ERIC Number: EJ973026
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 0
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1556-3847
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Available Date: N/A
Assessing Student Retention in Online Learning Environments: A Longitudinal Study
Boston, Wallace; Ice, Phil; Burgess, Melissa
Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, v15 n2 Sum 2012
In their initial study, authors Boston, Ice, and Gibson (2011) explored the relationship between student demographics and interactions, and retention at a large online university. Participants in the preliminary study (n = 20,569) included degree-seeking undergraduate students who completed at least one course at the American Public University System (APUS) in 2007. Two notable findings from the study were (1) the importance of transfer credit, and (2) the consistency of activity in predicting continued enrollment. Interestingly, the latter finding was confirmed upon the analysis of longitudinal data from the current study. Further related to the latter finding-yet unexpected, was the existence of new literature that, although subtle, affirms the importance for online institutions to conduct ongoing research on these topics. Readers of the current study are encouraged to refer to the preliminary study toward a comprehensive understanding of these nuances. Though informative, the researchers wished to validate the original study findings through longitudinal evaluation of retention. (Contains 1 table.)
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, School Holding Power, Private Colleges, Nontraditional Students, Cohort Analysis, Student Characteristics, Academic Persistence, Web Based Instruction, Distance Education, Virtual Universities, Electronic Learning, Online Courses, Program Evaluation, Longitudinal Studies, Predictor Variables
State University of West Georgia. 1601 Maple Street, Honors House, Carrollton, GA 30118. Tel: 678-839-5489; Fax: 678-839-0636; e-mail: distance@westga.edu; Web site: http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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