This paper considers the influence of e‐tuition using an asynchronous written conferencing package, FirstClass, upon retention and success rates for Masters‐level courses in a distance learning programme as compared with similar courses that were supported in a traditional manner using face‐to‐face tuition. The paper investigates the common assumption that the use of e‐tuition might negatively influence both retention and success rates by studying data gathered on UK Open University Masters courses in education. These data have allowed direct comparisons between e‐tutored and face‐to‐face tutored courses to be made. The effect of linking assessment to participation in activities using FirstClass is also considered in this study. This research has revealed that e‐tutoring using FirstClass appears to have no significant positive or negative influence on either retention or success on such courses. (Abstract by author and publisher)

Attempts to improve retention in conventional college settings in the United States (see Barefoot article in this issue) have emphasized the importance of institutions having good information systems and appropriate interpretation of information as a means of identifying where retention is a problem and what might be causing student withdrawal, and for monitoring the impact of interventions designed to improve retention. This article describes the information on student retention collected within the Open University (UK), its interpretation, and the uses made of such information to improve student retention. Observations are made about overall retention rates and students' reasons for withdrawing, and a model for tackling courses with low retention is described. (Abstract by authors and publisher)

Ways in which aspects of the student experience associated with first-year retention at university are likely to be influenced by the use of virtual learning environments (VLEs) are explored here through structured interviews with academic staff and students at one institution (Kingston University). This research finds that some assumptions made about the value of VLEs in aiding communication between students and providing flexibility in modes of learning are not supported, but that retention is likely to be aided by the ways in which they can enhance confidence and provide a sense of control and ownership. The findings also indicate that students tend to be more positive than staff about the role of the VLE in enhancing their overall performance and experience and as such provide an impetus for further developments with the expectation of improved student retention, performance and satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online learning is making its way into the strategic plans of a growing number of education institutions, whose administrators find its profit margins compelling. According to The Sloan Consortium (2006), 56 percent (2,320) of all 2-year and 4-year degree-granting (Title-IV eligible) institutions offered distance education courses. The increase in offering "anytime-anyplace" learning has provided nontraditional students access to higher education, a path that many say was once not available to them. Online schools are seeing tremendous growth in enrollment, outpacing enrollment in traditional colleges and universities. Moreover, Congress has recently lifted a restriction that prohibited students from qualifying for federal aid if their online college or university provided more than 50 percent of their course offerings online.

The elimination of the 50 percent rule will open the door for many more traditional education institutions and for-profit schools to increase their distance education programs, even though research shows that students who study online drop out at a 10--20 percent higher rate than students who attend classes on campus. As online student enrollment increases, administrators are providing additional support services for their students in order to decrease attrition. One strategy that some for-profit schools have used to help increase retention is providing coaches for their students.

The purpose of this research was to determine how college students who attend a for-profit school perceived the benefits of coaching, and to find out the actual value it had on their academic persistence. The findings in this study showed that coaching contributes in some subtle but important ways to students' success. However, it had a marginal impact on persistence. What seemed to influence the persistence of students most was their personal commitment and motivation to reach their career goals. (Abstract by author)

The purpose of this descriptive study was to identify factors related to dropout/retention for distance education students in order to identify variables which might promote participation through completion. The major focus of the study was to document the distance education students' learning progress and to identify variables that relate to their decisions for dropping out or staying in the program. Hence, providing insight into variables which might help to increase the retention and successful completion of all students.

The participants in the study were undergraduate students who originally enrolled in the distance education undergraduate program during the fall semester of 1994 at the National Open University of Taiwan. A total of three hundred and seventy-five students randomly selected throughout mainland Taiwan were asked to participate in the study, three hundred and four (81.07%) students returned usable questionnaires.

The instrument used in this research was a mailed questionnaire. The questionnaire was developed to provide a framework for investigating the factors of dropout or retention for distance education students. This study examined several factors as follows: (1) emotional encouragement (including enrollment attribution, study encouragement, and family support), (2) external attribution (including insufficient time, events hinder study, distractions, and potential dropout), (3) motivation (both intrinsic and extrinsic), and (4) interaction with the teacher/institution and perceptions of the current program. Participants were also asked to provide the demographic information.

The key factors which related to dropout or retention decisions for undergraduate distance education students found for this study are as follows. (1) demographic variables (including age, number of semesters enrolled, grade performance, salary, gender, occupation, education, and sponsorship), (2) goal commitment (including intrinsic motivation), (3) social integration (including insufficient time for study, events hinder study, and potential dropout), and (4) academic integration (positive interaction with instructors/institution and negative impression of the current program). (Abstract by author)

Most of working adults enrolled in distance educational programs do not persist to complete the program. Distance education is experiencing an attrition problem. A quantitative study was conducted to investigate the relationship between effective facilitation and students' retention. The sample consisted of 89 students. The participants were enrolled in the Information Technology program in Arab Open University (AOU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The study was guided by the question what is the relationship between effective facilitation and students' retention in a distance education program? Descriptive analysis and Spearman's correlation were conducted. The study identified from the female learners' perspectives that the role of the student, the role of the facilitator, the course, and the learning outcomes as major factors that relate to attrition in distance education. The research findings may motivate leadership to review the teaching learning practice in distance education. (Abstract by database provider and author)

Course choice is an important part of the progression of transforming a potential student into a successful undergraduate. Yet the processes and materials of course choice have attracted little attention, it being assumed that the activity will involve an adviser discussing choices and directions with a potential students using course descriptions. Such discussions are expensive and there is evidence that potential students do not always take advice. In any case vulnerable students are often the least able to access guidance and tension between the recruitment and retention functions of course descriptions may make a course appear more accessible than it is.

This paper argues that course descriptions are inadequate to describe a course and that other materials are needed. These other materials are diagnostic, preview or 'taster' materials and students' views. Such materials have a vital role to play in ensuring that students get onto the right course for them thereby increasing their chances of retention. Courses will need such a 'set of competing perspectives' to describe them to any degree of accuracy.

There is also evidence that such materials have a demystifying effect on potential students' perception of courses, enhancing their self confidence in the possibility of their ultimate success. (Abstract by author)

This article introduces a comprehensive model to assist institutions in planning for interventions to
address student dropout and to increase student retention. The model is the result of an extensive
review, analysis, and synthesis of research and theoretical studies. It is flexible and represents a
comprehensive set of factors related to student retention, categorized in meaningful ways, and can be
used at multiple levels: institutional, departmental or program, by individual faculty, or by students. The
need for a model of this kind has long been recognized because, as Woodley and Parlet (1983, cited in
Cookson 1989) stated, there is a systematic problem involving the institution as a whole. The problem involving retention of students is not due to an isolated factor that can be “fixed,” but rather imagination
and care must be used to carefully select interventions that are needed at various points throughout the
organization. (Introduction by authors)

This article argues that in the drive to develop e‐learning initiatives in distance learning, simpler ways of supporting students for retention may be overlooked; for example, the linking of students in the form of mentoring and peer support networks. The article reports on three mentoring projects, in the United Kingdom, Korea and New Zealand, and shows that apparent retention gains of up to 20% with a return on investment of the order of magnitude of several hundred per cent may be possible. Whilst accepting the limitations of these studies, the article argues that there needs to be a clearer understanding of the benefits of such initiatives when deciding to invest time and funding in distance education support. It suggests that there is still much mileage to be made out of mentoring and ‘study dating’.

The introduction of the Internet has dramatically changed the process of information transmission as well as practically every other aspect of American society, including the higher education system. Many colleges and universities have taken advantage of the utility of the Internet and instituted online courses and online degree and certificate programs. Although this form of instruction has gained increasing acceptance as an effective tool for the delivery of instruction, the issue of student success in this environment has emerged as an area of concern. Previous studies have shown that student success--in particular, retention rates--in many online courses is significantly lower than in similar traditional face-to-face courses. This is especially an issue of importance for community college faculty and administrators because institutions traditionally enroll greater numbers of nontraditional students and students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds than do four-year institutions. In general, these types of students tend to display lower retention and success rates than traditional students enrolled at four-year institutions. Previous research has identified five broad categories that can have a positive impact on online student success: (1) student readiness; (2) student orientation; (3) student support; (4) instructor preparation and support; and (5) course structure. This article addresses the first three of these factors..