Recommendations and Best Practices to Increase Online Student Retention

Online student retention remains a problem for many colleges and universities. Retention models developed for residential students also explain the contribution to retention resulting from connecting online students with other students and the daily life of the university. Social media has been proposed as a way to engage online students to create a sense of community that may contribute to student retention. This quantitative study assessed the association between online student usage of university-sponsored social media with the Classroom and School Community Inventory (CSCI), a scale developed to quantify students’ sense of academic and social community, and the association with subsequent retention at a southeastern U.S. university with a large online student population. While the effect was small, student engagement with university-sponsored social media was significantly associated with both higher scores on the CSCI and with higher reenrollment rates.

Student retention is vital to any institution's sustainability, as it poses a significant opportunity cost when institutions must compensate for student departure through increased new student recruitment or other revenue-generating functions in order to meet financial objectives. As trends demonstrate online student population growth in conjunction with campus student population declines, institutions must evaluate and intervene to address the unique education needs of the online student population, mostly made up of adult learners. This study reviews online student retention initiatives and outcomes at a private university in Southeastern Pennsylvania, with a population of approximately 7,000-8,000 online students. Factors that contribute to online student retention were identified and investigated: in particular, demographic and academic traits of incoming students were evaluated in comparison with second and third term persistence; effects of new student coaching in their first two program terms were reviewed; and program/institutional features available to online students were reviewed to determine any significance in aiding retention rates. Best practices are identified and recommended for institutions to implement to combat low online student retention rates.

Institutional belonging has been connected in the literature to college student well-being, achievement, persistence, and retention. However, much of this literature uses a one-dimensional scale to examine this construct. The University Attachment Scale (UAS; France, Finney, & Swerdzewski, 2010) is a multidimensional instrument with purported value, but structural results are limited to a single sample from a primarily traditional student population. This study re-examined the UAS at an institution with a large transfer student population and compared the latent means between traditional (n = 561), transfer (n = 372), and online (n = 50) students. Findings indicated transfer and online students report lower levels of member attachment relative to traditional students, a dimension not currently captured by other belonging scales. This may have value for the college student development literature, given increased calls for belonging research and a rise in distance-based education.

Despite increasing attention to online learning worldwide, learning complex technologies online has always been challenging and even a hindrance to students who are subjected to elevated levels of technostress. In contrast to most previous studies that focused on the negative side of technostress, this study investigated both the negative and positive sides of technostress. Based on the Challenge Hindrance Framework (CHF), the Holistic Stress Model (HSM), and the Person-Environment Fit (P-E Fit) model, we examined how challenge and hindrance techno-stressors caused distress and eustress in online students and lead to associated outcomes. We empirically validated the research model by analyzing survey data collected from 565 online graduate business students enrolled at a university in the United States. The results revealed that some hindrance and challenge techno-stressors were associated with techno-distress and techno-eustress, which further impacted student satisfaction and student retention. We discussed the contributions and implications and provided future research directions.

Reviewed by: Connecting in the Online Classroom: Building Rapport Between Teacher and Students by Rebecca A. Glazier Heather E. Yates Rebecca A. Glazier. Connecting in the Online Classroom: Building Rapport Between Teacher and Students. Baltimore. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2021. 251pp $29.95. ISBN 9781421442655 (paperback), ISBN 9781421442662(e-book). The COVID-19 global pandemic redirected our collective focus to the methods of online teaching in a way that no other modern event has. The entire educational infrastructure was temporarily suspended. The public health crisis demanded that universities rapidly migrate courses, in the middle of the academic term, to online instructional formats. It was hurried, at times chaotic, and most everyone was pushed beyond their professional (and personal) capacities. The emergency presented some challenges that compounded some standing concerns about higher education and revealed new ones about declining college enrollment. In cases where university campuses suspended in-person operations and performed rapid pivots to digital spaces, faculty were students' primary, and sometimes, only connection with the university. The demands of the unusual circumstances uncovered an entirely new set of concerns for student learning and retention. The disruption partly reinvigorated a public discourse about the necessities of online teaching and learning, but it also accelerated another lurking problem: an online retention crisis. Much of the discussion around student retention settles on the needs of traditional students, meaning those who are physically present on campuses, while the needs of online students get pushed to the periphery. As it relates to retention issues, online teaching can suffer from negative stereotypes and mischaracterizations that give way to myths of detached, sterile environments devoid of meaningful human interactions, making the face-to-face classroom a preferred method of instruction (Palloff & Pratt, 2013). For students, some may think online classes are 'easier' than in-person courses (Young, 2006). In view of these challenges, Rebecca Glazier, professor of political science at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock, authored Connecting in the Online Classroom: Building Rapport Between Teacher and Students. The book stands out from a sizeable literature concerning online teaching because it is not simply a best-practices guide to improving online pedagogy. It goes beyond that framework to reconstruct how we think about online teaching by offering a balanced treatment of students and professors in the online experience. One of the book's significant contributions is its focus on the lagging retention of online students in higher education. It also effectively dismantles the negative stereotypes associated with online teaching and, more generally, online classes. The book methodically and critically examines the issue of lagged online retention rates. Beyond the best-practices component, the book proposes evidence-based solutions on how best to address the online retention problem. The book's many strengths include its appeal to a wide audience, its applications across academic disciplines, and its utility for any level of teaching expertise. Glazier expertly describes the online retention gap as the differences in retention of student enrollments in online and in-person classes. Glazier observes that colleges commonly struggle with retaining online students more than any other student population. This digital retention gap is further characterized by Glazier's observation that students who want to succeed in a face-to-face classroom, but have limited options, are dropping out of online classes. The problem manifests in an [End Page 407] observable retention gap in enrollments between online and in-person classes where the in-person classes are enjoying more successful retention rates. While online students comprise a significant portion of the college population, many efforts to retain them get folded into traditional retention strategies. There are reasons why universities invest substantial amounts of capital to keep students on campus by focusing on positive student interactions and experiences within those physical spaces, which routinely enlist the energies of the faculty, staff, and the campus environment (Millea et al., 2018). However, an unintentional negative impact of this means that online students are rendered virtually invisible, which effectively relegates them to a second-class status on campuses. In addressing the online retention gap, Glazier provides a straight-forward, yet significant solution: rapport. The author shows the positive influence that human connectedness in digital learning spaces has on student...

Aim/Purpose: This systematic literature review investigates the underlying factors that influence the gap between the popularity of online learning and its completion rate. The review scope within this paper includes an observation of possible causal aspects within the non-ideal completion rates in online learning environments and an identification of recommended strategies to increase retention rates. Background: While online learning is increasingly popular, and the number of online students is steadily growing, student retention rates are significantly lower than those in the traditional environment. Despite the multitude of studies, many institutions are still searching for solutions for this matter. Methodology: A systematic literature review was conducted on 40 studies published between 2010 and 2018. We established a set of criteria to guide the selection of eligible articles including topic relevance (aligned with the research questions), empirical studies, and publication time frame. Further steps were performed through a major database searching, abstract screening, full-text analysis, and synthesis process. Contribution: This study adds to expanding literature regarding student retention and strategies in online learning environments within the higher education setting. Findings: Revealed factors include institutional support, the level difficulty of the programs, promotion of a sense of belonging, facilitation of learning, course design, student behavioral characteristics, and demographic variables along with other personal variables. The recommended strategies identified for improving student retention are early interventions, at-all-times supports for students, effective communication, support for faculty teaching online classes, high-quality instructional feedback and strategies, guidance to foster positive behavioral characteristics, and collaboration among stakeholders to support online students. Recommendations for Practitioners: Since factors within the open systems of online learning are interrelated, we recommend a collective effort from multiple stakeholders when addressing retention issues in online learning. Recommendation for Researchers: We recommend that fellow scholars consider focusing on each influential factor and recommendation in regard to student retention in online learning environments as synthesized in this study. Findings will further enrich the literature on student retention in online learning environments. Future Research: Future research may investigate various data-mining and analytics techniques pertaining to detection and prediction of at-risk students, the efficacy of student support and faculty support programs, and ways to encourage struggling students to adopt effective strategies that potentially engender positive learning behaviors.

This article provides qualitative insights into addressing the issue of student retention in online classes in higher education. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted at random with 16 faculty who teach online courses at a large community college in the Northeast about how to improve online student retention. Qualitative analysis using grounded theory methodology revealed participants discussed that student retention in online courses could be increased by making changes to the screening process for potential online students, improving the student orientation for online courses, the college administration providing additional support to faculty who do online teaching, and online faculty being more responsible to students. Administrators should be aware that changes made in any of these areas may improve student retention in online classes.

The premise of this chapter is that higher education online faculty have a pivotal role in student retention; faculty participation is key to student engagement and engaged students tend to complete courses in which they are enrolled. However, frequently faculty members are unaware of the impact their active participation and visibility has on student engagement and retention. In addition, online courses are an important source of revenue for many institutions of higher education and attrition results in loss of revenue. Given that faculty have a pivotal role in retention, institutions of higher education can benefit fiscally from guiding and supporting online faculty in strategies of student engagement and retention. Faculty support is needed during the process of change inherent in faculty adapting to teaching online, through providing on-going faculty professional development and by creating a teaching culture inclusive of informal scholarly investigations related to instructional effectiveness in online course delivery.

The premise of this chapter is that higher education online faculty have a pivotal role in student retention; faculty participation is key to student engagement and engaged students tend to complete courses in which they are enrolled. However, frequently faculty members are unaware of the impact their active participation and visibility has on student engagement and retention. In addition, online courses are an important source of revenue for many institutions of higher education and attrition results in loss of revenue. Given that faculty have a pivotal role in retention, institutions of higher education can benefit fiscally from guiding and supporting online faculty in strategies of student engagement and retention. Faculty support is needed during the process of change inherent in faculty adapting to teaching online, through providing on-going faculty professional development and by creating a teaching culture inclusive of informal scholarly investigations related to instructional effectiveness in online course delivery.

Recent decades have witnessed the global growth of online study. With this has come an increase in online learners, many of whom face barriers to successful study. As a result, retention of online students is generally poor and lower than that for on-campus students. Although universities have moved toward improving nonacademic learner support services including resources, strategies, and practices which provide social, emotional, and physical resources, assistance, and guidance beyond the curriculum, these are often based on the on-campus experience and lack tailoring to the needs of online students. As online cohorts grow, this becomes increasingly unsuitable.The availability and quality of nonacademic learner support services for online students plays a critical role in assisting their transition to the university, enhancing a sense of community and thereby addressing isolation, increasing retention, and contributing to academic success. There is an institutional responsibility to create adequate support services for online students through each stage of their learning experience. We advance that these services can be effectively provided via online platforms that address four key pillars to ensure that students are effectively engaged and supported. The pillars include the provision of: (i) faculty interaction and orientation, (ii) assistance with using technology, (iii) health- and well-being-related support, and (iv) support that enhances a sense of community and belonging.Incorporating these four pillars, this chapter considers the importance of providing tailored learner support services to online students. A comprehensive international literature search is undertaken to discuss the theoretical and pedagogic significance of each of these pillars as a foundation to building learner support services for online learners. Drawing on examples of best practice and pedagogical theories, this chapter provides a meta-analysis of best practices for the four pillars of learner support services for online students and suggests how each pillar can be effectively implemented by higher education providers.KeywordsOnline studentsStudent learning supportRetention

The opening up of online education in the Australian tertiary sector has made higher education accessible for a wide range of students, including those living in rural and regional areas. While student numbers continue to grow as a result of this opportunity, there are increasing concerns regarding low student retention and progression rates for online students in comparison with on-campus students. Reasons for this vary, however, online students report a sense of isolation and disconnection with their studies highlighting the need for educators to utilise effective facilitation to enhance student connections to an online community. In this paper, we investigated facilitation strategies using two case studies. This illustrated how two online instructors used design-based research to evaluate the impact of facilitation strategies on instructor presence, instructor connection, engagement and learning in maths education and human biology subjects. Findings indicate that focusing on social, managerial and technical facilitation strategies resulted in an increased instructor presence and active involvement, which in turn were influential in motivating students to engage with learning online. The findings have implications for higher education providers and instructors who are tasked with engaging online students. This identifies the importance of targeted online facilitation to enhance learner-instructor and learner-content engagement.

The issue of “student retention” in higher education has become a critical focus in recent years. This problem is even more severe with students enrolled in online courses. While many institutions have tried to address this persistent issue, few have been able to mount an effective and sustained strategy to decrease attrition rates, particularly for students in online courses. This paper describes the efforts of Lone Star College-Online and its Online Student Support Services unit to build and implement a comprehensive suite of services for online students with the intention of enhancing the online student experience and ultimately, directly and indirectly, improving student retention rates. It is hoped that others can learn and gain from the shared successes and challenges presented in this paper.

Retention of online students is a topic of special interest in higher education. Research shows that the highest percentage of students failing or withdrawing from classes occurs the first term. There is no panacea to retaining and motivating online students. A collaborative effort by instructors, administrators, and students is needed to promote student success the first term and beyond. Building community involves fostering relationships grounded in common interests and is critical to academic success and student retention. Student activities such as clubs and organizations create a bond between student and the institution. This case study will discuss strategies for retaining and motivating online students. Topics include: curriculum initiatives, student mentoring and peer coaching, academic services for poor-performing students, community building through online student activities and websites, promotion of socialization while learning at a distance, and ideas for working with faculty on promoting student success from admissions to graduation.

University students are more likely to feel satisfied and persist with their studies if their experiences have met their expectations, and vice versa (Wu, Tsai, Chen, & Wu, 2006). Understanding what online students expect, therefore, is important to guide how universities might satisfy and retain these students. Research into online student expectations to date, however, has been limited to pre-defined expectations of the academic experience, and extrapolations from traditional higher education. To gain a deeper understanding of what online students expect, the author conducted in-depth interviews with 43 commencing online students. Thematic analysis revealed online students’ expectations were described by six key themes: Motivation, Ability, Circumstances, Interaction, Curriculum, and Environment. The findings offer an empirical, student-centred, and multifaceted understanding of online student expectations. Opportunities are illuminated to clarify inaccurate expectations, and to design online education to better meet student needs, facilitating enhanced online student satisfaction and retention.

In ever-evolving electronic learning environments, course retention of students in online courses is significantly lower than those studying in traditional classroom contexts. Through a research synthesis, three major factors seem to impact online course retention: levels of student engagement, the student's ability to self-regulate, and quality teacher interaction and feedback. If any of these factors are missing from the student's online learning experience, it will be more difficult to keep the student engaged in the material, stay motivated, and feel connected to the teacher and other classmates.