Abstract
The study investigated the relationship between minority students’ use of technology, social media, the number of online courses, program of study, satisfaction, and academic performance. Participants in the study were a diverse student body regarding age, gender, and educational level, and functioned at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Chi-square tests were used to find the relationship between participants’ online learning experiences and academic performance. Results showed that satisfaction and use of social media had no relationship with the academic performance of participants. However, a relationship existed between the use of technology, the number of courses in online, program of study, and academic performance. Categories that emerged from the open-ended questions were flexibility and time convenience, self-confidence, lack of support, self-regulated learning skills, and language and linguistic differences. The authors concluded that varying factors such as cultural, language, personal, and efficacy skills facilitated the academic performance of minority students in an online learning environment. This study reiterates the importance of establishing multicultural presence in an online course and suggests best pedagogical methods for teaching minority students in an online course.
Highlights
The past two decades reflect a rapid increase in online learning in higher education
The study revealed that there was a relationship between the use of technology, the number of online courses, the program of study, and the academic performance of minority students in an online learning environment
Satisfaction in online learning had no influence on the academic performance of minority students in an online learning environment
Summary
The past two decades reflect a rapid increase in online learning in higher education. Online education has shifted to a mainstream form of delivery for the majority of higher education institutions This is primarily due to the growing and aging undergraduate population, rising tuition costs that led to innovative alternatives, an evolving workforce seeking lifelong learning options, and academic leaders’ strategic focus to develop online learning strategies (Allen & Seaman, 2014). This phenomenon has made most colleges and universities adopt online courses as alternative offerings that are scalable, sustainable and personalized to improve academic and employment outcomes for learners (Babson Survey Report, 2014). Several studies (Brown & Liedholm, 2002; Coates, Humphreys, Kane, & Vachris, 2004; Rovai, Ponton, Wighting, & Baker, 2007; Xu & Jaggars, 2011; Xu & Jaggars, 2013) indicated that students who choose online learning seem to have higher levels of academic ability and motivation in comparison to peers who select a fully face-to-face course
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