The Measurement of Attrition and Completion in Distance Learning Courses. Project REDEAL, Technical Report No. 8.

Autor/inn/en	Coldeway, Dan O.; Spencer, Robert E.
Institution	Athabasca Univ., Edmonton (Alberta).
Titel	The Measurement of Attrition and Completion in Distance Learning Courses. Project REDEAL, Technical Report No. 8.
Quelle	(1980), (27 Seiten)Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Adult Education; Distance Education; Dropouts; Foreign Countries; Higher Education; Measurement Techniques; Predictive Measurement; Predictive Validity; Research Problems; Student Attrition + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Adult; Adults; Education; Adult basic education; Adult training; Erwachsenenbildung; Distance study; Distance learning; Fernunterricht; Drop-out; Drop-outs; Dropout; Early leavers; Schulversagen; Ausland; Hochschulbildung; Hochschulsystem; Hochschulwesen; Messtechnik; Forschungskritik; Schülerbeurlaubung
Abstract	High rates of learner attrition from courses continue to plague distance education institutions. As educational researchers continue to examine the attrition/completion issue, many measurement problems emerge. Focusing on Athabasca University, Alberta, this paper, part of a series produced by Project REDEAL (Research and Evaluation of Distance Education for the Adult Learner), reviews measurement techniques and summarizes problems in measuring and describing student attrition/completion in distance learning environments. Two major problems are: (1) determining who should be counted as enrolled, and (2) defining the length of time a student is allowed from the start of a course until completion rates are calculated. A preliminary analysis of the validity of an "on track" rate function to predict completion rates indicates its potential for accurate determination of attrition/completion. However, resolving measurement problems will entail: (1) clearly defining measurement goals; (2) understanding learner motives; and (3) looking at attrition/completion from a broader perspective than the single course. (BS)
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC