Why Online Students Discontinue their Studies
January 16, 2009
I learned so many online students failed to complete a single course, my first thought was too many students lacked the required personal motivation. The Education Dynamics survey did not confirm my suspicion. Lack of motivation was the fourth most common reason given for dropping-out. The three more common reasons for discontinuing their studies were:
Financial challengers – 41%
Life events – 32%
Health issues 23%
Most of the reasons for discontinuing identified by the survey were personal reasons, but online universities do bear some responsibility because 21% of the students surveyed indicated a lack of faculty interaction was at least partially responsible for the decision to drop-out. Of those students who participated in the survey, 40% indicated they did not seek any help from their schools before discontinuing their studies. When asked about resources their online university could have provided to improve students’ online learning experience, survey respondents asked for more student services – academic counseling, time-management, and organizational advice in particular.
In addition to identifying what online students want, the Education Dynamics survey also revealed online students’ preferences for how they prefer to communicate with their school. Ninety percent of online students expressed a preference for communicating through discussion forums and social networking communities.
The best news for online universities found in this research is the findings that 71% of students surveyed indicated they plan to resume their online studies within the next two years. Very few students (7%) expressed interest in continuing their studies through a campus-based program rather than an online program.
Comments
Got something to say?
