Toward an Understanding of Faculty Perceptions about Factors that Influence Student Success in Online Education

This paper explores factors that faculty perceive as significant in influencing student success in online education. Technological support, degree of comfort with technology and a student’s personal characteristics were deemed by faculty as critical to success. Understanding these key factors could help to improve student success in online education. More universities and colleges, approximately 70%, are turning to online education as part of their strategic plan to boost student enrollment (Allen & Seaman, 2013; Parker, 2012). As the online student population rises, faculty and administrators need to pay close attention to the conditions and factors that influence how well students perform in the online environment. Faculty are key actors who develop and deliver the curriculum as well as engage in numerous interactions with students. Accordingly, faculty are well positioned to provide depth of insight into factors that they perceive to be substantive in contributing towards student success. Online education is defined in this study as a form of distance education where 100% of the instruction and interaction taking place between students and faculty is conducted in either a synchronous or an asynchronous manner via the Internet. Several empirical studies have examined online education with much attention given to comparisons between online and face-to-face education (McGorry, 2003; Parker, 2012; Rovai, 2004). According to the literature, a marked difference exists in student performance between these two modes of delivery, with student online non-completion rates and failures being significantly higher than in face-to-face classes (Allen & Seaman, 2013; Latchem & Jung, 2012; Parker, 2012). Non-empirical studies that explore the phenomenon of student success from faculty perspective yield rich data that provide depth of insight into the essential factors that influence student success in online education. Student Success Student success is defined as academic success measured by student retention, fulfillment of course objectives, and final grade received (Kruger-Ross & Waters, 2013). In the literature, several barriers to student success in online education are identified including feelings of isolation, use of the technology, need for technological support, balancing time for other responsibilities, limited student-student interaction, and limited student-instructor (Kruger-Ross & Waters, 2012; Rovai, 2004). With the increasing numbers of students enrolled in online education, close attention must be given to removing these barriers and ensuring the academic success of this population of learners. Successful online students exhibit the primary characteristics of taking ownership for their own learning, reading and writing proficiently, effectively managing their time, being selfdirected and motivated (Kerr, Rynearson, & Kerr, 2006; Rovai, 2004). These are all essential characteristics for a quality learning experience that leads to student success in online education, but in the student success literature, frequent mention is made to self-directness of learners. Knowles (1975) describes self-directed learning as a process that involves learners taking the initiative on their own, recognizing areas for improvement and setting targets as well as adopting