how onince course affect students dropout

by Francesca Baumbach 8 min read

The most common 11 reasons why students dropout online courses are: Low Student Motivation Poor Communication and Feedback

Full Answer

What makes students drop out of a course?

Based on the findings, only six factors out of twelve were found to have a significant impact on students dropping the course, these were: academic skills and abilities, prior experience, social presence, course design, feedback, and social support.

What influences student dropout rate in MOOCs?

The results identified six core factors that directly influenced student dropout in MOOCs, these were: academic skills and abilities, prior experience, course design, feedback, social presence, and social support.

Does content difficulty affect online students’ dropout rates?

Yet, we found that content difficulty can potentially affect online students’ dropout through its association with other core factors such as course design, academic skills, prior experience, and social presence.

How to reduce the dropout rate of Arts students?

It does not stop them on counting the Arts student as employed after their course when they get a job at a coffee shop. If you find some way to make your course fees less or more flexible for students, you will definitely decrease your dropout rate.

How did online classes affected students?

Broader impacts of online learning These papers find common themes: Students in online courses generally get lower grades, are less likely to perform well in follow-on coursework, and are less likely to graduate than similar students taking in-person classes.

Why do students drop out of online classes?

Although there are many reasons why students dropout of college courses, those reasons may be unique for students who are enrolled in an online program. Issues of isolation, disconnectedness, and technological problems may be factors that influence a student to leave a course.

What are the negative effects of online distance learning?

Negative impacts of online learning are seen in the technicality of the actual use of it. These impacts include how technology is not always efficient, it is harder for students to grasp concepts being taught, online learning can cause social isolation, and can cause students to not develop needed communication skills.

What causes student to drop out?

Many students gave personal reasons for leaving school, which included the need to get a job, parenthood, or having to care for family members. Nearly half (45 percent) noted that earlier schooling had poorly prepared them for high school.

What are the factors of drop out?

The causes of school drop-out can largely be categorized into; 1) Child/ Learner related 2) Home/ House hold related 3) School related and 4) Teacher related factors. However, most of the work on the causes of school dropout is of low quality.

What are the problems of online classes?

Therefore, in the following, we shall explore the biggest challenges facing online education today.Lack of Motivation in Students. ... Infrastructural Problems. ... Digital Literacy and Technical Issues. ... Lack of In-person Interaction. ... Lack of EdTech and Online Learning Options for Special Needs of Students.More items...•

What are the 10 disadvantages of online classes?

Ten Disadvantages of Online CoursesOnline courses require more time than on-campus classes. ... Online courses make it easier to procrastinate. ... Online courses require good time-management skills. ... Online courses may create a sense of isolation. ... Online courses allow you to be more independent.More items...

How are online classes affecting students mental health?

The study reported by Aristovnik et al. concluded that online learning students were more likely to interrupt their studies and felt more socially isolated, compared with students receiving traditional education (34). Social isolation and loneliness increased the risk of depression and anxiety (42).

Why do non traditional students drop online classes?

Researchers who study distance learning retention and online course drop-out rates say the primary reason online courses show higher drop-out rates is because distance learning degree programs attract and are marketed to higher risk non-traditional students.

What is the dropout rate for online courses?

Studies show that, although online class registrations are increasing, up to 40-80% of online students drop out! Many students choose online learning versus traditional classrooms because they think that online classes may be less of a burden on their lives, whether in terms of finances or time.

Can I dropout of online school?

Talk to your instructor about your decision. Instructors need to know when it's something they did or didn't do. Dropping out of an online program is not the end of your college career. Sometimes taking time out to work through personal situations may help you refocus your efforts and do better next time.

What is the most common reason for students who enrolled in the open high school?

Among causes for students to enroll to open high school, there are low success, dislike in school and lessons, failing the class for two years in a row, low family income and more comfortable preparation to the university entrance exam.

Why do students drop out of college?

Although there are many reasons why students dropout of college courses, those reasons may be unique for students who are enrolled in an online program. Issues of isolation, disconnectedness, and technological problems may be factors that influence a student to leave a course.

Do demographic variables predict dropping out of a program?

The results, based on the dropouts from three cohorts in an online graduate program, show that demographic variables do not predict likelihood of dropping from a program. Instead, the students’ reasons for dropping out of an online program are varied and unique to each individual.

Why do students drop out of college?

Although there are many reasons why students dropout of college courses, those reasons may be unique for students who are enrolled in an online program. Issues of isolation, disconnectedness, and technological problems may be factors that influence a student to leave a course. To understand these factors, an online survey was developed to collect data from students who dropped out of an online program. Logistic regression analysis was used to compare various factors between those who persist in the program and those who dropout. The results, based on the dropouts from three cohorts in an online graduate program, show that demographic variables do not predict likelihood of dropping from a program. Instead, the students’ reasons for dropping out of an online program are varied and unique to each individual. Recommendations for further study are incorporated in the conclusions.

What did the dropout students report?

They reported that there was too much reading (2), too many modules, and a lot of information per module (1) . Seven of the students reported that information overload was not a problem for them.

Why is electronic survey important?

This was important for two reasons. First, the relatively high mobility of the dropout population was a big constraint, especially when trying to contact dropout students who left the program more than a year ago. Second, because the potential participants had made a decision to leave the educational program, they were unlikely to feel an allegiance to the program and may be more likely to refuse to respond.

What was the learning environment too de-personalized?

The learning environment was too de-personalized Not enough support from the technical staff The technology overwhelmed the content Lack of technical preparation for the program

What are the factors that affect dropout rates?

Based on the findings, only six factors out of twelve were found to have a significant impact on students dropping the course, these were: academic skills and abilities, prior experience, social presence, course design, feedback, and social support. While other factors such as social interaction, course content, commitment, course time, motivation, and family/work circumstances were found to be primarily associated with the core factors. The relationships between the core and seconder factors are interrelated and have an effect on each other.

What are the factors that contribute to dropout in MOOCs?

Certain personal factors such as academic skills, students’ abilities and prior experience with online courses have been found in the literature to be related to individual dropout in MOOCs. For example, Henderikx et al. ( 2017) emphasized that personal differences may play a prominent part in the understanding of the dropout problem in MOOCs compared to the distance education context. Likewise, Khalil and Ebner ( 2014) found that personal factors in terms of learners’ limited experience as well as insufficient online skills are the most significant indicators that cause the high attrition rate in MOOCs. In a study conducted by Yamba-Yugsi and Lujan-Mora ( 2017 ), factors such as previous experience of students in the MOOC courses, and the level of satisfaction in the interaction with the platform were found to play a key role in the dropout problem from online courses (Bonk et al. 2018; Ghazal et al. 2018 ). Furthermore, Greene et al. ( 2015) found that the prior experience with MOOCs was statistically associated with the decreased likelihood of dropout in which participants who did not have any prior experience with the course were more likely to drop from it. According to Lee and Choi ( 2011 ), the most distinctive dropout factors among students in online courses can be linked to personal characteristics including academic and learning skills and prior professional experiences, as well as psychological attributes. This has motivated scholars like Hone and El Said ( 2016) to examine the influence of individuals’ experience of MOOC learning on their level of retention. They found that learners’ experience and interaction with the instructor in the MOOC platform can potentially be used to predict MOOC retention. Few previous studies have emphasized on the impact of relevant family and work circumstances on students’ dropout decision. For instance, Park and Choi ( 2009) stated that students’ family background or climate, income, as well as their work conditions (hours of work) can somehow contribute to students’ dropout decision from e-learning courses. A survey conducted by Josek et al. ( 2016) showed that students who receive less support from their family or encountering difficulties at work are likely to dropout from the course more frequently than those with more family support. This is particularly due to the influence of these circumstances on students’ persistence in online learning (Baragash and Al-Samarraie 2018a, b; Lee and Choi 2011 ). Based on these observations, factors related to students’ academic skills and abilities, prior experience, and family/work circumstances were grouped under the ‘personal’ category.

What is motivation to learn?

2016 ). Motivation to learn is defined as students’ tendency to find relevant academic activities and gain the intended benefits from them so they can be motivated to complete the course on time (Brophy 2013 ). Hence, academic factors such as feedback and motivation received from the instructors (identified in previous studies) were closely linked with students’ completion of online courses. For instance, Gütl et al. ( 2014) surveyed 134 students who had not completed the MOOC courses and found that only 22% of the students had the intention to complete their study but they were unable to do so due to low motivation, poor feedback, insufficient time, and content complexity. The poor feedback provided by the instructors has been reported to be an important predictor of student dropout in MOOC courses (Halawa et al. 2014; Onah et al. 2014 ).

How does lack of communication affect MOOCs?

2017; Yang et al. 2013 ). Yang et al. ( 2014) emphasized that lack of communication is one of the key factors contributing to higher dropout rates in MOOC platforms, which, in turn, may affect students’ motivation and social interaction with the course content. According to Kizilcec and Schneider ( 2015 ), different motivational goals of students and their interaction level with the course can predict their dropout intention in MOOCs (Barak et al. 2016 ). Our findings are consistent with other previous studies which emphasized that MOOC participants who were engaged in significant interactions with peers are less likely to drop from the course (Ferguson and Clow 2015; Halawa et al. 2014; Jordan 2014; Onah et al. 2014 ). Meanwhile, our findings showed that social factors (presence and interaction) are linked to each other in terms of their relationship to students’ decision to dropout. This can be attributed to the fact that MOOCs include learners who are not only unfamiliar with each other but also come from different academic and cultural backgrounds, making the communication and social interaction very difficult (Barak et al. 2016 ). As such, MOOC designers should focus on the strategies that stimulate students’ social interaction and increase the peer communication, such as student-led facilitation strategies, rather than focusing on instructor facilitation strategies in order to overcome the challenges of instructor-dominated facilitation and to enhance the sense of community, thus encouraging student participation in online courses. This is because embedding specific facilitation strategies within the MOOC discussion will help students generate innovative ideas and take an active role in related decisions (Baran and Correia 2009 ). Moreover, MOOC designers should provide diverse communication platforms for the learners who desire to be part of a community of people with similar interest (Barak et al. 2016 ). In addition, promoting work group and competitive activities in the MOOC platform can potentially encourage students to communicate with their peers to solve complex learning problems (El Said 2017; Zheng et al. 2015 ). Supported by Yang et al. ( 2013 ), our findings also revealed that social support provided for students is a key factor influencing students’ decision to continue or drop the course. According to Park and Choi ( 2009 ), students are more likely to drop online courses if when they do not receive proper encouragement and support from their instructors, peers, family, and institution regardless of their academic skills and backgrounds. Moore and Fetzner ( 2009) reported that social support provided to learners through online social interaction and communication has contributed to high course completion rates. Therefore, more research should be conducted to examine how students in MOOC courses can be further supported to help them gain the educational benefits so that they have the confidence and motivation to complete the course (Zhenghao et al. 2015 ).

Why is MOOC important?

So far, MOOC research lacks knowledge about the interrelations between certain academic factors ( e.g., motivation and feedback) and the consistently high dropout rate of MOOC learners. Hence, understanding the effect of academic factors is important for both instructors and learners to complete the MOOC. For example, MOOC instructors can design unique learning environments and provide the necessary means for learners to accomplish their goals. According to Barak et al. ( 2016 ), given the importance of motivational differences between MOOC participants, the learning process may positively contribute to the students’ motivation to learn and complete the MOOC. Conducting a study that investigate the effect of such factors on students’ decision to complete or dropout the course would help policy makers to apply the necessary measures to rectify the situation.

What is MOOC course?

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have recently received great attention owing to their flexibility and the fact that they are free (Amantha Kumar and Al-Samarraie 2019 ). They provides the means for students to access to world-class educational resources (Nagrecha et al. 2017 ). Nowadays, the number and diversity of MOOC courses continues to grow and gain an increased popularity among both students and educators in higher education. In 2018, over 900 universities around the world had launched 11,400 MOOCs. That includes around 2000 new courses that were added to the list (Shah 2018 ). As is known, MOOCs are open to access and use by all. In addition, over 75% of MOOC participants are adult learners and they are self-directed.

What does a high score mean in a matrix?

A high score indicates a belief that a greater improvement in i is required to improve j. The average matrix A shows the initial direct effects that a factor exerts on and receives from other factors.

Why do students drop out of high school?

Reason 3: Unhappy with the college. Nagging roommates, overloaded with course works could be the next main reasons for students to dropout of high school. Unhappiness could also arise out of the distrust that develops out of the feeling that despite paying so much of fees, the institution forgets to keep students happier.

Why do people drop out of college?

The skyrocketing fees increase student debts, pushing those from underprivileged backgrounds suffer further. A survey conducted by the India Times shows that around 50 percent of 2017-2018 young adults who could not afford college, dropped out.

Why do people quit higher education?

They quit higher education because they are simply not ready for it. 2016 report produced by Education Trust shows that about 50% of high school graduates from US drop-out of high school without completing college and career-ready courses of study.

How many college students get confused about changing their major?

It is unbelievable, but the truth is around 80% of college students get confused about changing their major at least once by the end of their study. It is unfair to commit to a course of study only to discover later that the program is not what they expected.

Why do high school students come to a sticky end?

This is yet another reason why most high school students come to a sticky end these days. Lack of student engagement is the main reason. When a student feels less engaged and lonely, he/she is turned down. They feel bypassed when the colleges do not follow Outcome Based Education.

What is the third factor in falling out of school?

Watt and Roessingh (1994) added a third factor called falling out of school, which occurs when a student does not show significant academic progress in schoolwork and becomes apathetic or even disillusioned with school completion.

What is the National Dropout Prevention Center?

The National Dropout Prevention Center (NDPC) exists to support those who work to improve student success and graduation rates. NDPC offers a wide range of resources and services to schools, districts, regional agencies, and states.

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