EDU 738 Fall 2010 Lauren Convery Melissa DiLiegro Declan Murtagh

Problem  Online courses are gaining in popularity.  According to the Sloan Consortium (2010), 4.6 million students are enrolling in online courses.  These courses provide many benefits to both students and universities. In addition to the convenience they offer, online courses actually save both groups money.  However, the retention rates of online courses are lower than those classes held on campus.  Universities need to figure out how to make these classes more successful experiences for the students who enroll in them.  In order to do this, variables that lead to retention must be identified.

Hypothesis/Research Questions  What variables contribute to students’ retention in online learning?  What variables contribute to students’ withdrawal from online learning?

Sample  A convenience sample was used, limiting participants to those students currently enrolled in the online sections of EDU738.  31 invitations were sent out resulting in a total of 21 participants  all are students at Salem State University

Design  Causal-comparative study  Survey research  Participants included those enrolled in EDU 738 who returned the consent form  Total of 21 participants  Participants were given one week to complete a 20 question survey lasting approximately minutes

Instrument  Researcher-generated survey via Survey Monkey  Contained 21 questions Mostly closed-ended including questions about: ○ Demographics ○ Educational background ○ Opinions & experience with online education

Overall Results  86 % of respondents have never withdrawn from an online course  Sample was made up of roughly 90% females and 10% males

Characteristics of Participants Who Have Withdrawn  100% did not receive any prior training  66% never took an online course before  66% stated family & personal conflicts as the primary reason for withdrawing  50% were male participants  33% maintained a high school GPA of at least 3.95

Characteristics of Participants Who Have Never Withdrawn  86% of participants  94% live 10 or more miles away from Salem State University  83% received preparation courses beforehand  78% had previously taken an online course

Implications  What can universities do to help? Offer training for first time online course users Consider offering more combination classes (with both online and face to face components)  Areas for future research: Does GPA matter? What kinds of technology supports are helpful to students enrolled in online courses? Is there a link between distance from university and success in online classes?