Graduation Term

2017

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Department of Educational Administration and Foundations: Educational Administration

Committee Chair

Mohamed Nur-Awaleh

Abstract

Online student success is a concern for higher education institutions especially community colleges with open enrollment admission. This study analyzed online student success using online GPA (dependent variable) and both demographic and academic characteristics of online students (independent variables) to determine which characteristics significantly correlated to and predicted student success in online courses. The sample included an unduplicated count of 4,046 online students enrolled in at least one online course during fall 2015 and spring 2016 at a public, Midwestern community college. Six research questions and twelve hypotheses were used to determine which independent variables led online students to a higher online GPA. Analysis was completed separately for students taking at least one online course and students taking only online courses using descriptive statistics, t tests, correlation coefficients, cross-tabulations, and logistic regression. The most significant finding was a large, positive relationship between cumulative GPA and online GPA. There was also a significant, positive correlation between online GPA and cumulative credit hours as well as online GPA and number of online courses taken. There was a significant, negative correlation between online GPA and course withdrawals. Additionally, a higher online GPA was identified for older, female, and White online students while a lower online GPA was found for Black online students. Findings also indicated a significant difference in online GPA for both online student groups based on computer experience and remedial coursework along with a significant difference in online GPA just for online only students based on financial aid.

Access Type

Dissertation-Open Access

DOI

http://doi.org/10.30707/ETD2017.Davidson.J

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