scholarly journals Dropout in online higher education. A scoping review from 2014 to 2018

Author(s):  
Julio Meneses ◽  
Xavier Marlon

Online higher education continues to grow, yet its high dropout rates remain a pressing and complex problem. This article presents a scoping review of the recent literature on the theme, focusing on dropout definitions, concepts, and models, study domains and themes, methodological approaches, and findings. A search of relevant databases yielded 138 articles and dissertations. Findings reveal a complex yet disorganized field, lacking standard definitions and models. The bulk of current research is focused on risk factors; the most important ones were course and program factors (student support), student factors (motivation, time management skills, and satisfaction), and environmental factors (time- and financial-related issues). Future research should strive to achieve greater consistency in terminology, methods, and measurement, develop new intervention strategies and produce reliable effectiveness information. Further implications of these findings for future dropout research and the limitations of the study are discussed.

Author(s):  
Julio Meneses ◽  
Xavier Marlon

Online higher education continues to grow, yet its high dropout rates remain a pressing and complex problem. This article presents a scoping review of the recent literature on the theme, focusing on dropout definitions, concepts, and models, study domains and themes, methodological approaches, and findings. A search of relevant databases yielded 138 articles and dissertations. Findings reveal a complex yet disorganized field, lacking standard definitions and models. The bulk of current research is focused on risk factors; the most important ones were course and program factors (student support), student factors (motivation, time management skills, and satisfaction), and environmental factors (time- and financial-related issues). Future research should strive to achieve greater consistency in terminology, methods, and measurement, develop new intervention strategies and produce reliable effectiveness information. Further implications of these findings for future dropout research and the limitations of the study are discussed.


2020 ◽  
pp. 73-80
Author(s):  
Marlon Xavier ◽  
Julio Meneses

Online higher education continues to grow, yet its high dropout rates remain a pressing and complex problem. However, there are many different definitions of dropout (and related concepts: attrition, persistence, and retention) in the literature, usually related to a temporal conception, and the issue is controversial. Inconsistent terminology is problematic because the ways dropout is defined determine how it is measured, tackled, and researched. This contribution seeks to remedy such issue by summarizing a scoping review of the recent literature on the theme, focusing on the key issue of online higher education students’ dropout conceptualization and definition. A scoping review between 2014 and 2018 yielded 138 articles and dissertations. Findings reveal a complex yet disorganized field, lacking standard definitions. Some concepts (e.g. completion) were defined clearly more often, while others (e.g. attrition and dropout) varied wildly; few papers employed previous definitions from the body of literature. Future research should strive to achieve greater consistency in terminology, so as to compare findings and produce reliable knowledge for intervention in online higher education institutions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 422-436
Author(s):  
Yuxia Ouyang ◽  
Hubert Van Hoof ◽  
Amit Sharma ◽  
Ana Cueva Navas ◽  
Mateo Estrella Duran ◽  
...  

A study into reading behavior and reading compliance among 2,600 students in five universities in Ecuador found that their reading behavior and reading compliance were better than among students in the United States, despite the challenges that exist in Ecuadorian higher education. Suggestions for future research, in particular with regard to improving students’ time management skills as a way to enhance their reading compliance, are included.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Feliciano Villar ◽  
Rodrigo Serrat ◽  
Michael W. Pratt

Abstract Research on later-life generativity has promoted a new view of older persons that, far from the traditional images of disability, dependence and frailty, recognises their capacities, and potential to continue growing, while underlining their participation and contributions to families, communities and society. The goal of this study was to carry out a scoping review on later-life generativity, the first one conducted on this topic as far as we know, to show how studies in this area have evolved, which aspects of generativity in later life have been studied, and the methodological and epistemological approaches that are dominant in this area of inquiry. Our scoping review shows that research into generativity in later life has grown steadily over the past 30 years, and particularly during the last decade. However, our results also show how such growing interest has focused on certain methodological approaches, epistemological frameworks and cultural contexts. We identify four critical gaps and leading-edge research questions that should be at the forefront of future research into generativity in later life, gaps that reflect biases in the existing literature identified in the study. These are classified as methodological, developmental, contextual and ‘dark-side’ gaps.


Author(s):  
Junghwan Kim ◽  
Heh Youn Shin ◽  
Kim L. Smith ◽  
Jihee Hwang

This chapter examines two U.S. four-year public universities, the Pennsylvania State University World Campus and the University of Oklahoma Outreach, that have successfully developed online adult education system/programs for adults. Using the principles of effectiveness for serving adult learners, the integrated review reveals not only how they advance online higher education environment for adults, but the types of challenges they have. Key findings highlight that, under a strong tradition of distance education, “self-assessment system,” “financial independence,” and “diverse active supports for life and career planning” play a critical role in increasing the academic engagement and retention of adult students. However, they also have several challenges: “high tuition rates and limited scholarship options,” “monitoring students' experience,” “learning outcome assessment,” and “commitment of faculty members.” The authors close with practical/academic implications and future research agendas.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Ratneswary Rasiah ◽  
Harpaljit Kaur ◽  
Vinitha Guptan

The Covid-19 pandemic is one of the most disruptive, life-changing events that had brought the world to a perpetual standstill in 2020. Schools and institutions of higher education were impacted badly, resulting from the lockdowns and movement restrictions imposed by the governments of numerous countries. Students and faculty found themselves in virtual classrooms, with many caught unaware of what they needed to do, having to learn new things at lightning speed and feeling a sense of despair. While many online learners had frustrations and concerns regarding their online learning experience, there were those who had a good learning experience. The students’ observations and perceptions of the difficulties and opportunities they encountered in their online learning experience were assessed through grounded theory using textual thematic qualitative analysis of their reflective feedback. The findings reveal that most students had a good online learning experience and found that the academic continuity plans implemented by the universities were effective. The concerns that some students had with online learning were related to technological drawbacks such as poor internet connections, and personal concerns about academic ability and time management skills, among others. This study concludes by offering insights and recommendations to institutions, faculty, and students on how best to conduct online learning and teaching for all.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (Suppl 8) ◽  
pp. e001551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asaf Bitton ◽  
Jocelyn Fifield ◽  
Hannah Ratcliffe ◽  
Ami Karlage ◽  
Hong Wang ◽  
...  

IntroductionThe 2018 Astana Declaration reaffirmed global commitment to primary healthcare (PHC) as a core strategy to achieve universal health coverage. To meet this potential, PHC in low-income and middle-income countries (LMIC) needs to be strengthened, but research is lacking and fragmented. We conducted a scoping review of the recent literature to assess the state of research on PHC in LMIC and understand where future research is most needed.MethodsGuided by the Primary Healthcare Performance Initiative (PHCPI) conceptual framework, we conducted searches of the peer-reviewed literature on PHC in LMIC published between 2010 (the publication year of the last major review of PHC in LMIC) and 2017. We also conducted country-specific searches to understand performance trajectories in 14 high-performing countries identified in the previous review. Evidence highlights and gaps for each topic area of the PHCPI framework were extracted and summarised.ResultsWe retrieved 5219 articles, 207 of which met final inclusion criteria. Many PHC system inputs such as payment and workforce are well-studied. A number of emerging service delivery innovations have early evidence of success but lack evidence for how to scale more broadly. Community-based PHC systems with supportive governmental policies and financing structures (public and private) consistently promote better outcomes and equity. Among the 14 highlighted countries, most maintained or improved progress in the scope of services, quality, access and financial coverage of PHC during the review time period.ConclusionOur findings revealed a heterogeneous focus of recent literature, with ample evidence for effective PHC policies, payment and other system inputs. More variability was seen in key areas of service delivery, underscoring a need for greater emphasis on implementation science and intervention testing. Future evaluations are needed on PHC system capacities and orientation toward social accountability, innovation, management and population health in order to achieve the promise of PHC.


Author(s):  
Jennifer V. Lock ◽  
Kim Koh

Contemporary educational reform in North America, as well as other parts of the world, has led to a shift toward conceptualizing assessment, teaching, and learning for the purpose of developing students' competencies (e.g., critical thinking, complex problem-solving, creativity and innovation, collaboration). Both in K−12 schools and higher education, instructors need to adopt innovative pedagogies and assessments to support the fostering of these competencies. In this chapter, the authors report on a mixed-method study where the implementation of problem-based learning (PBL) was used in a preservice teachers' assessment course designed in a teacher preparation program at one western Canadian university. The findings acknowledge that facilitating PBL is a pedagogical shift and requires instructors to revisit their pedagogical practices and assumptions in relation to student learning and teaching. The chapter concludes with three directions for future research.


Author(s):  
Amy Ooi Wong ◽  
Karin Sixl-Daniell

<p>The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of corporate e-learning in the context of talent management on a global scale. It begins with a discussion of the importance of talent management, the challenges in global talent management, and the role of corporate e-learning in global talent management. Data collected via an online survey from 74 students (global leaders from a multinational IT provider with more than 90,000 employees across 50 countries) enrolled in a customized corporate e-learning program is presented and discussed. The findings suggest that corporate e-learning can be used to develop talent attributes and skills such as problem solving, analytical, communication, research, and time management skills. Specifically, analytical, communication, and time management skills are important predictors of overall corporate e-learning experience, while analytical and research skills are important predictors of job performance. As part of global talent management, companies can enroll their A-players, high performers or high potentials into relevant corporate e-learning programs that can be used to effectively address the training challenges of a scattered workforce and improve coordination among internal and outside collaborators and partners in complex business processes and projects. The sample for this study was limited to a multinational IT services provider. Future research should extend the scope of data collection to include talents from a variety of organizations, as well as a variety of geographies and industries to further investigate the generalizability of these findings.</p>


Author(s):  
Joshua DiPasquale ◽  
William Hunter

Enhancing critical thinking is a common goal of higher education. Designing and facilitating learning environments in which critical thinking may develop is a key responsibility for instructors. In this paper, we seek to inform future research and practice by investigating instructional strategies that could be used to promote critical and reflective thinking in asynchronous online discussions. Our literature review was qualitative and systematic, and focused specifically on strategies that were effective in fully-online higher education contexts. Thematic analysis was used to synthesize the findings and conclusions from the various studies into recurrent themes and sub-themes. The results of the analysis indicated that practitioners should employ a multi-step approach to facilitating critical thinking and reflection in asynchronous online discussions. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.Améliorer la pensée critique est un objectif courant de l’éducation supérieure. Concevoir et faciliter des environnements d’apprentissage dans lesquels la pensée critique peut se développer est une responsabilité importante pour les instructeurs. Dans cet article, nous cherchons à renseigner les études et les pratiques futures en examinant les stratégies didactiques qui pourraient être utilisées pour promouvoir une pensée critique et réfléchie dans les discussions asynchrones en ligne. Notre examen des publications a été qualitatif et systématique. Il a été particulièrement axé sur les stratégies qui étaient efficaces dans les contextes d’éducation supérieure entièrement en ligne. L’analyse thématique a servi à synthétiser les résultats et les conclusions des différentes études en thèmes et thèmes sous-jacents récurrents. Les résultats de l’analyse indiquent que les intervenants devraient se servir d’une approche en plusieurs étapes pour promouvoir la pensée critique et réfléchie dans les discussions asynchrones en ligne. Une discussion de ce que cela implique pour les recherches et la mise en pratique est incluse.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document