1. Improving Student Retention with Blackboard
Lori Vargo
Director of e-Learning
My research area is online teaching and learning. Much of my research pertains to online students. The tool I am going to demonstrate is effective for both online and campus-based courses. But, first let’s talk about why students drop out of online courses…

2. Online Students: Most important factor…
Institutional support to students
Increased faculty instruction
Last grade received in an online course
Maintaining an adequate GPA
Meaningful feedback given to students
No transfer credit received by student
Quality of faculty and student interactions
Student self-discipline
Transfer credit received by students
Online students were interviewed and asked what was the most important factor affecting student retention. Pick the top 3 and number 1, 2, 3. Wait and share your thinking…

3. Online Faculty: Most important factor…
Institutional support to students
Increased faculty instruction
Last grade received in an online course
Maintaining an adequate GPA
Meaningful feedback given to students
No transfer credit received by student
Quality of faculty and student interactions
Student self-discipline
Transfer credit received by students
Next, online faculty were interviewed and asked what was the most important factor affecting student retention. Pick the top 3 and number 1, 2, 3

4. Top 3 factors that affect student retention in online courses are:
According to Students
According to Faculty
Increased faculty instruction
Meaningful feedback given to students
Transfer credit received by students
Student self-discipline
Quality of faculty and student interactions
Institutional support to students
What’s going on here? What do you think?....
“The contrast in perceptions of online faculty and students may help explain the student retention problem. Whereas online professors are holding students more accountable for their own learning, students would like to receive much more instruction, including content knowledge.
Let’s here from non-successful students…
Comparing Faculty and Student Perceptions Regarding Factors The Affect Student Retention in Online Education
Jorge Gaytan, North Carolina A&T State University, 2015

5. Top Ten Reasons for Non-Success
I got behind and it was too hard to catch up (19.7%)
I had personal problems (health, job, child care) (14.2%)
I couldn’t handle combined study plus work or family responsibilities (13.7%)
I didn’t like the online format (7.3%)
I didn’t like the instructor’s teaching style (7.3%)
I experienced too many technical difficulties (6.8%)
The course was taking too much time (6.2%)
I lacked motivation (5%)
I signed up for too many courses and had to cut down on my course load (4.3%)
The course was too difficult (3%)
Student reasons for non-success in their online course (selected from 22 statements)
The top 3 reasons accounted for 47.6% of the student reported reasons for not being successful
#1 reason: they got behind and couldn’t catch up
What can you do to help a Ss not fall behind?
How do you tell that a student is falling behind ONLINE?)
What do unsuccessful online students want us to know?
Marie Fetzer, Monroe Community College, 2013

6. Bb’s Retention Center
Utilize Retention Center information to monitor student engagement
View and modify rules for alerts
Create new rules
Retention Center is an instructor only tool – Focused attention to those students who need it.
I – personally – do not have students in my sandboxes. So I am using actually data with all names removed.
That’s why I am NOT live.

7. How to Find Retention Center

8. 1. 2. 3. Main page has 3 areas: Students at risk
USCB student
USCB student 3.
Main page has 3 areas:
Students at risk
Students you are specifically monitoring
Your course activity

9. 1
USCB student
The bar at the top shows you the total number of students at risk. Click the barl # students in each category
The CATEGORIES show students at risk because of missed deadlines, low grades, minimal activity or not logging in.
You can contact students in the categories easily.
For example, access the students who have not accessed the course recently.

10. Risk Table 2 USCB Student USCB Student USCB Student USCB Student
The Risk Table lists students in the four categories shown in the bar above the table.
You sort the information in each column from highest-risk to lower-risk by clicking the column header.
Click any students name to view his risk factors, notifications sent and notes you have written.
You can customize the rules – IE: Actvity Alert set for 7 days
USCB Student
USCB Student

11. Contacting Students at Risk
USCB Student
Contact a student - For example, access the students who have missed a deadline.
USCB Student
USCB Student
USCB Student
USCB Student
USCB Student

12. Contacting Students at Risk
Course Title
USCB Student
You can contact students in the categories easily.
For example, access the students who have missed a deadline.

13. Monitoring Students 3
USCB Student

14. Customizing Rules

16. USCB Student

17. Monitoring Your Engagement
RC shows your activity in the course. Only you see.
At a glance you know which assessments and communication areas await your attention
You can send quick announcements

18. Review Retention Center shows you Easy to notify students at risk
Specific people or rules you are monitoring
Your course activity
Easy to notify students at risk
Create, delete, and edit rules
Next advice from those who know…

19. Advice to potential students from UNSUCCESSFUL online students
Stay up with course activities – don’t get behind
Use good time management skills
Use good organization skills
Set aside specific time during each week for your online class
Know how to get technical help
A lot of writing is required
TWELVE top pieces of advice:

20. Advice to potential students from UNSUCCESSFUL online students
There is a lot of reading in the textbook and in online discussion – be prepared
Regular online communications are needed
Ask the professor if you have questions
Carefully read the course syllabus
Be sure you understand the requirements of the online course discussions
Understand how much each online activity is worth toward your grade
TWELVE top pieces of advice:

21. What do Faculty Developers recommend to faculty for IMPROVING retention…
Open portions of your course site before the starts.
Set the tone for engaging the class in a community of purpose
KISS: Keep the course operations simple
Make the structure of the course and expectations for overall flow explicit.
1. Open portions of your course
a. Giving students an early view of syllabus, materials required and description of course. Early opening avoids last minute panic and establishes transparency from the start.
2. Set the tone: We’re all in this together.
3. KISS: Keep the course operations as simple as it can be while maintaining course quality and effectiveneSS
4. Make the structure: Week 1 – ASSIG 2 Use tables, charts, mind-maps, advance and graphic organizers, photos, cartoons – whatever it takes to help students see how the pieces of the course relate to one another and
The Road to Retention: A Closer Look at Institutions That Achieve High Course Completion Rates
Janet Moore, Sloane Consortium
Marie Fetzner, Monroe Community College

22. What do Faculty Developers recommend to faculty for IMPROVING retention…
Link to student services and resources from within the course.
Provide a detailed timeline
Encourage students to support each other
Provide frequent and regular checkpoints
5. Link to student services and resources from within the course.
6. Provide a detailed timeline for assignments so learners get a sense of how they’ll need to manage their time. AND Collect feedback on time actually spent to involve class members in co-design.
7. Encourage students to support each other:
a. giving each other feedback and help on assignments before you assign a grade.) Provide a student café so that students can support each other.
8. Provide frequent and regular checkpoints
a. Low-stake questions, automated “check your knowledge” or question forums can go a long way to keep students engaged and on track.

23. What do Faculty Developers recommend to faculty for IMPROVING retention…
Present learning tasks in terms of problem-solving
Flexibility in communication and delivery requires underlying structure and predictability
Give your students the opportunity to publish work
9. Present learning tasks in terms of problem-solving, not only as accumulated knowledge, and encourage multiple approaches to problem solving
10. Flexibility in communication
a. Set patterns of instructor communication and meet and keep scheduled updates; students may interact in various ways, but the instructor establishes the solid center.
11. Give your students the opportunity to publish work – CAMPUS-BASED

24. Bibliography
Fetzner, M. (2013). What do unsuccessful online students want us to know?” Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks 17(1).
Gaytan J. (2015). Comparing faculty and student perceptions regarding factors that affect student retention in online education. American Journal of Distance Education 29, 56–66.
James, S. Swan, K. & Daston, C. (2016). Retention, progression, and the taking of online courses. Online Learning Journal 20(2).
Meyer, K., Bruwellheide, & K. Poulin, R. (2009). Why they stayed: near-perfect retention in an online certification program in library media. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks 13 (3).
Moore, J. & Fetzer, M. (2009). The road to retention: a closer look at institutions that achieve high course completion rates. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 13 (3).

25. Improving Student Retention with Blackboard
Lori Vargo, Director of e-Learning
Ext. 8272
My research area is online teaching and learning. Much of my research pertains to online students. The tool I am going to demonstrate is effective for both online and campus-based students.