Attrition
I think this area is more challenging than in the classroom. When you have face to face contact, you can see a student struggle more quickly than on-line.
Daily communications would be imperative to see early signs.
I agree that being able to see students gives you one more tool to identify a struggling student (although that doesn't always work). But in terms of attrition, because online learning is a great deal more flexible and students can log in whenever it works throughout the week, sometimes students can stay in an online class when they would have to drop a residential class.
Mrs. Ernst, I agree with you. Being an online student is somewhat easier because of the flexibility. It took a while to get use to but I truly enjoy online courses as a student.
Yes, it probably does take time to get used to being an online student--just like it takes time to adjust to being an online teacher. So, for those of you that are new to online teaching--hang in there!
Thanks for your comments Chris.
It is true that being an online student is easier because of the flexibility, but that sometimes will get you in trouble if you do not have the self disciple to insure you keep up with the class. Sometimes you fell that you can fall a little behind and then try to catch up and find yourself so far behind that you end up either failing the class or dropping it so it will noe affect your GPA.
I would tend to agree with you that online classes are more challenging because of the lack of face to face interaction. Online the instructor really doesn't have a clue if the student is understanding the subject matter if the student doesn't ask questions. Face to face all you have to do is see it on a students face the "?" above the eyebrows and you may try to explain it in a more simplier manner. Online many students don't ask because that don't want to ask a stupid question.
As an insructor I try to help students from dropping my class by going the extra mile by allowing them more time to submit the assignment if the student communicates with me. Some students e-mail me at the last minute than tells me that they do not understand what I am looking for.
Being an online student does require self-discipline, which is something (as you point out in your post) that some students end up learning the hard way. Thanks for your comments Ruben.
It is always a challenge to walk the line of being an accomodating, supportive instructor but at the same also teaching students the importance of meeting deadlines.
The students should realize in the real business world deadlines must be met or they might lose their jobs.
I make myself available by email, IM and phone to address student concerns. So I am 'virtually' always available. I think that helps retain students in the class also because their concerns get addressed very quickly and they get help in a timely manner.
That is a great tip Nitin. Thanks for sharing it with the group.
The online learning environment creates a number of difficulties for instructors trying to reduce the attrition of students. There are a limited number communication avenues available and each is dependent upon the student logging into the virtual campus. In my experience, there are some students that simply decide to quit and stop logging onto the campus. At this point, there is little that an instructor can do to prevent attrition.
That is so true Robert, I try to communicate with students who are not submitting assignments and tell them to contact me if they need help and they never bother to communicate with me. I explain to them after a certain number of days I will no longer accept the assignment and I still get no responses from them. The students are adults with other responsibilities but they must also take responsibility for their education.
It takes more than time, it takes a commitment and discipline from the student to attend an online school.
I think it takes commitment and discipline for students to attend online or residential school. If a student isn't committed to being successful in school, it is highly unlikely they will be successful.
you might be right Beth but since i started online, I know after the first week if a student hasn't submitted anything and therefore probably never will. I have had a few students on ground that started a week late and caught up though I have not experienced that yet online. This could also be due to the fact that online classes are only 5 weeks.
Your right William, if the student does not submit their first couple of assignments, then they will end up dropping the class or just accept the "F" at the end of the session. Sometimes these students take on more than they can handle.
A class that is only five weeks long would be very hard to catch up on after missing one week. In comparison, the classes I teach are 12 weeks long, so it is much easier to catch up after only missing one week.
One of the biggest problems I have faced is that it is easier for a student to ignore you online. If they are in the same building as you are for classes, you can track them down if they are not attending. In an online class, you have to rely on messages through the platform or emails, both of which are fairly easy for a student to ignore.
