Summary and Citations:
Bowers sought to determine the causes of persistence in online classes by asking those teachers and administrators deeply involved in the process about why they believe online courses suffer from high attrition rates.
Stanford-Bowers felt that one cause of the drop-rate came from "shifting the paradigm from the traditional teacher centered approaches which have dominated instructional practices of the past. Although the instructor is still the content expert in a virtual environment, students in an online community must assume responsibility for managing their own learning experiences (Bathe, 2001; Conrad & Donaldson, 2004). Many faculty, however, are reluctant to give up their control in the courses they teach, and many learners are reluctant to take a more independent role in their learning (2008, p. 39).
Additionally, she felt that "all these ... factors can be categorized into one of four major barriers to student persistence:
1. Situational barriers are those which occur as the result of changes in the social, economic, or personal life of the student. They include such issues as transportation, age, time constraints, family support, or family responsibilities over which the institution has no control (Cross, 1981; Lorenzetti, 2004).
2. Conversely, institutional barriers result from difficulties with college programs, policies, and procedures; these include issues with admissions, registration, class schedules, financial aid, and other support services over which the institution does have some control (Cross, 1981; Lorenzetti, 2004). Institutional barriers emphasize the need for an institutional support system that can be accessed online (Dahl, 2004).
3. Dispositional barriers result from an individual’s personal background, and which include issues such as attitude, motivation, learning styles, and selfconfidence (Cross, 1981; Lorenzetti, 2004).
4. Epistemological barriers result from problems with academic or institutional matters such as course content, prerequisite knowledge, and expectations (Lorenzetti, 2004; Moore, et al, 2002).
She administered a survey to 39 educators, students, and administrators over a period of eight weeks. This resulted in many ideas, themes, and factors administrators believed played a key roll in student persistence. Then they rated the importance of the factors. The lists were narrowed down and prioritized.
She found the opinions of the groups generally matched. Here were her findings from the surveys:
- Computer access/Accessibility
- Clearly stated requirements
- Time management
- Self discipline
- Responsiveness of Instructor/ Prompt feedback/Student teacher interaction
- Self motivation
- Basic computer skills
- Convenience/Flexibility
- User friendly format
- Reading ability
- Instructors
- Outside assistance
- Reliable server
- Independent learning/Responsibility
- Technical support
- Course design
- Personal contact
