What Effects Does Age Have On Graduation Rates From Online Based College - Research Paper Example

? What Effects Does Age Have On Graduation Rates From Online Based College? of the of the The purpose of this study is to examine the online graduation courses availability and its impact on age. Through the in-depth analysis and observation, it was found that the older students make different choices about their courses in comparison with younger students. After doing the analysis of the topic, three key observations were deduced fron the available data which include the number of questions asked from the older students about the content of courses, encouraging factor for opting the required course, positive feedback from instructor and connection between the ages. A review has also been included in this research which supports the above observations. This study is is substantial to meet the requirements of adult students who are less confortable with traditional college based education.Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction 5 1.1Problem Statement 8 1.2 Research Objectives 9 1.2Research Question 11 1.4 Scope of the Study 11 1.5 Limitation of the Study 12 2.0 Literature Review 13 3.0 Methodology 15 3.1 Research Approach 15 3.2 Research Purpose 15 3.3 Research Design 16 3.4 Data Source 17 3.5 Target Population 18 4.0 Conclusion 19 5.0 References 21 1.0 Introduction The American system of education is considered to be the provider of one of the best quality education when compared to other education systems in the world. However, despite this fact, most of those high school graduates who enter college for the purpose of acquiring higher education unfortunately do not make it to graduation and end up becoming college drop-outs. This happens because of the shifting attitudes of the students regarding the courses which are included in their curriculums and their failure to understand the course outline. This has created a situation where it has become difficult for college students to give the adequate attention to their studies and many of these have chosen to leave school in search of what they consider to be better opportunities. This tendency has left many institutions of higher learning in the United States with little choice other than to attempt to make the provision of their programs more attractive to students. Among these has been the introduction of online college programs that is meant to attract those students who would otherwise not have the time to attend classes on a regular basis. The education system of the United States has become so much eroded that it has now become necessary for students to go to college in order to attain the types of jobs that they would like. In earlier years, especially within the first half of the twentieth century, students who went through high school were equipped enough to attain jobs without having to go to college. However, the education standards came to be raised so much that it has now become necessary for students to spend more time in college in order to ensure that they achieve their academic goals. This has created a situation where individuals are barely able to cope with college education especially when it is considered that the students involved have more priorities other than their academics. It is a fact that many of the college students in the country also have to work in order to earn a living while others even have families and this only works towards increasing the pressure on them to be more productive. The latter situation makes it harder and harder for individual students to continue with their education and this has continued to be even worse as they grow older. This is because the older the students are, the more likely that they will develop other commitments in their lives and this may have an influence on the high dropout rates among them. This is perhaps the reason why the college education system needs to be reformed to such an extent that it stops being class based and instead be based on the internet since the latter is a much easier tool to access for many individuals. This will encourage students to learn and excel in their academics, because they will be able to have access to classes at their own convenience without the need for there to be any long distance movements to attend them. The other possible reason why it has become hard for individuals to complete their college education and earn their degrees is the fact that many of the students do not receive the necessary attention needed for them to excel in their studies. This is one of the reasons why there is so little motivation among students to perform in their academics and it is a fact that these students are not even focused on what they want to achieve in their academic life, instead concentrating on things which are irrelevant to their academics. Those students who have to work as well as study often have many problems when it comes to their attention span in class since many of them tend to be extremely tired when attending them. In addition, since the instructors themselves have other commitments other than teaching, they do not concentrate on building the intellectual capabilities of their students. It can, therefore, be said that more incentives should be provided to ensure that those instructors who teach in colleges are provided with the incentives necessary to ensure that they give more attention to their students hence the reduction of the high levels of college dropouts. Study suggests that only 33% of the freshmen who made their entrance in the University of Massachusetts, were able to complete their education within the period of 6 years. Moreover, less than 44% of students from University of Mexico and 41% graduate from the University of Montana made it to their graduation in the required timeframe (Pascarella and Terenzini, 2005). One of the most influencial economists in the current era, Mark Schneider considers the high college dropout rate to be one of the reasons causing slow economic development in the country. The United States of America good job opportunities for the students (especially in their teenage) in college, but only half of them want to go for a college degree. According to Light, (2004) it is identified that the cause of the college dropout is a very serious issue which requires a comprehensive strategy to resolve it. In most cases, the education system of the the United States concentrates more on college education for students than on vocational training, which many of them prefer to having a college education. The high level of students who choose to undertake vocational jobs is one of the reasons why there is such a high level of college dropouts. The fact that many would prefer the latter jobs over a college education is because they have other commitments which they deem to be more important than college; the latter being considered to be time and financially demanding. This has come to create an excess of the people who have necessary technical skills to deal with mechanical issues, and has instead created a shortage in other professional fields, making the employment of individuals with the necessary college degrees most difficult. It has therefore become necessary for instructors and counselors to encourage students to have a college education because this is the best way to address the shortage in people with the necessary skills to ensure the efficient running of the economy. It is a fact that instructors as well as families tend to have an immense influence on what students are going to choose to do with their lives, and because of this, they should take the opportunity to push these students into getting a college education. If this were to be done, then not only would the high number of individuals dropping out of college be reduced, but there would also be a reduction in the number of people competing for jobs in the market which does not require a college education, hence the creation of a balance. In order to further encourage students of the importance of completing their college education, more investment has to be made in the provision of online education facilities because it is more convenient. The fact that quite a large number of individuals in the United States have access to the internet makes the provision of online college education an easy thing to do since they can have classes at their own convenience as they conduct other activities. Online education has, in the recent years, become a great source for saving money among the students who have enrolled in it because it allows for the reduction of expenses which would otherwise have been incurred. According to Kuh et al (2010), schools that have regular classes might be the more expensive than those with online programs as as individual students have the ability to save hundreds of dollars on parking, commuting and the additional expenses as when compared to online based education. The major purpose of this study is to examine the failing of graduation rates in college students and to determine the key solution for adult’s students, that is, encouraging them to enroll for online programs that are more compatible to their daily activities. 1.1 Problem Statement In case the society was to deduce one of the major reasons why the American economy has suffered such major losses in the recent years, it would be because of the declining rates of students graduating each year. To ensure that a halt is put on this trend and that its reverse is made possible, it has become necessary for colleges to provide online classes for those students who might drop out because of not being able to attend regular classes. One of the problems facing these colleges it the fact that they have to employ only the best and most qualified teachers to ensure that all online classes are run effectively and to the satisfaction of their students. It has become necessary for college professors to be encouraged to give online classes, and not only are such professors provided the necessary incentives for them to want to teach, but their positions have also been accorded enormous respect. However, many colleges still have a problem in bringing in more instructors onboard with teaching online and as a consequence, while online learning is developing swiftly, there has developed the need to ensure that it grows further. It has been suggested that steps should be taken to ensure that online classes are as attractive to teach as regular is the case with regular college classes. The problem of having to recruit only the best instructors for online classess also have to be addressedso that the performance of online students can be improved. Furthermore, the infrastructure and learning facilities in many colleges have become so bad that it has discouraged many students from completing their education and ways have to be found to ensure that both the instructors and students feel comfortable working within the college environment. 1.2 Research Objectives The main objective of this research is to evaluate the various reasons that influence college drop outs and the fall in the graduation rates of the students. It also addresses other issues such as age and whether it has impact on graduation rates from online based college. This study aims at helping the adult students, who are more than eighteen years old, so that they can be able to learn about the importance of online based education program. When one considers the fact that there is a high dropout rate in the colleges of America, then the introduction and encouragement of online based college education programs would make a lot of sense. It is, indeed, true that the number of individuals with college education in America has been gradually reducing over the years and this can be blamed on the fact that many individuals choose not to attend college or drop out before they complete it. If most of the colleges in the United States has seen fit to introduce online programs earlier, then it would not have been necessary for students to attend college classes in the first place. In fact, quite a large number of students would have had access to classes online that the number of graduates would heve increased dramatically. College classes would have been only for those people who were interested in concentrating only in their education and would have created an environment where classes were more manageable for their instructors. Making online teaching jobs attractive for professors would require the introduction of more incentives than that given to regular college professors so that the latter would be attracted to teaching more of their classes online. This would have made sure that more professors who would otherwise have opted to teach in college classes chose to have online classes instead. Such a move would almost instantly ensure that the quality of online education among college students grew and became even more attractive to the latter. The constant interaction with their instructors as well as the attendance of regular online classes would offer online college students with an insight into what exactly they would like to do in their lives, and this would help reduce the high levels of dropouts. Furthermore, instructors or professors would function as role models for their students, who would be encouraged to work harder so that they can get into decent professions. The American college education system will be so vastly improved that it will be able to produce people with the adequate skills to do well within the economy. They would be able to comfortably undertake any task that is given to them in the workplace; all this without having to attend regular college classes. 1.2 Research Question For this research, the following questions will need to be addressed in order to come up with satisfactory answers to the research topic: Q1- Why colleges are failing in the graduation rates? Q2- How online based college helps adults and improves graduation rates? 1.4 Scope of the Study This study aims at helping the adult students in colleges, aged between 18 and 21 years, by explaining to them the importance of using online means of acquiring college degree. This research will also help the online students and especially those who are less comfortable with tools of technology by encouraging them to continue with their online college education so that they can be able to graduate. The use of the internet to conduct many activities of everyday life has become most common and its use in the offering of online classes has revolutionized college education. One would say that online based colleges have made it easier for individuals, especially adults, to access a college education when they would have otherwise failed. This has ensured that more people who would otherwise have been occupied with other activities in their lives have gotten the opportunity to have an education at their own convenience. When online college education is considered, it will be found that it offers individuals, especially adults, with the opportunity to pursue their studies at a much cheaper rate than would have been the case if they had attended regular classes in college. It has been found that a college degree attained online is of the same quality as that which has been gained at college and because of this, individuals, especially those who are likely to drop out of the latter, are encouraged to adopt it. It is the intention of this research to express the need for there to be reforms in the college education system so that there can be no need for high school graduates to attend regular college classes, and instead, they can earn their college degrees online. This, it can be said, is the best way to tackle what many college dropouts term as the time wasted when one goes to college, and this will not only enable students to graduate, but it will also give them the opportunity to factor in other activities in their lives such as work, hence creating a balance. The shift to online classes is extremely essential if the American college education system is to survive, produce more graduates, and remain one of the best in the world. The implemented online college programs should have the capability of producing graduates who can function efficiently in the workplace and this with a college degree in their hands. The arguments made for the implementation of online based college programs should be recommended to the education policymakers in every state so that more research can be conducted to ensure that online degrees are of the best quality. 1.5 Limitation of the Study The information which has been gathered for this research is drawn from the diverse literature that has been written on the subjects of the falling graduation rates in colleges and setting of traditional colleges, with bulk of the material is derived from authoritative books that were printed in the 1990s. Among the limitations of this study is the fact that most of the individuals who are either dropouts or have information concerning graduation rates in online learning programs were not willing to be interviewed or to take any questionnaires. It is extremely difficult to find individuals within the diverse numbers of colleges who will readily admit that they intend to drop out or that they have to work hard to ensure that they are able to raise the fees needed to keep themselves in college. As a result, one would suggest that in future research, more effort be put in the determination of why dropping out of college has become the norm in the education system in the United States, as well as the means through which more students can be attracted to the online based programs which are offered by colleges. 2.0 Literature Review Online education is probably more suitable for adult students when compared to the traditional college setting, since student’s aged between 18 and 21 years are always looking for benefits from the social atmosphere of the internet than in regular college classes and scenes. Clark (1993) suggests that there are a number of adult students who have families or have busy schedules and these cannot enroll themselves in traditional colleges because of their full time jobs. It is therefore a fact that online education provides them the same experience of study while sitting at home and also saves them cost and time. Studies made on the subject indicate that adult students of less than 21 years of age face difficulty in completing their graduation within the standard duration because attending regular college classes becomes difficult for them after a while (Savage, 2009). Willimon and Naylor (1995), assert that students usually opt for those colleges which allow social activities and provides an exciting environment and this is despite the fact that individuals who are seeking degrees and scholarships does not take interest in such type of environment. Past studies from the National survey of the students engagement suggest that there are only 11% of traditional colleges which spent twenty five hours or more on studying (Astin, 1997). As for writing, reading and other necessary activities, among the students in these institutions, around 40% spend around 10 hours or less in a week. This can be considered to be a determinant of the huge difference in the pattern of study between the older and younger students, since the former tend to have their priorities straight. From the last couple of decades, the popularity of online education has been quite impressive as more individuals enroll in the programs they provide. According to Tucker, (2001) there are millions of students in the US that are currently studying online as well as good number of overseas students who are also having an online college education. The online education is considered as one of the best education solutions for those students who are not able to register themselves in the traditional classroom institutions. Leonhardt (2009) suggests that online institutions inform individuals to refer to the use of several programs, emails and maintainance of orders for them to experience success in these institutions, since class coursework are distributed through emails or posted on websites. It is important to know that every single online program is different from others; there are some which are completely online based while others are hybrid in which students are required to make their physical appearance at the campus for special lectures or to attempt their final examination (Feldman and Newcomb, 1994). The online education program is also suitable for those people whose age is more than 28 years and are occupied with family responsibilities because of which they cannot take time out to attend regular classes in college. This type of education is also suitable for those adults who attend the part time online education at night because they are doing full time jobs during the day, and young mothers who can effortlessly take online classes whereas busy taking care of their children. In addition, there are number of benefits of taking online classes at home, although motivation and dedication is an essential part of it. While a person is taking online education, he or she might face problems such as; availability for risk of hearing, barriers might be radio, television, children’s equipments or chattering from people. In regular class system students tend to be in classrooms where they are isolated from most destractions, so there is not one other than the students and the instructor (Savage, 2009). Kuh et.al, (2010) suggest that the virtual system in classroom also faces technical problems that require persistence and patience. There are number of issues in the online education such as network issues and microphone problems. There are number of adults in traditional based colleges who cannot wait till these issues are resolved because traditional students mostly relying on their teachers to support them. According to Clark (1993), students, who are mature adults, can understand the importance of education. It is proved that online education is quite valuable in their lives because tuition, being expensive, means that budgeting is an important aspect of student lives. Students of traditional colleges, aged between 18 and 21 years, still lack the disciple for their precious time and valuable amount of money which are invested by their parents. They tend to rely heavily on their peers or teachers to help them with their time management as well as in their school assignments. 3.0 Methodology 3.1 Research Approach Qualitative research approach was used in this research, which is mainly concerned with understanding the behavior of the people. Thus it will assist to investigate and uncover valuable information concerning the underlyisng explanations and reasons behing the increasing dropouts of students aged 18-21 years in online learning. 3.2 Research Purpose The explanatory study has been used for this research which was helpful to gather preliminary information which defined the real problem. The analysis of emails, observations, discussion board responses and the written work are the major parts of this research process. There are often more opportunities and motivations for students to drop put of college because the workload as well as means of teaching is not as simple as in the lower levels of education. Many students find it hard to make a balance between their studies and their personal and work lives and this creates a situation where they end up concentrating on some of their responsibilities at the expense of others. Furthermore, peer pressure is a major influencing factor that influences individuals to drop out of college, not because they have to, but because they need to win the approval of their friends and families through leaving school and concentrating on their work. Even those students who believe that it is important to have a college education often end up dropping out so that they can concentrate on their other activities in life such as their families. It has been reported that as many as ninety percent of students surveyed have admitted to either wanting to drop out of college because of the pressure brought on by the regular classes. This research aims at finding out what the various aspects of college drop out rates can be addressed through the introduction of online based programs for students. It is the purpose of this study to look at the different ways through which online based college programs has come to influence the graduation rates of students and how it has ensured that drop outs have been drastically reduced. 3.3 Research Design A variety of methods are used in this research such as interviews, direct observation, focus group and analysis of archival research. Observations were made in the interviews that concerned the data, including the number of question asked from the older students about their online course contents, value of positive and encouragement, and the connection between their ages. This research will adopt a design that will explore the various aspects of college drop out rates and the influence of online based programs in ensuring that the previous trend is curbed in Americn colleges. This research will be based on a qualitative analysis of the available material, both primary and secondary and the main reason for the adoption of this approach when carrying out the research was made mainly because it is the best option through which to explore matters concerning online based college education and how it comes to influence the reduction of the drop out rates among college students. In this way, the research will be able to obtain the most relevant information that could be used to develop qualitative studies on online based college programs and how it has become relevant in society today. The findings of the case study will be complimented by a survey of a range of related literature on the effect of online programs on the drop out rates among those students who participate in them. In addition, the research is meant to reveal the influence of the online courses among those students who participate in it as well as show how it is received by those students who are directly affected by it. The most recent literature will be favored in order to align the substance of the study to the prevailing challenges that many colleges are facing in attempting to retain a high number of students graduating every year. 3.4 Data Source The data source for this research should be based on the age of college students which should be more than 18. This research is based on interviews with college students and an analysis is conducted through surveys and the observations of the difficulties which students face in traditional colleges.This research also evaluates the reasons why colleges fail to improve their rate of successful students. Collection of primary data In addition to the data collected from the literature review, it is intended that interviews will be conducted especially on those students who have chosen to subscribe to online programs. The interviews conducted will be on individual basis with online based college students and these will attempt to show how online learning has made their studies easier. The conduct of interviews would allow one to confront points of view and use of different methodologies and vocabulary. Collection of secondary data There will be the use of secondary data and these will be done at different levels: Academic literature: several academic journals can provide useful data about this subject Colleges: websites of different colleges involved in the provision of online based programs will also be analyzed It will be necessary to be cautious with the data provided as they have no interest in making public failures and errors and will instead only tout their successes in the public domain. 3.5 Target Population The target population for this research is adult college students aged above 18 years since quite a large percentage of college students end up dropping out, it has encouraged others to also consider dropping out; hence, accounting for the increasing number of students who do not end up graduating every year. Instances of college dropouts have been found to be much higher in larger education institutions, since these do not have the time to carefully look into the welfare of each and every student who attends school there. There are other influences which determine whether students get to drop out of college or not and one of these is because a student may see other students doing it and decide that it is only fair for them to drop out too in order to have the same advantage as others. A second one is that there are some institutions whose rules of engaging with their students productively are not clear and this encourages students to choose dropping out in order to concentrate on other matters in their lives that they deem important. A third reason is that some instructors tend to have such a heavy workload, especially when marking the work of students that they fail to notice the instances where there students may require help. All of the people that have been mentioned in the instances above are the target population for this research because without their input, then the results would not be satisfactory. 4.0 Conclusion In conclusion, adults aged over 18 years have a positive correlation with the failing graduation rate with traditional college based education being the major reason for increasing number of drop outs. In spite of this young students will be more likely outshine in the learning and taking online education more seriously, and this will be reducing the number of failing or drop out students from the traditional colleges. It is also believed that the promotion of online based college studies for young adults will be helpful for them to handle the online courses. They will become qualified and their learning experience would be improved significantly through the online learning education system. The online education provides a platform for all the students who face difficulty in enrolling themselves at traditional colleges mainly because of busy work schedules and household chores. Through the online education system, the people aged more than 28 can also enroll for those programs which are interesting and provide them with the experience of learning. Online education provides a good environment of studies at an affordable rate and it is also time saving. School dropouts and the ever reducing number of graduates is one of the subjects that have, in recent times, been widely researched, but while there is a lot of information concerning it, this practice is still one of those instances that are most worrying among the institutions of higher education in the United States. Dropping out oc college is not a new phenomenon, since it is one which has been occurring since the education system became public and an insistence on the complete dedication to matters concerning achieving a college degree was emphasized by the entire American society. One of the most surprising matters concerning dropping out is the large number of students, in fact the majority, who have considered it at one time during their academic lives. Such a high number of students who drop out just shows how much the education system has weakened, since students no longer focus on their studies as they previously did, and they instead focus on other aspects of their lives that they deem to be more important. 5.0 References Astin, A. W. (1997). The changing American college student: Thirty-year trends, 1966-1996. The Review of Higher Education, 21(2), 115-135, Clark, T. (1993). Attitudes of higher education faculty toward distance education: A national survey. American Journal of Distance Education, 7(2), 19-33, Feldman, K. A., & Newcomb, T. M. (1994). The impact of college on students. New Jersey: Transaction Pub Kuh, G. D., Kinzie, J., Schuh, J. H., & Whitt, E. J. (2010). Student success in college: Creating conditions that matter. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Leonhardt, D. (2009). Colleges are failing in graduation rates. The New York Times, retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/09/business/economy/09leonhardt.html?_r=0 Light, R. J. (2004). Making the most of college: Students speak their minds. Harvard: Harvard University Press Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How College Affects Students: A Third Decade of Research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Savage, M. (2009). You're on Your Own (but I'm Here If You Need Me): Mentoring Your Child During the College Years. New York: Touchstone. Tucker, S. (2001). Distance education: better, worse, or as good as traditional education?. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 4(4). Willimon, W. H., & Naylor, T. H. (1995). The abandoned generation: Rethinking higher education. Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. Read More