Abstract
This article presents the quantitative findings of an exploratory mixed methods study that investigated first- and second-year online graduate master’s students’: 1) perceptions of the importance of, and satisfaction with, administrative, academic, technical, and online community supports; 2) personal factors and grit level; and 3) differences, if any, that existed among students, in these areas. Findings showed that a large majority of students rated course-level supports (e.g., instructor support, embedded help, library) as important, in contrast to supports that might be needed on rare occasions (e.g., career services, bookstore) or by fewer students (e.g., veteran and international student services, writing center). Data stratification revealed differences between white and non-white students for career and counseling services, which white students rated “unimportant” and non-white students rated “very important.” Differences in students’ perception of importance and satisfaction with some services highlighted instructor and technical support as areas of focus for potential improvements. The study raises several questions important to online graduate education, such as: which supports and resources should be offered by institutions of higher education to promote success in online learning for online master’s graduate students? Are there strategies that need to be developed to better address the individual needs of a diverse student body, including nontraditional students and underrepresented minorities?
Highlights
Graduate online students have unique needs that may not be fully met by the traditional, on-campus student support services offered at many universities (Haydarov, Moxley, & Anderson, 2012-2013)
Research Design This article summarizes the first phase of an exploratory “QUAN → qual sequential mixed methods study” (Morse, 2003, p. 198) with two overarching goals: (1) Investigate the resources, strategies, and practices that have supported online master’s students, or that they perceive could have supported them, for success in online learning; and (2) Determine if nontraditional students, those with diverse backgrounds (e.g., URMs), or those who have been out of school for several years, and/or have not participated in online education, have unique needs based on their distinctive demographic characteristics
Quantitative methods used in the first phase of the study involved the administration of a web-based survey in August 2014 of the master’s students enrolled in two 100% online programs: Master of Arts with a concentration in Education Technology (ET) and Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) at the same university in the United States
Summary
Graduate online students have unique needs that may not be fully met by the traditional, on-campus student support services offered at many universities (Haydarov, Moxley, & Anderson, 2012-2013). Private university in the United States, online students have access to 24-7 technical support and other support services such as the Writing Center and Disability Support Services. Online graduate students are often managing competing demands of family and work at the same time as attending school. In addition to these challenges faced by many nontraditional students, underrepresented (URM) minorities and international students have unique needs that are often overlooked. This paper presents the quantitative results of the first phase of the study
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