The document discusses barriers to retention and success in online higher education courses and proposes solutions. It reviews studies conducted at Rensselaer Polytechnic, Tidewater Community College, and Tomball College that identified issues such as lack of interaction, feedback, time management and computer skills. The studies found that providing more instructor support, training, and standardized course formats improved completion rates, lowered dropout rates and increased student and faculty satisfaction with online courses. The document advocates for policies, resources and training to address transactional distance, technical problems, student support services and other barriers in order to improve online education.

1. Kathleen Borsos-Wooley
EdTech 550
May 10, 2005
Improving Retention and SuccessRates
in Higher Education
DistanceEducation courses

2. Mission: To makeDE learning
asuccessfor everyone!

3. Concept/Problem
Whiletechnology haspresented many
opportunitiesfor learning, with it hascome
problemsthat need to beaddressed in order
to improveretention ratesand successfor
thelearner.
Weneed someshiftsin thinking!

4. Rationale
Internet hasoffered powerful opportunitiesfor
improvement in Higher Education
Insight into onlinelearning barrierswill lead to:
 Increasein “timeto degree” (result of decreasein scheduling
conflicts)
 Lower educational costs
 Reduction in travel timeand expenses
 Moreeagernessto learn online

5. Rationale, con’t.
PositiveRamificationsfor both:
Individuals
Society at large
Moreintrinsically motivated and successful
learners= amoreeducated society

6. Problems/Barriers
Low retention dueto:
 Lack of interactivity (face-to-faceinteraction),
feedback, etc.
 Timemanagement problems
 Motivation
 Computer confidenceissues
 Technical issues(computer/internet problems)
 Transactional Distance(psychological issues)

7. LiteratureReview/Studies
Rensselaer Polytechnic
Tidewater Community College
(Norfolk, VA)
Tomball College(Houston, TX)

8. Rensselaer Polytechnic
Focused on largeenrollment freshman
classes(25 coursesaccount for 44%
enrollment)
Research showsspikein dropout ratefrom
freshman to sophomoreyear
Pressurefor good performancefrom faculty
who teach higher level courses

9. Rensselaer Polytechnic, con’t
Findings
DE Instructorsmust:
 Providehumanizing activities
 AcknowledgeALL student messages
 Provideconstructivefeedback
 Providesummary messagesto restateideas/concepts
 Manageonlineforums
 Model onlinegood manners

10. Tomball CollegeStudy
Enrollment escalating
Funding not keeping pacewith enrollment
DE could allow morecourseofferingsw/o
spaceand facility issuesPLUS
Texashad 2nd
highest internet user
population (right behind CA)

11. Tomball College, con’t
What did they find?
 Faculty lacking DE skills
 Littlesupport for training in thecommunity
colleges

12. Tomball College, con’t.
What did they do?
 Created aCenter for DistanceLearning
 Developed certification training for faculty
(mandatory)

13. Tomball College, con’t.
What happened?(and almost immediately!)
 Completion ratesup/dropout ratesdown
 Student complaint ratesdeclined
 Faculty evaluationsimproved
 Faculty started seeing themselvesas“among
thebest in practice”

14. TC LessonsLearned:
Know your students
Implement aprogram and DO IT!
Set instructor standardsand track results
Utilize“off-the-shelf” solutions
Invest timeand $ in standardizing course
formats
Spend timeand $ in communication and
advertisement

15. Summary of Findings
Category Barrier Solution(s)
Learning Transactional Distance Need improved:
 Interactivity
 Instructor feedback
 Teaching strategies
 Moreuseof learning communities
Media and
Technology
Technical issues&
delivery
Moretechnical support
Appropriatemediaand technology selection
Improved coursedesign (interactivity)
Student Support
Services
Lack of individual
learning support
Administrativeorientation
Pre-courseorientation
Academic advising
Tutorial services
Library services
Timemanagement skills
Computer confidenceskills
Motivational support

16. Summary of Findings, con’t.
Category Barrier Solution(s)
Research and
Development
Lack of data Moreon how people
learn
Improved measures
for learning
Policy Lack of Policy Morenational, state
and local policies
needed

17. Final Thoughts
“Onlinelearning now dependsmoreon theability of
educatorsand trainersto tutor and support learners
onlinethan on thetechnology itself.”
Dr. Ian Heywood, 2000 World Open Learning
Conference and Exhibition, Birmingham, England
“Connect the Disconnected”
Dr. Ray Ganey, Cochise College, AZ

18. Final..Final Thoughts
“Technology haslimitationson what it can
accomplish. You do not..”
Lou Gerstner, CEO, IBM
“Tell meand I will forget”
“Show meand I will remember”
“Involvemeand I will understand”
Confucius

19. Sources
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e-Learning and theScienceof Instruction : Proven Guidelinesfor Consumersand Designersof
MultimediaLearning. Wiley.
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e-Learning and theScienceof Instruction: Proven Guidelinesfor Consumersand Designersof
MultimediaLearning . Retrieved February 21, 2005 from
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20. Sources, con’t.
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March 22, 2005 from http://www.calvin.edu/~bbaas/merlot.html
Pitinsky, M. (Ed.) (2003). Wired Tower. 1st Ed. New Jersey: PrenticeHall.
Saba& Associates(2001). DistanceEducation: An Introduction.
http://www.distance-educator.com/portal ... intro.html
Simpson, J. & Head, L. (2000) Red Hot Tips: ImproveRetention in Your DistanceEducation
Courses. Presented at theLeaguefor Innovation International Conference(Chicago, IL, October
2000). . Retrieved March 20, 2005 from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?
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SearchType_0=eric_metadata&_pageLabel=ERICSearchResult
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Web-based Education Commission (2000). ThePower of theInternet for Learning: Moving from
Promiseto Practice: USDepartment of Education Officeof Postsecondary Education. Retrieved
February 28, 2005 from http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/EDTEC596D ... Report.pdf