distance learners

Inform› Characteristics› Retention and success

Discuss› Implications

Suggest› Questions to be answered

Source of Data. All data was obtained from HEI enrollment and course queries, plus internal CSCC query of distance sections. Demographic data definitions:

› Gender - male or female as reported to HEI › Age - Year of Term being reported on minus student year of birth reported to HEI › Full-time Status - student enrolled for 12 or more credit hours › Part-time Status - student enrolled for fewer than 12 credit hours › New Student - any student whose first term of enrollment reported to HEI is the same as the quarter being reported on › Returning student - any student during a given quarter who had a first term of enrollment equal to a quarter prior to the

quarter being reported on › Inter-Quarter Retention - The percentage of students who were enrolled and reported to HEI for one quarter and enrolled and

were reported to HEI for the subsequent quarter identified › Annual Retention - The percentage of students enrolled and reported to HEI one autumn quarter who were also enrolled and

reported to HEI the following Autumn Quarter › No Distance Student - A student who took no sections identified as a distance class section during the quarter being

reviewed › At least one Distance plus non-distance - a student who was enrolled for at least one distance class section and at least one

non-distance class section during the quarter being reviewed › Distance Only - a student taking only class sections identified as distance learning sections › Race - race and/or ethnicity as reported to HEI

AI - American Indian/Alaskan Native AS - Asian BL - Black or African American HP - Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders HS - Hispanic MR - Multi-racial NR - Non-resident Alien UK - Race or ethnicity Unknown WH - White or Caucasian

Selected demographic information Comparison with non-distance

population Similarities/differences

Method Autumn 2007

Number

Autumn 2007

%

Autumn 2008

Number

Autumn 2008

%

Autumn 2009

Number

Autumn 2009

%Female Mal

eFemale Male Femal

eMale Femal

eMale Femal

eMale Female Male

No Distance

11,254 8,878 55.90 44.10 11,497 9,287 55.32 44.68 13,143 10,662 55.21 44.79

At least one Distance

2,8881,651 63.63 36,37 3,223 2,044 61.19 38.81 3,804 2,584 59.55 40.45

Distance Only

2,032 892 69.49 30.51 2,465 1,233 66.66 33.34 3,083 1,651 65.12 34.88

Comment. While females represent about 55-56% of enrollments in non distance courses, they represent 60-64% of enrollments in at least one distance course, and 65 to 70% of distance learning enrollment only.

Race/ Ethnicity

Autumn 2007 Autumn 2008 Autumn 2009

No Distance (%)

At Least One Distance (%)

Distance Only (%)

No Distance (%)


Distance Only (%)

No Distance (%)


Distance Only (%)

American Indian

93 (.46%) 19 (.42%) 18 (.62%) 108 (.52%) 24 (.45%) 15 (.40%) 121 (.51%) 33 (.52%) 18 (.38%)

Asian 672 (3.34%)

122 (2.69%) 72 (2.47%) 641 (3.08%) 124 (2.35%) 103 (2.78%) 737 (3.10%) 167 (2.62%) 133 (2.81%)

Black 4,261 (21.17%)

800 (17.62%)

464 (15.87%)

4,600 (22.13%)

904 (19.06%)

604 (16.34%)

5,875 (24.68%)

1,288 (20.17%)

808 (17.07%)

Hispanic 406 (2.01%)

86 (1.90%) 60 (2.05%) 461 (2.21%) 107 (2.03%) 70 (1.89%) 559 (2.35%) 141 (2.21%) 82 (1.73%)

Non-resident Alien

98 (.49%) 19 (.42%) 10 (.34%) 72 (.35%) 14 (.27%) 9 (.24%) 152 (.64%) 25 (.39%) 11 (.24%)

Unknown 844 (4.19%)

161 (3.55%) 83 (2.84%) 873 (4.20%) 183 (3.47%) 105 (2.84%) 850 (3.57%) 213 (3.33%) 132 (2.78%)

White 13,758 (68.33%)

3,332 (73.40%)

2,217 (75.82%)

14,029 (67.50%)

3,811(72.35%)

2,792 (75.50%)

15,511 (65.16%)

4,521 (70.78%)

3,550 (74.99%)

Comment. The White race/ethnicity category is the only consistent category where a higher percentage prefer at least one distance course or distance courses only over no distance.

Age Autumn 2007 Autumn 2008 Autumn 2009

No Distance (%)


Distance Only (%)

No Distance (%)


Distance Only (%)

No Distance (%)


Distance Only (%)

19 and Under3,993

(19.83%) 583 (12.84%) 155 (5.30%)

4,339 (20.88%) 683 (12.97%) 238 (6.44%)

4,908 (20.62%) 843 (13.20%) 273 (5.77%)

20-21 years 3,940 (19.57%)

975 (21.48%) 329 (11.25%) 4,224 (20.32%)

1,220 (23.16%) 505 (13.66%) 4,655 (19.55%)

1,349 (21.12%) 583 (12.32%)

22-24 years 3,702 (18.39%)

966 (21.28%)

630 (21.55%) 3,717 (17.88%)

1,090 (20.69%)

712 (19.25%) 4,046 (17.00%)

1,275 (19.96%)

849 (17.93%)

25-29 years 3,326 (16.52%)

888 (19.56%)

664 (22.71%) 3,365 (16.19%)

1,005 (19.08%)

788 (21.31%) 3,888 (16.33%)

1,160 (18.16%)

1,060 (22.39%)

30-34 years 1,728 (8.58%)

454 (10.00%)

410 (14.02%) 1,706 (8.21%) 493 (9.36%)

496 (13.41%) 2,200 (9.24%)

667 (10.44%)

749 (15.82%)

35-39 years 1,209 (6.01%) 308 (6.79%) 283 (9.68%) 1,254 (6.03%) 333 (6.32%) 369 (9.98%) 1,408 (5.91%) 425 (6.65%) 459 (9.70%)

40-44 years 879 (4.37%) 180 (3.97%) 184 (6.29%) 844 (4.06%) 197 (3.74%) 216 (5.84%) 1,042 (4.38%) 290 (4.54%) 270 (5.70%)

45-49 years 639 (3.17%) 104 (2.29%) 153 (5.23%) 617 (2.97%) 117 (2.22%) 185 (5.00%) 788 (3.31%) 176 (2.76%) 211 (4.46%)

50 and Older 716 (3.56%) 81 (1.78%) 116 (3.97%) 718 (3.45%) 129 (2.45%) 189 (5.11%) 870 (3.65%) 203 (3.18%) 280 (5.91%)

Comment. For traditional age students (19 and under), no distance courses appear to be the preference. For the 20-21, 22-24, 25-29, 30-34, and 35-39 age categories, at least one distance course in combination with no distance is the preference. It also appears that as age increases, the percentage of students taking at least one distance and distance only gets higher.

Status Autumn 2007 Autumn 2008 Autumn 2009No Distance (%)


Distance Only (%)

No Distance (%)


Distance Only (%)

No Distance (%)


Distance Only (%)

Full-Time 9,329 (46.34%)2,859

(62.99%) 581 (19.87%) 9,935 (47.80%)3,374

(64.06%) 807 (21.82%)11,734

(49.29%)4,063

(63.60%) 1,143 (24.14%)

Part-Time10,803

(53,66%) 1,680 (37.01%)2,343

(80.13%)10,849

(52,20%) 1,893 (35.94%)2,891

(78.18%)12,071

(50.71%) 2,325 (36.40%)3,591

(75.86%)

Comment. Students who take at least one distance course in combination with a no distance course are more full-time attending than students taking no distance courses or only distance courses. Students taking distance courses only are consistently part-time attending.

Status Autumn 2007 Autumn 2008 Autumn 2009No Distance (%)


Distance Only (%)

No Distance (%)


Distance Only (%)

No Distance (%)


Distance Only (%)

Returning

14,603 (72.54%)

3,709 (81.71%)

2,352 (80.44%)

14,757 (71.00%)

4,256 (80.81%)

2,913 (78.77%)

16,752 (70.37%)

5,085 (79.60%)

3,775 (79.74%)

New

5,529 (27.46%)

830 (18.29%)

572 (19.56%)

6,027 (29.00%)

1,011 (19.19%)

785 (21.23%)

7,053 (29.63%)

1,303 (20.40%)

959 (20.26%)

Comment. A higher percentage of returning students prefer taking at least one distance course with a non distance course or distance courses only than no distance. A higher percentage of new students prefer taking no distance courses rather than at least one distance course with a non distance course or distance courses only.

Retention patterns Course success patterns Comparison with non-distance students

and courses

Enrolled AU07

WI08 Retained

Percent of total Au07 students retained

WI08Enrolled

AU08WI09

Retained


WI09Enrolled

AU09WI08

Retained


WI08No Distance 20,132 14,348 71.27% 20,784 15,317 73.70% 23,805 17,737 74.51%At Least One Distance 4,539 3,479 76.65% 5,267 4,145 78.70% 6,388 5,042 78.93%Distance Only 2,924 1,542 52.74% 3,698 2,087 56.44% 4,734 2,784 58.81%

Comment. Students taking at least one distance course with a non distance course are retained 4 to 5 percentage points higher than students taking non distance courses only, and 20 to 22 percentage points higher than students taking distance courses only.

Enrolled AU07

AU08 Retained


AU08Enrolled

AU08AU09

Retained


AU09Enrolled

AU09AU10

Retained


AU10No Distance 20,132 8,806 43.74% 20,784 9,471 45.57% 23,805 10,714 45.01%At Least One Distance 4,539 2,074 45.69% 5,267 2,571 48.81% 6,388 3,065 47.98%Distance Only 2,924 893 30.54% 3,698 1,281 34.64% 4,734 1,644 34.73%

Comment. Students taking at least one distance course with a non distance course are retained 2 to 3 percentage points higher than students taking non distance courses only, and 13 to 15 percentage points higher than students taking distance courses only.

Source of Data Colleague Data Query titled, "KRP_STU_GRADE" for a given term . Reports available on Columbus State intranet at: http://intranet.cscc.edu/IDS/Stu%20Success.htm Click on Grade Distribution Reports for Autumn 2010 or Winter 2011.

Total Grade For a given course method- the total number of the following letter grades given: A,B,C,D,E,W

Percentage For a given course method- the percentage of total for the following letter grades given: A,B,C,D,E,W

Traditional Course Enrollment (No Distance)- A course in which all the instructional and laboratory sessions are completed in an in-class setting either on campus or at one of the off campus centers. Courses may have an occasional web assignment.

DL Course and Blended Enrollment (Distance Web) - A course in which all the instructional and laboratory sessions are completed in an on-line setting. Students are not required to attend any sessions on campus. A course in which all the instructional and laboratory sessions are completed at adistance with a variety of technologies i.e., on-line, video, audio etc. Students are notrequired to attend any sessions on campus Students may have to go to a specific location for testing.

Hybrid - A course in which all the instructional and laboratory/clinical sessions arecompleted in a combination of traditional class and at a distance. Students attend regularly scheduled sessions/meetings on-campus, and because those on-campus meeting dates may be limited, please consult the academic department for specific information.

Division - Either Career Technical or Arts and Sciences

Arts and Sciences

Autumn 2010

A % A B % B C % C D % D E % E W % W

Traditional (No distance)8,276 22.48% 9,127 24.79% 6,501 17.66% 2,619 7.11% 5,836 15.85% 4,456 12.10%

Distance (Web)1,393 18.53% 1,695 22.55% 1,230 16.36% 471 6.26% 1,377 18.32% 1,352 17.98%

Hybrid358 19.26% 501 26.95% 333 17.91% 118 6.35% 284 15.28% 265 14.25%

Career Technical

Autumn 2010

A % A B % B C % C D % D E % E W % W

Traditional (No distance)6,408 40.27% 4,280 26.90% 2,174 13.66% 609 3.83% 1,410 8.86% 1,032 6.49%

Distance (Web)2,922 32.01% 1,940 21.25% 1,201 13.16% 495 5.42% 1,350 14.79% 1,220 13.37%

Hybrid1,069 44.10% 727 29.99% 259 10.68% 59 2.43% 178 7.34% 132 5.45%

Comment. In Arts and Sciences the percentages of students getting A, B, or C by course method are: traditional (65%), distance (57%+), and hybrid (64%+). . In Career Technical, the percentages of students getting A, B, or C by course method are: traditional (80%+), distance (67%), and hybrid (85%).

Arts and Sciences

Winter 2011

A % A B % B C % C D % D E % E W % W

Traditional (No distance)7,328 21.92% 8,365 25.02% 5,917 17.70% 2,360 7.06% 4,942 14.78% 4,520 13.52%

Distance (Web)1,562 19.24% 1,957 24.11% 1,246 15.35% 560 6.90% 1,437 17.70% 1,355 16.69%

Hybrid348 17.88% 483 24.82% 394 20.25% 129 6.63% 324 16.65% 268 13.77%

Career Technical

Winter 2011

A % A B % B C % C D % D E % E W % W

Traditional (No distance)6,413 42.82% 3,944 26.33% 1,916 12.79% 561 3.75% 1,099 7.34% 1,044 6.97%

Distance (Web)3,458 36.12% 1,972 20.60% 1,187 12.40% 477 4.98% 1,290 13.48% 1,189 12.42%

Hybrid1,030 44.34% 597 25.70% 220 9.47% 80 3.44% 205 8.82% 191 8.22%

Comment. In Arts and Sciences the percentages of students getting A, B, or C by course method are: traditional (65%), distance (59%), and hybrid (63%). . In Career Technical, the percentages of students getting A, B, or C by course method are: traditional (82%), distance (69%), and hybrid (80%).

There is wide variability in success rates when comparing courses

There is wide variability in success rates within some courses by method taught

It is not known if there is wide variability in both areas above by class section

Are students adequately prepared to take distance courses? What would the college consider a “prepared” student? Can Columbus State “prepare” any student?

What are the characteristics of a successful distance course? Do, should, or can all courses taught via distance possess these characteristics?

Implications for policies, procedures and/or processes

Implications for advertising and marketing

Implications for enrollment management

Implications for advising Implications for course design Implications for targeted resources and

support services

The Ohio Board of Regents 2009 “Distance Learning Report” references the Lumina goal and urges Ohio public two and four year institutions to focus attention on Ohio’s 1.3 million working adults with some college but no certificates/degrees and use distance learning as a strategy to increase their attainment rates

Sloan foundation trend data shows distance learning growth rates will be highest for those aged 25-49.

Census data indicates that there are approximately 130,000 central Ohioans (in our four county service district: Franklin, Delaware, Union, and Madison) who fit the 25-49 age group with some college/but no certificate or degree

The Sloan Foundation 2010 report indicates that institutions with large online distance learning enrollments are best suited for attracting more online learners. 11% of higher education institutions have single term online enrollments in excess of 5,000. These institutions with single term enrollment in excess of 5,000 account for 67% of the nation’s higher education online enrollments.

According to OBOR during Autumn 2009 there were only seven Ohio institutions at or above single term distance learning enrollments of 5000 out of the 37 USO institutions and these include:

› University of Toledo 5,815› University of Cincinnati 5,891› Lorain Community College 5,672› Sinclair Community College 5,878› Owens Community College 6,594› Cuyahoga Community College 8,181› Columbus State Community College 11,122

Columbus State’s single term DL enrollment was almost 36% higher than the next highest institution’s enrollment

Thank You!

distance learners

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