From Brick to Click: Examining the Effects of Online Courses on Retention, Promotion, and Graduation

• In Event: Online Teaching

Abstract

Within recent years, a number of criminology and criminal justice programs have launched online programs for undergraduate students. The online programs’ enrollment rates are demonstrable of their vast popularity; however, whether they maintain comparable levels of retention and graduation is questionable. As many states have begun to transition to new standards for funding higher education based on retention, promotion, and graduation (RPG) instead of traditional student enrollment, this question will increasingly become a key part of the discussion regarding online education. The goal of this present study is to examine how online courses affect student retention and four year and six year graduation rates. Utilizing data from the University of West Georgia, we will explore whether there are observable differences in RPG for students who enroll in online classes versus those who choose solely traditional classroom environments. Furthermore, we will examine the retention rates of the criminology program at the University of West Georgia prior to and since the implementation of an online program in criminology.

Authors

• Christopher W. Bounds, University of West Georgia

• Elizabeth K. Stupi, University of West Georgia

• Vanessa H. Woodward, University of West Georgia