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July 28, 2011 7:00 AM
Students in Online Courses More Likely to Fail
Computer college, let’s take another look.
It turns out that students taking online courses are more likely to fail than students who take real courses, according to a recent study of community college students conducted by researchers at Teachers College, Columbia University.
As Mary Ellen Flannery at NEA Today explains:
In a newly released study of 51,000 Washington State community college students… researchers found that students who took online courses were more likely to fail or drop out of the course than students who took the same course in person. Moreover, those students with the most Web credits were the least likely to graduate.
But even as the research shows that distance education may not be right for everybody - at least not without specific provisions to support both teachers and students - many state lawmakers and college administrators are racing toward increased virtual coursework that costs little and often turns a profit for private investors.
Of all students studied here, 85 percent who enrolled in real, physical courses completed them; only 74 percent of students who took online courses finished them.
It’s worth pointing out that this was a study of community college students in one particular state. It doesn’t necessarily follow that this is true everywhere, though the results certainly seem telling.
Read the research study here.
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ceilidth on July 28, 2011 6:12 PM:
Community college students tend to be less prepared in terms of their reading and writing skills (many need remedial help) than the typical four year student. Online courses are heavily reading and writing based.
The courses are also often built as profit centers for the schools and offer far less in terms of assistance to students. Their "instructors" are often paid dirt wages and while some do fantastic work, others just get by. The wages paid to online instructors make adjunct faculty pay look generous. Online courses are also advertised as more convenient and more student friendly so they appeal to students who are either very busy or are concerned about their ability to do the work. And in a face to face situation, the instructor can intervene much more easily and if tutoring is needed, they are already in the physical place where it can be arranged.