There has been significant growth in online enrollment, yet online students consistently have less successful course completion, persistence, retention, and graduation rates. To improve these measures, higher educational institutions are using noncognitive readiness assessments to gauge student motivation for successful course completion. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of noncognitive assessments with two questions: (1) What is the relationship between individual attributes scores in an online readiness assessment and the data on completion of an online, asynchronous course in the first semester? (2) What is the relationship between individual attributes scores in an online readiness assessment and post first semester retention rates in online, asynchronous courses? Study participants were online students at a Midwestern Technical College who completed the SmarterMeasure assessment. A correlation coefficient measured the strength and type of relationship between the individual attributes score and course completion and retention. However, the research did not find a statistically significant relationship between student SmarterMeasure scores and course completion and retention rates. Motivation and self-efficacy did have a statistically significant negative correlation which may be related to a self-evaluation bias in the assessment. While the overall results of the study did not find a statistical significance, a noncognitive assessment has value in that it can be a part of a comprehensive strategy to prepare and support online students. The assessment provides a building block for a quality discussion between students and their college advisors about student strengths and weaknesses, and institutional support, which can lead to student success. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]