The Impact of Distance Education on University Retention Rates

Emily Breit; Samuel Schreyer

doi:10.31686/ijier.vol6.iss11.1228

Authors

Emily Breit Fort Hays State University, USA
Samuel Schreyer Fort Hays State University, USA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31686/ijier.vol6.iss11.1228

Keywords:

distance education, online, retention, university, higher education

Abstract

This study uses new measures of distance education to assess the impact on retention rates at 4-year public and private non-profit universities in the U.S. We present evidence that the percent of undergraduates enrolled exclusively in distance education courses reduces a university’s freshmen retention rate, particularly for institutions with a relatively low median SAT score. We find no clear evidence of lower retention rates when undergraduates are enrolled in a combination of on-campus and distance education courses. These findings suggest increased enrollment through distance education can come at the expense of lower retention.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Emily Breit, Fort Hays State University, USA

Associate Professor of Finance
Samuel Schreyer, Fort Hays State University, USA

Associate Professor of Economics

References

Allen, I. E., and J, Seaman (2015). Grade level: Tracking online education in the United States. Babson Park, MA: Babson Survey Research Group. Retrieved October 1, 2018 from Education Advisory Board website http://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/gradelevel.pdf Alpert, W. T., K. A. Couch, and O.R. Harmon (2016). A randomized assessment of online learning. American Economic Review, 106(5): 378-82.Arano, K., S. Schreyer, and D. Toulaboe (2018). A quantile regression analysis of student performance in online vs. traditional principles of economics. Perspectives on Economic Education Research. Asarta, C. J. and J.R. Schmidt (2017). Comparing student performance in blended and traditional courses: does prior academic achievement matter? Internet and Higher Education, 32: 29-38. Astin, A. W. (1997). How ‘good’ is your institution’s retention rate? Research in Higher Education, 38, 647–658. Baum, S., C. Kurose, and M. McPherson (2013). An overview of American Higher Education. The Future of Children, 23 (1): 17-39. Berger, J. B. and S. C. Lyons (2005). Past to present: A historical look at retention. In A. Seidman (Ed.), College student retention: Formula for student success (pp. 1–27). Westport, CT: American Council on Education and Praeger Publishers. Bowen, W.G. (2012). The ‘cost disease’ in higher education: is technology the answer? Lectures presented at the Tanner Lectures on Human Values at Stanford University, Stanford, CA. Carr, S. (2000). As distance education comes of age, the challenge is keeping the students. Chronicle of Higher Education, 46, 39–42. Chen, R. (2012). Institutional characteristics and college student dropout risks: a multilevel event history analysis. Research in Higher Education, 53(5), 487-505. Deming, D. J., C. Goldin, L.F. Katz, and N. Yuchtman (2015). Can online learning bend the higher education cost curve? American Economic Review, May, 105:5, pp. 496-501. DesJardins, S.L., D.A. Ahlburg, and B.P. McCall (1999). An event history model of student departure. Economics of Education Review, 18(3), 375-390. DesJardins, S.L., D.A. Ahlburg, and B.P. McCall, (2002). Simulating the longitudinal effects of changes in financial aid on student departure from college. Journal of Human Resources, 37(3), 653-679. DesJardins, S.L., D.O. Kim, and C.S. Rzonca, (2003). A nested analysis of factors affection bachelor’s degree completion. Journal of College Student Retention, 4 (4), 407-435. Diaz, D. P. (2002). Online drop rate revisited. The Technology Source, May/June. Retrieved from http://technologysource.org/issue/2002-05/. Huntington-Klein, N., J. Cowan, and D. Goldhaber (2017). Selection into online community college courses and their effects on persistence. Research in Higher Education, 58(3), 244-269. Ishitani, T. and S. L. DesJardins (2002). A longitudinal investigation of dropout from college in the UnitedStates. Journal of College Student Retention, 4 (2), 173–201. Lee, Y. and J. Choi (2011). A review of online course dropout research: implications for practice and future research. Educational Technology Research and Development, 59(5), 593-618. Levy, Y. (2007). Comparing dropouts and persistence in e-learning courses. Computers and Education, 48(2), 185–204. Marsh, G. (2014). Institutional characteristics and student retention in public 4-year colleges and universities. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 16(1), 127-151. McPherson, M. S. and L. S. Bacow (2015). Online higher education: Beyond the hype cycle. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 29(4), 135–153. National Center for Educational Statistics. (2016). https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d16/tables/dt16_311.15.asp National Conference of State Legislatures. (2015). Retrieved August 18, 2018 from http://www.ncsl.org/research/education/higher-education-legislation-in-2015.aspx. Patterson, B. and C. McFadden (2013). Attrition in online and campus degree programs. Retrieved from http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/summer122/patterson112.pdf. Porter, S. R. (2000). The robustness of the “graduation rate performance” indicator used in the U.S. News and World Report college ranking. International Journal of Educational Advancement, 1 (2), 1030. State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (2017). State higher education finance: FY2016, p. 20. Retrieved February 13, 2018 from http://www.sheeo.org/sites/default/files/project-files/SHEEO_SHEF_2016_Report.pdf. Tello, S. F. (2007). An analysis of student persistence in online education. International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Education, 3(3), 47–62. Titus, M. A. (2004). An examination of the influence of institutional context on student persistence at 4- year colleges and universities: A multilevel approach. Research in Higher Education, 45 (7), 673–699. Weber, D. A. and R. G. Ehrenberg (2010). Do expenditures other than instructional expenditures affect graduation and persistence rates in American higher education? Economics of Education Review, 29(6), 947-958.