a dominant presence. That change in roles must be a tough adjustment for those who teach online courses and those who take them.

David Kemp | January 25, 2012

I can testify to the fact that there is a huge (and flawed) assumption that professors who teach on-campus courses can automatically do a good job teaching online courses, and to the need for quality training of instructors. I taught my first online course five years ago. Prior to that course, I received about one hour of training, then was told, "Go do it!" I was so poorly equipped and did such a lousy job that toward the end of that semester I recommended to the man who headed up our online program that we allow students in that course to re-take it free of charge.

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