Researchers from the University of Florida and West Virginia University released a study in November that examined the completion rates of students enrolled in entirely online classes. The data show that 100% online enrollment correlates negatively with completion rates. In other words, students who enroll in online courses exclusively are less likely to graduate.
That has implications for schools like WCC, whose administration insists upon pursuing an online education strategy that caters to out-of-district and out-of-state students no less. At a time when the State of Michigan is actively trying to increase the number of adult residents with at least 60 college credits, WCC is off searching for out of district and out-of-state students, using a strategy that appears to reduce the students’ chances of success.
As taxpayers, is this really what we want to pay for? Does this really serve the needs and interests of Washtenaw County? More importantly, where the hell is the WCC Board of Trustees on this issue? Why have they signed off on this strategy and exactly what benefits are they hoping to generate?
The UF/WVU study showed that the damage that an online-only strategy causes can be extensive. Taking exclusively online classes is negatively associated with not completing a bachelor’s degree and that is consistent across all racial groups. Racial minorities already have lower completion rates than White students do, so encouraging them to enroll in online classes only appears to reduce the likelihood that they will graduate.
This has implications for any online student with aspirations of transferring to a university to complete a four-year degree. How many WCC students enroll exclusively in online classes? In the 2021-22 academic year, that number was more than 6,200 students.
Online classes may sabotage educational success
It’s important to acknowledge that during the 2021-22 academic year, the pandemic was still in full swing, so attending online classes may have been the only option. In the year prior to the pandemic – 2018-2019, WCC enrolled about 1,550 students in the Fall semester exclusively in online classes. Since that time, the National Center for Education Statistics has changed the way it collects data regarding students who enroll only in distance education classes. It’s not possible to draw a completely supportable conclusion about WCC’s online-only enrollment, but it’s safe to say that in 2023-24, we’re talking about thousands of students.
Why are we pursuing an education delivery strategy that is more likely to cause these students to fail – or at least fail to complete their educational goals? Is underwriting failure really what we want to do here?
Photo Credit: Exampapers Plus, via Flickr
