Student Retention: Reach Out to Your Distance Learners
Posted by George MacNaughton on Tue, Feb 01, 2011 @ 09:40 AM
From U.S. News & World Report, October, 2010:
“Brian Burnsed writes, “Online Courses require more discipline by students—more effort by professors and advisors—than traditional courses.” In his article, Burnsed details new programs to curtail dropouts from online universities.
Simply delivering course content is insufficient to achieve online student retention consistent with the traditional classroom experience.
Bursed points to the University of West Georgia where retention rates for online students were 68% compared to 90% for traditional students. UWG deployed advisers to keep their online students informed about course details and deadlines. The advisors made certain the students knew how to connect with tutors, but most of all they delivered simple encouragement. Retention rates for distance learners are now in line with those for traditional students.
Reading Burnsed’s article confirms our experience and brings home what most of us in the tutoring world know intuitively--that the simple act of connecting a student with a tutor will magnify a student’s comprehension and commitment to his work. And this connection will result in better academic performance leading to improved retention rates for students at their universities.
At AskOnline we are committed to providing the best tools for connecting students with their tutors in an effective, controlled environment. Visit AskOnline.net to view an introductory video of AskOnline to see how we can help bring online tutoring to your distance learners.
Jessie Bourneuf, President
AskOnline, Inc.