Increasing Student Retention in Online Courses

Increasing student retention in online courses involves a combination of strategies that can be deployed at both the institutional and the course levels. This article will present a few of these strategies with some research-based analysis of the ways in which each will contribute to student retention in the online classroom; the most important of these strategies include institutional recognition of the wide variety of factors that may have an impact on student retention in online programs as well as the importance of course design in order to maximize retention rates.

Research shows that course completion and program retention rates are “generally lower” in online courses than in face-to-face courses. In fact, more than 50% of nontraditional undergraduates will leave college without earning a degree after three years (National Center for Education Statistics 2002). Such a statistic is

important for understanding retention rates in online programs since these programs typically attract a larger number of non-traditional students, who may have a number of factors that work against their success. According to Rovai and Downey (2010), these factors include “varying degrees of mismatch between the difficulty of online courses and students’ academic preparation, family and peer influences, the high degree of self-directedness required for most online programs, the interaction of course design and cultural issues, the need to adapt to computer-mediated communication, economic factors, variability in the level of employee support, and time management and technology issues" .

Institutional Influence
Clearly, some of these factors are outside institutional or faculty control. It is hard for institutions or online instructors to mitigate economic factors, increase employee support, or aid in offsetting family and peer influences. However, others of these factors are within institutional and instructional control, and it’s these areas where institutions and instructors of online courses should focus. Following the guidelines laid out by the Middle States Commission for the support of students enrolled in online programs is one easy way for institutions to ensure that students begin the program with the tools they need to succeed and thus to increase the chances that retention rates will be higher. Providing up-front information to prospective students about the nature of online learning, for example, as well as assisting these prospective students with decisions about whether or not distance education will best meet their needs can increase the chances that both students and the program itself will succeed. Perhaps even more important are orientation courses for students enrolled in online programs. Each online institution should have a comprehensive orientation that provides students with information on the entire program, including support services (such as registration, advising, information resources, and student services) as well as the structure of the program (degrees, certificates, and programs of study available, along with information about the deans, chancellors, or directors of each program) in addition to more basic information about online learning (what to expect, how to participate in an online course, and what the workload is like) and the learning management system used by the institution. Such information could be provided in a few ways, but the most effective, according to research, would be to put the information into the LMS so that students experience the system as they are being oriented. Video tutorials, audio messages, and other multimedia tools should be used to help students become familiar with the system while simultaneously gaining knowledge about the institution and the resources available to them.

Designing for Success
A high number of studies point to the importance of course design in aiding student retention and success. According to Fisher and Baird (2005), “due to the rapid expansion of distance learning programs educators need to re-evaluate traditional pedagogical strategies and find ways to integrate curriculum, technology, community, and learning in a manner which supports student motivation, self-regulation and retention in virtual learning environments” . According to Fisher and Baird, online instructors should be focused on “designing curriculum that fosters the creation of web-based learning communities and peer-support networks among online students” through the use of “social media and web-based collaborative assignments” as methods for ensuring “student learning, retention, and student assessment” . Courses providing community and collaborative learning, research shows, are at the base of successful online programs.