SLN Campus Research Engagement Program http://wiki.sln.suny.edu/display/SLNED/Current+Research+Projects Study of Online Student Persistence in SUNY Research proposal problem statement: SUNY's DOODLE group has conducted a multi-year study of student persistence, attrition, and success with online courses. Overall, the rates of attrition are similar among the DOODLE institutions as are success rates which is interesting in itself given the institutions are often quite different in size, number of courses offered online, and in demographic make-up. SUNY and its DE faculty often consider the attrition rate outcomes to be high, and indeed, compared to research such as the National Community College Benchmark study, SUNY's rates are high - typically 5% or greater in similar categories of measurement (higher attrition = not a favorable outcome). In other words, SUNY looks normative compared 'to itself' and appears as an underperformer when compared to aggregate institutions participating in the NCCB study. (DOODLE has less than 20 institutions participating in its persistence study; NCCB has over 200.) While the reasons for such a gap may be simple, such as survey criteria being different, explaining the phenomenon is important as SUNY faculty look at 'national' outcomes and deduce (perhaps quite incorrectly) that SUNY (and their own SUNY college) are doing a bad job of both attracting and keeping students in online courses toward successful outcomes. * The affected population are SUNY students enrolled in online and blended courses. * The target 'population' are SUNY colleges and university centers who are members of Directors of Online and Distance Learning (DOODLE) and also any SUNY institutions that become members of DOODLE. (All offer fully online and/or blended modalities of mediated teaching and learning at course and/or program levels to enrolled students, typically using a commercial or open-source CMS/LMS platform)

1. FACTORS AND STRATEGIES
THAT IMPACT ONLINE
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
STUDENT PERSISTENCE
Jennifer Boisvert, Pamela Culbertson,
Peter Shea, PhD
May 24, 2011
The University at Albany,
State University of New York

2. ISSUES AND CONTEXT
Question:
After three years what % of first time community
college students complete a credential of any
sort?
 A) 25% (i.e. 75% do not finish on time)
 B) 35% (i.e. 65% do not finish on time)
 C) 50% (i.e. 50% do not finish on time)
 D) Other

3. ISSUES
 “…if success is based on the outcomes of all
entrants, performance will be depressed unless
success is very broadly defined.”
 “By the same token, measuring success only for a
select group (e.g., those who indicate degree
intentions or achieve credit thresholds) may
produce a falsely positive appearance of success
while also encouraging access to diminish (e.g.,
through creaming).”
 Goldrick-Rab, 2010

4. ISSUES
All that said…
 After 3 years just 16% of first-time community
college students who began college in 2003
attained a credential of any kind (certificate,
associate’s degree, and/or bachelor’s degree).
 So 84% of first time cc students do not finish on
time
 After 6 years the number without a credential of
any sort is still 64%.
 Goldrick-Rab, 2010

5. WHY IS THIS SO?
 With a partner create a list of the top 3 reasons
community college students do not finish a
degree or certificate program.
 What are the top 3 solutions to these problems?

6. ADDED CONTEXT: NO RESEARCH
REALLY
 One area that is popularly discussed but not
addressed here (because of the dearth of
research in the public 2-year sector) is the
potential for online solutions (for more, see U.S.
Department of Education, 2009).
 Goldrick-Rab, 2010

7. OVERVIEW
 Definitions
 Research Questions
 Review of Literature
 Limitations
 Conclusion

8. RESEARCH SPECIFICATIONS
 Time Period
 2004-2011
 Keywords
 Attrition, online, persistence, community college,
leaving early, retention, drop out, student engagement,
gender, ethnicity, major, and SUNY Learning Network
 Resources
 The University at Albany’s online library resources
database
 Peer-reviewed articles

9. DEFINITIONS
 Persistence:
 Students returning for future courses
 Retention:
 Students completing a course in which they enrolled

10. PROBLEM
 Lack of research in relation to online community
college student persistence
 Limited research regarding online learners
enrolled in SUNY community colleges

11. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
 What are the factors that impact online
community college student persistence?
 What strategies can community college
professionals implement to increase student
persistence?
 How does a sample of community colleges within
the State University of New York compare to
national norms for persistence in online
education?

12. SUNY COMMUNITY COLLEGES
http://nyshei.wordpress.com/2008/02/02/suny-caucus-forms/

13. FACTORS IDENTIFIED
 Student Engagement in Online Courses
 Instructor and Course Designer Influence
 Learning Communities
 Online Class Community Support
 Finance-Related Effects on Persistence
 Importance of Interest – College Major Selection

14. FACTORS INFLUENCING COMMUNITY
COLLEGE ONLINE COURSE
PERSISTENCE
 Push Effects
 Self-Efficacy
 Time Management
 Engagement
 Motivation
 Pull Effects
 Financial Struggles
 Family and Personal Obligations
 Work Demands

15. STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
 Instructor and Course Designer Influence
 Academic Support
 Social Support
 Learning Communities
 Groups of Students
 Benefits
 4-Year Longitudinal Study (Engstrom & Tinto, 2008)
 Online Class Community Support
 Technology
 Sense of Community
 Communication
 Introductory Computer Course

16. FINANCIAL AND MAJOR SELECTION
INFLUENCES
 Finance-Related Effects
 Increase in Local Employment Opportunities 
Decrease in Community College Persistence
 Access to Student Loans  Increase in Persistence
 Student Loan Availability
 Students Receiving Aid in 2008-2009 (AACC)
 Importance of Interest – College Major Selection
 Person-Environment Fit
 Community of Inquiry (CoI)
 Increased Motivation
 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
(STEM) Majors

17. LIMITATIONS
 Small Sample Sizes
 Unknown Duration of Online Courses
 Preparation
 Tutorials
 Self-Assessment Survey
 Intent – Required or Elective Courses
 Unknown Delivery Method
 Percentage Online – Full, Blended

18. CONCLUSION
 Limited Research on Online Persistence:
 Community Colleges
 SUNY Community Colleges
 More Research Needed on:
 Student Engagement
 Learner Fit
 Implementation Strategies
 Clubs/Organizations
 Learning Communities

19. CONTACT INFORMATION
 Jen Boisvert
 jennifer.boisvert@gmail.com
 Pam Culbertson
 pamela.culbertson01@albany.edu

20. RESOURCES
Allen, J., & Robbins, S.B. (2008). Prediction of college major persistence
based on vocational interests, academic preparation, and first-year
academic performance. Research in Higher Education, 49(1), 62-79.
American Association of Community Colleges. (n.d.). Fast Facts. Retrieved
April 17, 2011, from
http://www.aacc.nche.edu/AboutCC/Pages/fastfacts.aspx
Aragon, S. R., & Johnson, E. S. (2008). Factors influencing completion and
noncompletion of community college online courses. The American
Journal of Distance Education, 22(3), 146-158.
Artino, A. R. (2007). Online military training: Using a social cognitive view of
motivation and self-regulation to understand students’ satisfaction,
perceived learning, and choice. The Quarterly Review of Distance
Education, 8(3), 191-202.
Barbatis, P. (2010). Underprepared, ethnically diverse community college
students: Factors contributing to persistence. Journal of Developmental
Education, 33(3), 14-24.
Barnes, R. A., & Piland, W.E. (2010-2011). Impact of learning communities
in developmental English on community college student retention and
persistence. Journal of College Student Retention, 12(1), 7-24.

21. RESOURCES CONT’D
Dodge, T. M., Mitchell, M.F., & Mensch, J.M. (2009). Student retention in
athletic training education programs. Journal of Athletic Training, 44(2),
197-207.
Dowd, A. C. (2004). Income and financial aid effects on persistence and
degree attainment in public colleges. Education Policy Analysis Archives,
12(21), 33.
Engstrom, C, & Tinto, V. (2008). Access without support is not opportunity.
Change, 4(1), 46-50.
Fike, D. S., & Fike, R. (2008). Predictors of first-year student retention in the
community college. Community College Review, 36(2), 68-88.
Goldrick-Rab, S. (2010). Challenges and opportunities for improving
community college student success. Review of Educational Research,
80(3), 437-469.
Griffith, A.L. (2010). Persistence of women and minorities in STEM field
majors: Is it the school that matters?. Economics of Education Review,
29(6), 911-922.

22. RESOURCES CONT’D
Kienzl, G. S., Alfonso, M., & Melguizo, T. (2007). The effect of local labor
market conditions in the 1990s on the likelihood of community college
students’ persistence and attainment. Research in Higher Education,
48(7), 751-774.
Lehr, C. A., Clapper, A. T., & Thurlow, M. L. (2005). Graduation for all: A
practical guide to decreasing school dropout. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
Press.
Morris, L. K., & Daniel, L. G. (2008). Perceptions of a chilly climate:
Differences in traditional and non-traditional majors for women. Research
in Higher Education, 49(3), 256-273.
New York State Higher Education Initiative. (2008, February 2). SUNY
caucus forms. Messaged posted to
http://nyshei.wordpress.com/2008/02/02/suny-caucus-forms/
Shea, P. & Bidjerano, T. (2010). Towards a theory of self-efficacy, self-
regulation, and the development of a communities of inquiry in online and
blended learning environments. Computers & Education, 55(4), 1721-
1731.