Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2001

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

EdD

College

College of Education and Human Services

Department

Curriculum & Instruction/Literacy Studies

Committee Chair

Paul Leary.

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine student variables that predict E-course completion. Research questions were defined for investigating the relationship between student demographics and E-course completion. Student demographics include age, gender, GPA, student major, access to technology and employment. The student demographic variables were correlated with course completion and through logistic regression were determined to be predictors of E-course completion. The research population for this study was 3453 Marshall University students enrolled in E-courses from the spring semester of 1998 through the fall semester of 2000. Data for the study was obtained from the Marshall University Institutional Research Board. The data was coded to ensure confidentiality of the students as described in the Family Education Rights to Privacy Act (Buckly Amendment) (1998). The analysis of the data indicates that age, gender and GPA are student demographics that are positively correlated with Ecourse completion and they are predictors of E-course completion as single variables and as a cluster of all three variables. Student major was categorized into seven distinct groups that represent the colleges within Marshall University. These categories include the College of Business, the College of Education, the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Science, the Community & Technical College, the College of Fine Arts and the Graduate College. The student major categories incorporated in the College of Business, the College of Science and the Graduate College proved to be indicators of Ecourse completion. The data for the student attributes of access to technology and employment were computed from a randomly selected sample selected from the original population (n = 555). The analysis of the data reveals that access to technology and employment are correlated with E-course completion and are also significant indicators of student success. Ancillary findings relating Regents, B.A. and graduate students to Ecourse completion were also analyzed within the study and found to be significant predictors based on the identified student demographics.

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