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Agency and Persistence in Online Education

The following post addresses to topics from my EDTECH 522: Online Teaching for Adult Learners class. The interconnected topics are:

1. Where are you on the Grow’s Staged Self-Directed Learning Model described in Ch. 2 of Stavredes? What is the implication of this model for you as an online teacher?
2. Discuss challenges that affect learners’ persistence in online course and relate these challenges to your own online teaching or learning experiences.

Persistence. As a resident of the Intermountain West, this term conjures up images of rugged mountain men, pioneers in wagon trains, and roughnecked railroad workers. These are the men and women who built the cities in which we currently live. As a parent, persistence reminds me of my children and the time they spend learning new skills. Whether it is getting that coloring page just right, or stacking the block tower just a tad bit higher, or playing that video game level one more time in order to beat the boss at the end, these all exemplify persistence. Persistence is also found in schools, where students are presented with professionally crafted learning opportunities designed to stimulate the brain and foster academic growth. These opportunities can present very real challenges for students as they grapple with the material, especially if they are more authentic in nature. In a face to face classroom, when the going gets tough, the student can seek help from the teacher or aide, who can, by their physical presence provide an immediate sense of support and encourage the student to persist. In an online environment, the challenge to persist can be much more difficult. In a 2016 report for the American Society for Engineering Education, Ferdousi references persistence and retention statistics between undergraduates in traditional classes versus those in online classes. According to the research, the “student dropout rate for online undergraduates ranges from 20% to 50%, which is 10% to 20% higher than traditional classroom environments” (2). How can we understand student behavior and support them? It will help to reflect on my own personal development as a learner as I consider my role as an instructor in online learning.

One factor that affects student persistence in online learning environments is a student’s development along Grow’s Staged Self-Directed Learning Model (SSDL). Grow’s proposed model presents four levels of self-direction which can be influenced by instructors in order help students develop through the stages and become more self-directed learners. Stavredes provides a detailed explanation of the SSDL model in the book Effective Online Teaching: Foundations and Strategies for Student Success. The stages of SSDL are 1) Dependent learner; 2) Interested learner; 3) Involved learner; 4) Self-directed learner. Each stage represents the amount of instructor support required by the learner. As the learner develops more agency, the need for instructor diminishes. At the Dependent learner stage, for example, the learner “has little prior knowledge in the subject, is unsure of the focus of his or her learning, and has low self-confidence and motivation” (15). At this stage, the instructor is regarded with high authority. As the learner moves to the second stage, the interest in learning increases even though prior knowledge remains relatively low. The instructor assumes a role as more of a motivator through the learning process. As the learner moves to the third stage, the instructor’s influence lessens further, while student autonomy grows. In the fourth stage, the student has developed skill and knowledge in the content area, and is confident, motivated, and capable. The instructor role evolves into one of consultant or course guide (16-17).

So where am I on along Grow’s SSDL model? In the area of online teaching and learning, I rank myself solidly in the fourth stage of development. I am a self-directed learner. I have been taking online classes off and on since 2003. I successfully completed a fully online master of science degree in library science in 2006. In 2005, when I started my first job as an academic librarian, I began supporting students in fully online programs across multiple disciplines (MSW, MBA, Religion, and Education, to start). I received mentoring from a skilled Instructional Designer and Educational Technology Director. In time, I was invited to a seat on the E-learning Committee, where we evaluated programs and initiatives. I worked my way up the higher education ranks and was granted tenure at my current institution, where I hold the rank of associate professor. The MET program at BSU is my second masters level program. I am a highly motivated and self-directed student. I persisted through life, work, and educational challenges. Good for me! However, I realize that not everyone is like me. I need to be aware of where the learners I work with are at on Grow’s SSDL model so that I can appropriately support them and make the educational process accessible to them. This means designing classes in ways that provide the maximum opportunity for students to develop and grow. I need to constantly evaluate my work as an online instructor and take student feedback seriously so I can revise courses or assignments accordingly. My willingness and ability to provide rich learning environments that are thoughtfully and appropriately crafted with the student in mind will provide the support they need to help them persist.

Stavredes and others also write about challenges that affect the persistence of students through their programs of study. It is important to note a distinction between retention, which measures an institution’s ability to retain students from entrance to degree completion and graduation. Persistence is internal to the student. According to Stavredes, “(p)ersistence refers to learners’ actions as they relate to continuing their education from the first year until completing their degrees” (22). For example, a student could transfer to another institution and complete their degree. This would adversely affect the university’s retention rate while positively impacting the student’s persistence rate. A student’s inability to persist, and by extension, remain with the institution (retention) has many costs. Tinto (2006) observed that the costs to the learner extend to lost time, financial expense, and a loss of self-confidence. The impact is not isolated to the learner; the institution is also adversely affected by students who fall into this category.

Research has been conducted on the persistence of both traditional and nontraditional/distance education learners. In seeking to understand distance or online education learners, Stavredes focuses on two models: The Bean and Metzner Persistence Model; and the Rovai Composite Persistence Model. Bean and Metzner’s model, developed in 1985, is a bit dated. Rovai’s model is nearly twenty years newer and is much more applicable to understanding learners who take online classes. Both, however, provide valuable insight into the challenges faced by online learners. First, students have stressors outside of the control of the institution. These include finances, family, and work, among others. Rovai further breaks down barriers to persistence into pre- and post-admission categories. Pre-admission variables include student demographic information and the skills they posses. Post-admission variables include external factors such as finances and life crises, and internal factors such as study habits and learning style (26). Willging and Johnson (2009) summarized that the reasons why students choose not to continue in online education environments are “complex, multiple, and inter-related” (4).

I face the many of the challenges that confront other online learners. I have substantial work pressure. We are building a new library and I am supervising the move to the new building in January, 2108. I also have regular work duties to attend to and have to assume new tasks since one of our employees retired suddenly this summer and another staff member is on maternity leave. Plus, the start of a new academic year is stressful. Fortunately, my family life is quite stable. That is not to say there is not stress. My wife is enrolled in a doctoral program, my eldest son is a college freshman, and our grade-school age daughter has some developmental challenges. I also have aging parents. I am also active in my church and community. While I enjoy participating in community life, the activities do require an investment of time and that cuts into the amount of time I have for school work. I am fortunate that I have solid computer skills and that my demographic profile bodes well for me as far as higher education pursuits go. That said, I am very empathetic to the needs of other learners. The awareness of the potential persistence barriers that others face will help me to be a compassionate and mindful instructor in online learning environments.

References:

Ferdousi, B. (2016). Addressing student persistence and retention issue in online classes. Proceedings of the 2016 ASEE North Central Section Conference. Retrieved at http://people.cst.cmich.edu/yelam1k/asee/proceedings/2016/faculty_regular_papers/2016_ASEE_NCS_paper_49.pdf

Stavredes, T. (2011). Effective Online Teaching: Foundations and Strategies for Student Success. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Tinto, V. (2006). Research and practice of student retention: What next?. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 8(1), 1-19.

Willging, P. A., & Johnson, S. D. (2009). Factors that influence students’ decision to dropout of online courses. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 13(3), 115-127.