More hard lessons learned in online student retention

Abstract

earning and how adults learn is more important now than ever before. Alvin Toffler (1998) wrote, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” Higher education has always focused on the needs of the adult learner, but a renewed emphasis on practitioner-based outcomes is gaining momentum at the higher education level. A small, fully-online private university in the Western U.S, for example, is learning, unlearning, and relearning what a doctoral degree program should be for 21st century in order to help its candidates be successful. As a result of one associate dean’s search for factors, the university transformed its doctoral degree programs from traditional content-based programs with a research component to integrated research-based programs with sponsored research projects throughout the curriculum and a final research component that results in a dissertation with practical recommendations for the research sponsor as well as adding to the body of knowledge. This study looked at the associate dean’s search for additional factors that positively impact student success, satisfaction, and retention and how they can be implemented in a virtual classroom environment. This paper will address the educational, developmental, and assessment aspects of e-learning in online courses, specifically at the doctoral level. Financial sustainability is forcing administrators and deans, more than ever, to be informed of ongoing management requirements, regulatory and accrediting organization changes, income and expenses, student enrollments, completion rates, and instructor assessments, as well as other operational needs. Higher education leaders, in order to be prepared for uncertain futures and financial challenges, must be equipped with options to be able to meet strategic plan goals. This study focused on factors that might positively affect online course completion rates at a Western U.S. private uuniversity; specifically, it looked at analytical writing assessments as predictors of success at the doctoral level