Senior Data Analyst George Washington University Falls Church, Virginia, United States
Session Abstract: Retention of students in online programs is more challenging than those in residential programs. The purpose of this project was to gather information about our online student population and conduct an analysis to determine what characteristics are most strongly related to student dropping from the program. We found that age and gender were the most significant factors, with older students and men having higher drop rates. There was also an interaction of these two variables, with older men having the highest drop rate of all groups. There was also small but significant effect for race/ethnicity. To determine the specific factors contributing to the decision to discontinue the program, a survey of a sample of dropped students is in progress; results of this survey will be discussed.
