Students taking online courses fail and drop out more often.

[Revy]

Source (http://chronicle.com/article/Community-College-Students/128281/)

July 18, 2011
Community-College Students Perform Worse Online Than Face to Face

By Ryan Brown


Community-college students enrolled in online courses fail and drop out more often than those whose coursework is classroom-based, according to a new study released by the Community College Research Center at the Teachers College at Columbia University.


The study, which followed the enrollment history of 51,000 community-college students in Washington State between 2004 and 2009, found an eight percentage-point gap in completion rates between traditional and online courses. Although students who enrolled in online courses tended to have stronger academic preparation and come from higher income brackets than the community-college population on the whole, researchers found that students who took online classes early in their college careers were more likely to drop out than those who took only face-to-face courses. Among students who took any courses online, those with the most Web-based credits were the least likely to graduate or transfer to a four-year institution.


"Online courses are a vital piece of the postsecondary puzzle," said Shanna S. Jaggars, co-author of the study (http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/Publication.asp?UID=872). "There are a lot of nontraditional students who would find it very difficult to attend and complete college without the flexibility they offer, but at the same time colleges need to be careful to make sure these courses aren't just thrown together and that they are effectively serving students."


Thirty-three percent of the students observed in the study enrolled in at least one course online during the five-year period. Students in an online course had an 82-percent chance of completing the course, compared with a 90-percent chance in face-to-face courses. Among students in remedial courses, the gap was even wider—85 percent of students completed their face-to-face courses, but only 74 percent completed the same course online.


The findings come on the heels of a similar study (http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/Publication.asp?uid=813) completed in 2010 by Ms. Jaggars and Di Xu, her researcher partner, on online learning in the Virginia community-college system, which also found a significant gap in completion rates between online and face-to-face courses.


Ms. Jaggars said lower completion rates in online courses often boil down to a combination of technical difficulties, a lack of structure, and isolation. Online students often have little training in how to navigate the online interfaces of their courses and struggle to manage their coursework without the grounding of weekly class meetings.


"People assume this generation is super-technologically sophisticated, but that's not necessarily true, especially in the community-college population, which tends to be low income, disadvantaged, and includes more older students," Ms. Jaggars said.


Online courses, she said, are also a double-edged sword when it comes to time-management issues. On the one hand, students can complete coursework around their own work and family lives. On the other, online courses require students to be more proactive about finding time to do assignments and make it easier for struggling students to fall behind.
The report suggests several ways to improve online courses, including increased technological support for students and more extensive training in online-teaching methods for faculty. The research was backed by the Lumina Foundation for Education and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

[The Vegan Marxist]

hmmm...although this could very well be true, I'm right now doing online courses for JIU (Jones International University), getting my PhD. in Psychology. And to be honest, I find it a hell of a lot easier than regular classroom-based courses. I love the extra time and ability of doing the work when I see fit.

[Rss]

hmmm...although this could very well be true, I'm right now doing online courses for JIU (Jones International University), getting my PhD. in Psychology. And to be honest, I find it a hell of a lot easier than regular classroom-based courses. I love the extra time and ability of doing the work when I see fit.

Hm, maybe it fits for you. I know many people, myself included, who would rather study in classroom. As long as air-conditioning works.

[Admiral Swagmeister G-Funk]

I find classroom study to be more beneficial, personally. That kind of structure keeps me focused - there's always too many distractions when at home or whatever.

[StoneFrog]

Im way better learning by myself, never done well in a class room. Give me a bunch of text books and away i can go. I think its because i get too hard headed with other people :rolleyes:. If im just provided the material i can just absorb, plus that way it makes it easier to organize the information into the way i learn best. I think its depends on the person, plus some might go for it since they think it be easier, they can just sit at home no need to get up early for a class etc..

[Metacomet]

I don't see how I would have gotten anything out of College with just readings and assignments. Class discussions and where they went and evolved were a massive part of the learning experience that cannot be emulated online.

[StoneFrog]

You see i treat "education" as getting a piece of paper, since thats all it is. Pass their exams etc then take what i know and develop onto it. IM probably going to get a computer science degree online, even though i've been programming for a while. A piece of paper all it is for me, but without it life is harder.

Plus i use those around me to engage in as well, since people i know i can at least "test" my conclusions out on =P

[The Vegan Marxist]

I don't see how I would have gotten anything out of College with just readings and assignments. Class discussions and where they went and evolved were a massive part of the learning experience that cannot be emulated online.

Really? Through my online courses there's plenty of class discussions. All of which are done so through the school's internet forum. And seriously, if you're wanting to actually see your classmates, then webcams are there to be used as well if need be.

[Pretty Flaco]

Hm, maybe it fits for you. I know many people, myself included, who would rather study in classroom. As long as air-conditioning works.

I used to live in Florida and our school was way overcrowded, so one year I ended up taking 4 of my 7 classes in portable trailers with no air conditioning. That wasn't so fun. :rolleyes:

And I could never take a class online. I ask too many questions.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

I was able to complete (and pass) two Open University (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_University) courses. Both courses had their own web page and discussion forums, and we were given email and phone numbers for our tutors. In the end I never felt I needed to use those resources, but the end-of-course assessment (ECA) to both were very challenging, so I can easily see myself resorting to those on a longer or more difficult course. Along with the course materials I got paperwork advising on how to set up a study schedule, instructions on formatting and submitting my ECA, and so on. It all seemed pretty thorough and I reckon I would have found it easier had I actually used all the resources and advice given to me.

Although I have no idea if the courses done by American community colleges are anywhere near as well set up.

[Metacomet]

Really? Through my online courses there's plenty of class discussions. All of which are done so through the school's internet forum. And seriously, if you're wanting to actually see your classmates, then webcams are there to be used as well if need be.


Maybe it's just me. I'm like that other poster who said they like to ask lots of questions etc.

And I suppose for some things it's fine. But for a lot of the courses I took the discussion and asking questions was most of the classes...

[black magick hustla]

hmmm...although this could very well be true, I'm right now doing online courses for JIU (Jones International University), getting my PhD. in Psychology. And to be honest, I find it a hell of a lot easier than regular classroom-based courses. I love the extra time and ability of doing the work when I see fit.

dude you are being ripped off

[Jose Gracchus]

dude you are being ripped off

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought this

[AnonymousOne]

Not surprising. I taught for two online colleges on the side for a little while as I was building my consulting buisness, can't reveal which ones it is as I signed an NDA with them. Oh wait, I'm Anonymous (CTU, and UofPhoenix).

The entire system is a huge scam to ripping off desperate people and sucking up financial aid money.

What you do is take people that aren't really able to do very well because of their schedule, abilties or background and then you shove them into classes they have no buisness taking like Intro to Philosophy where you have single mothers who just got a G.E.D trying to read unabridged Kant.

It's horrible, because the entire thing is such a joke. You try to make sure that your student's don't succeed because if they fail and have to retake the course so they have to pay more money back.

Fuck private education and online colleges, they're horribly run with little support from the school, and are not worth money or time. If you want an education be a part time student at a community college or vocational school. Avoid online colleges.



hmmm...although this could very well be true, I'm right now doing online courses for JIU (Jones International University), getting my PhD. in Psychology. And to be honest, I find it a hell of a lot easier than regular classroom-based courses. I love the extra time and ability of doing the work when I see fit.

I am so sorry to say this but quit now and get out with some money. You will be so fucked if you keep going. No one gives a fuck about an online PhD. There's a reason why you find it a hell of a lot easier, because it's not worth the same thing.

If you try getting a job or trying to get into academics with that PhD you'll be laughed at. Please quit, and if you want to get a real PhD from a real school.

[Libertador]

Some state schools offer online programs for actual in-school degrees making no distinction between the two. When my mother was awarded her master's in business economics it made no mention of being an online degree.

Of course a quick phone call would shed light on the truth, but still.

Personally I find the Socratic method to be far superior than regular classroom lectures.

[black magick hustla]

Not surprising. I taught for two online colleges on the side for a little while as I was building my consulting buisness, can't reveal which ones it is as I signed an NDA with them. Oh wait, I'm Anonymous (CTU, and UofPhoenix).

The entire system is a huge scam to ripping off desperate people and sucking up financial aid money.

What you do is take people that aren't really able to do very well because of their schedule, abilties or background and then you shove them into classes they have no buisness taking like Intro to Philosophy where you have single mothers who just got a G.E.D trying to read unabridged Kant.

It's horrible, because the entire thing is such a joke. You try to make sure that your student's don't succeed because if they fail and have to retake the course so they have to pay more money back.

Fuck private education and online colleges, they're horribly run with little support from the school, and are not worth money or time. If you want an education be a part time student at a community college or vocational school. Avoid online colleges.



not all online schools are bad though. the british "open university" is a public non-profit university, and i imagine people take it seriously. "for profit" colleges are generally a joke, and they are more expensive a lot of the times than the public alternative. for example, nobody pays for "phds", or atleast if the school is worth its salt, and i think vegan marxist is paying.

[AnonymousOne]

not all online schools are bad though. the british "open university" is a public non-profit university, and i imagine people take it seriously. "for profit" colleges are generally a joke, and they are more expensive a lot of the times than the public alternative. for example, nobody pays for "phds", or atleast if the school is worth its salt, and i think vegan marxist is paying.

Oh I apologize, my only experience is with schools that are out of the United States that are for profit. I totally agree with you, online classes are valuable to take if they're being taken from a public school or a reputable private (non-profit) university.

Yes, Jones International University is a very expensive for-profit college.

[Rafiq]

Buddy I just finished 2 online classes in 4 weeks and got A's in both. What now.

[AnonymousOne]

Buddy I just finished 2 online classes in 4 weeks and got A's in both. What now.

Congratulations, most people struggle with online courses for reasons that have been listed above. I don't know what classes you took, or where you're taking classes so I can't comment intelligibly or analyze why that college is a good fit for you. I'll assume a for-profit, online college though for the sake of this post.

What I can tell you, is that if you're working to get a online degree it may be beneficial to switch to take online courses at a public university, or a reputable private (non-profit) institution. A lot of employers will laugh at or ignore people with online degrees. If money is an issue you could consider taking courses online and then transferring them. Although this is very unlikely because there is a overall low opinion of online for-profits within academia, for good reason.

But still, very impressive work. Good job.

[Rafiq]

They were high school classes that I failed :p

[AnonymousOne]

They were high school classes that I failed :p

You do what you can, better than not retaking them at all. :P

[pluckedflowers]

Personally, I'm absolutely useless if I don't have a regular school schedule to attend to, as evidenced by my current summer vacation. During the semester, I study at least 20-30 hours a week. Now I spend all my time playing video games.

Also, I realize that online courses can be beneficial for some people whose schedule would prevent them from attending a regular course program, but it's also worth looking into the economic dynamics of these new online course systems. This is just a hypothesis on my part, but I think it very likely that they are being used to further expand the role of part-time professors, enabling schools to increase their profits (or, in the case of public schools, simply reduce costs) while cutting jobs and salaries for full-time professors. In the long term, it might also entirely change social habits regarding education, making it more of a commodity to be pursued at one's own cost on one's own time, rather than something societies ought to provide for as many people as possible in their own best interest.

[The Vegan Marxist]

for example, nobody pays for "phds", or atleast if the school is worth its salt, and i think vegan marxist is paying.

The tuition at JIU is certainly expensive, thus why I'm paying through federal loans, but the books are a lot cheaper than the public college here in my area. And no, I'm not "paying" for my degrees. I'm actually working my ass off to achieve the grades I have. It's not an easy school and you have to earn the degrees you achieve through actual work, not paying for them. I would've left by now if that was the case. I did a lot of studying on the school before I ever joined up. So I'll see where it takes me.

[Franz Fanonipants]

online education is offered to poor, minority students in the US as the best option for them.

:confused:

i am perplexed

[Franz Fanonipants]

The tuition at JIU is certainly expensive, thus why I'm paying through federal loans, but the books are a lot cheaper than the public college here in my area. And no, I'm not "paying" for my degrees. I'm actually working my ass off to achieve the grades I have. It's not an easy school and you have to earn the degrees you achieve through actual work, not paying for them. I would've left by now if that was the case. I did a lot of studying on the school before I ever joined up. So I'll see where it takes me.

the classes are more expensive than at a state college.

you're going to be fucked, have no actual credentialed ability to do anything, and saddled with huge debt. that's why this system exists man.