Determining Factors in Student Retention in Online Courses

The rapid growth of online education courses, especially Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), has called attention to the issue of student retention and low overall completion rates (Gaebel, 2013). The impact of different modes of delivery on retention has also received attention with a blended learning mode being deemed most effective in retaining students (Harker & Koutsantoni, 2005). Fischer (2007) underscores the need for computer-based tracking data to expose students' progress online. The study presented here is part of a larger study on student retention in online language learning courses and draws on tracking data from over 43,000 learners on "Icelandic Online" (IOL), an open online course in Icelandic as a second language. Previous findings reveal that completion rates on IOL are low and vary by mode of delivery, revealing regular attrition patterns across all modes of delivery. This paper demonstrates the importance of re-examining parameters for measuring retention and to correlate student retention to views on course content and platform. Further surveys based on the tracking data will elicit more in-depth knowledge about student engagements. [For the complete volume, see ED578177.]