Distance education courses are very unique in that they attract very unique types of students.  Moore and Kearsley write that most of these students have "very specific and clear reasons for taking a learning program.  They are generally highly motivated, task-oriented students" (p. 154).  Although these students tend to be highly motivated and task-oriented, there are several factors that can affect student success and failure in distance courses.  However, it is difficult to determine whether any one factor causes a student to drop a distance course, rather it's usually "an accumulation and mixture of causes" (p. 160).

Billing's model (as shown in Moore and Kearsley, 1996) depicts the causal, additive, and correlational relationships amongst the variables affecting a student's success in a distance course.  Organizational variables are important.  According to the model, students who have a high GPA, are in higher class levels, have some experience with correspondence courses, and receive classroom support have a higher chance of successfully completing a distance course.  Outcome/Attitudinal variables also affect the student's success.  If the student sees the course has having practical value, has strong educational goals, shows loyalty to the course, is satisfied with the course or lessons, experiences little difficulty with the course, receives immediate feedback, and does not feel isolated, s/he has a strong chance of success.

Environmental factors affecting the student's success include the student's employment, employer's support, family responsibilities, family support, and proximity to the instructor.  When the student has a job that is conducive to and an employer that is supportive of the student taking the course, then, of course, the student is more likely to succeed in completing the course.  However, if the student has overwhelming family responsibilities and does not have family support, then chances are higher that the student will drop the course.  Moore and Kearsley (1996) write, "In almost all cases, job or family considerations take priority over distance learning requirements" (p. 163).  The Billing's model also correlates the student's SAT scores, college preparation, intent to finish the course, and date of first lesson submission with the student's predicted ability to complete the course.  The higher the SAT score, the more college preparation, the more determined the student's intent is to finish the course, and the earlier the date of the first lesson submission, the more likely it is that the student will successfully complete the course.

Moore and Kearsley (1996) explain that personality characteristics can influence the student's possible completion of a course.  Students who are "more field independent (i.e., less influenced by the surrounding environment, including social environment) are better suited to distance learning than people who are less field independent" (163).  Students who are introverted, persistent, determined, and have a need to achieve are also more suited to distance learning.  Academic concerns also play a role.  The success of the student can be influenced by the student's perceived relevance of the content to career or personal interests, the amount of time an effort required to complete the course, the degree of student or administrative support available, the nature of the media used for delivery and interaction, the nature of the pacing or scheduling involved, the amount and nature of feedback received from instructors/tutors on assignments and on course progress, and the amount and nature of the interaction with instructors, tutors, and other students (p. 163).

Given all of the above findings, students who are most likely to complete the course have experience with other distance courses, have a good academic record, are taking higher level classes, see the course as practical or of value to the student's goals, have support from family and work, are highly motivated, task-oriented, are not easily influenced by their outside environment, have a strong intent to complete the course, submit the first assignment early or punctually, and are comfortable with the technology necessary to complete the course will have a greater chance of successfully completing a distance course.  Unfortunately, when I purview the factors above, I find that I am most likely to not complete the course.  As a single mother, I have quite a bit of family responsibilities, I am an extrovert (not an introvert), I am a slow reader and thinker (thus, the amount of time I put into the course is high).  I don't have any real reasons for taking the course, except that I would eventually like to teach a distance course, although my current workplace, the ASU English Department, is not presently fond of this teaching trend.  Furthermore, I always tend to submit my assignments at the last minute, not just in this class, but all of my classes.

However, the three strongest factors influencing my successful completion of this course are my academic background, my intent to finish the course, and my interaction with instructors and learners.  As a graduate student, I find the content of the course easily understandable.  After taking a variety of courses outside of my field, this one is not overwhelming.  Furthermore, I am very intent on completing the course.  Since this is a summer class, and I only have to endure the pain for a few weeks, I am more highly motivated to complete the course.  Lastly, my interaction with the instructors and students in the class is strong.  I have several friends, whom I've made in this class, whom I communicate with via private e-mail.  I enjoyed the group assignments to the discussion questions since it allowed me to know Lisa better.  I chat quite often with other students in the class and with Kelvin.  The chats allow me to vent or to clarify what is expected of me for specific assignments.  I also enjoyed meeting everyone the first few days of class.  Knowing people personally has given me a stronger desire to complete the class.  If I don't complete the class, I would feel like I let very real people down.
 

Moore, M. G. & Kearsley, G. (1996).  Distance education: A systems view. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company.