Student Retention in Online Courses: University Role
As the growth in technology enables academic institutions to offer online courses to students globally, it is essential for universities to provide quality services to meet the needs and expectations of learners. Student retention in online courses is one of the challenges facing universities today. This is an important concern and should be addressed. The following research question was posed to a convenience sample of 84 students enrolled in online courses at an academic institution: What can the university do to help you to remain enrolled in online courses? The data generated from the research question were entered in Nvivo to identify themes and metathemes. The analysis identified twenty-four themes. As the analysis progressed, six metathemes emerged. The students proposed six areas for universities to address: costs, resources, the number of online courses and degrees offered, support services, faculty accountability, and policies. The metathemes identified in this study have implications for university administrators to focus on the learner when addressing retention in online courses.
