There are many factors that affect a student's success or failure in a distance education format. Some of the factors are common to both traditional class room settings and distance learning settings. A great deal of research has been conducted on this topic and models have been created. Billings created a model to determine a correspondence course student's completion factors.
The University of Waterloo advises students that, "this form of education requires a high degree of motivation and determination, but at the same time can be a very rewarding and satisfying experience (University of Waterloo)." Additionally, they advise that, "You must be able to commit time to your studies on a regular basis."
Warren has indicated that "Distance education students often face a number of obstacles--they may be constrained by home or work circumstances, geographically removed from learning resource centers, isolated from other learners, and uninformed about course administrative issues. These factors give rise to special needs, which must be met if distance learning programs are to be successful. Research indicates that educators planning to implement distance learning programs will need to address the special needs of remote learners including: advising needs, access needs, communication needs, and administrative needs (Warren, 1996)."
There are numerous factors that affect a student's success. These factors vary from student to student, as the background and responsibilities of each student are different. Traditional class room delivery and distance education delivery share some of these factors, while other factors are exclusive of the delivery method. The student's background will greatly influence whether they will successfully complete the course. If the student has completed other courses, has a college prep background or has taken other distance education courses, they are much more likely to complete the distance education course than a students who does not have this background. Another factor is the support that the student is receiving from their family and employer in taking the distance education course. If they have support and are able to schedule their time appropriately, they will have a higher success rate. For adult learners, it is critical that the learner be able to apply the content to their own life. When the learner understands that the course is relevant to their life, they are more motivated to complete it and are able to see the value of the course. Interaction between the learner and their instructor, other learners and the interface is a crucial factor to course completion. These interactions add variety and value to the course and also tend to eliminate some of the emotions of feeling isolated while taking the distance education course. Additionally, receiving timely feedback and knowing that the instructor is there, should you need them, makes the learner feel that they are being taken seriously as a student. The factors that affect a student's success are unlimited and are based on the individual student. Some of the factors have been mentioned above, but it is important to note that the circumstances surrounding each student will determine the student's success or failure. It is the instructor's responsibility to be an advisor and counselor to the student to help identify and resolve factors that may undermine the student's success.
Billings developed a model or matrix that can be used to determine if a student is a good candidate for completion of correspondence courses (Billings, 1989). Billings identified several variables that alone or combined could determine a student's success. The variables examined are:
There are many factors that are helping me to successfully complete this course. First, I am highly motivated to complete the course because I feel that I can apply these new skills and research to my current job to improve existing programs and because it is one of three classes that I must complete to obtain a Master of Education Degree. This motivation helps prevent me from becoming discouraged with the amount of time that I am dedicating to this course. The second important factor that is helping me complete this course is the inclusion of a schedule with penalties for not completing assignments within the given parameters. This is very helpful to me, as I do have many responsibilities pulling at my time including employment and family issues. Having the deadline is an important factor in prioritizing my time. In the past, I have either completed distance education courses very quickly or not at all, because schedules with real consequences had not been set. Finally, the third important factor in helping me to complete this course successfully is a tie between the feedback received from the instructors (learner-instructor interaction) and the opportunity to participate in on-line discussions with my class mates regarding issues in this exciting educational method (learner-learner interaction). I have appreciated the feedback that I have received from Kelvin and Steve. I appreciate that they have taken the time to read my papers and try out the links. Additionally, I have enjoyed the topics that my class mates have shared in the discussion questions and have also appreciated the clarification that the instructors have provided.
Basically, the only challenge that I am facing are time constraints
and I have simply made this class a priority. By doing so, I am able to
meet the deadlines.
Moore, M. G. and Kearsley, G (1996). Distance Education: A Systems View. Chapter 8. California: Wadsworth.
Online
Warren, Ron. Needs of Distance Learners. [WWW document]. URL: http://www.lucent.com/cedl/needs.html
University of Waterloo. University of Waterloo Distance Education How Does it Work? [WWW document]. URL: http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infoded/how.html