ERIC Number: EJ862361
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Oct
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1939-5256
EISSN: N/A
Why They Stayed: Near-Perfect Retention in an Online Certification Program in Library Media
Meyer, Katrina A.; Bruwelheide, Janis; Poulin, Russell
Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, v13 n3 p129-145 Oct 2009
This paper focuses on an assessment of an online certification program in K-12 library media which has a near-perfect record of retaining students. Students and graduates of the program were asked to identify reasons for enrolling (and staying enrolled) in the program as well as functions that faculty performed well. These reasons were drawn upon three theoretical models of student retention: Tinto [6], Bean and Metzner [7], the Community of Inquiry Model [8, 23, 24, 25], plus advantages of online programs. Open-ended questions and Likert-style items provide some support for the academic integration portion of Tinto's retention model, Bean and Metzner's retention model for adult non-traditional students, and the importance of the program being available online in explaining why students stayed. Open-ended questions and Likert-style items also support the use of the Community of Inquiry model as a way of identifying what faculty did well in the program and perhaps contributed to the students' willingness to stay enrolled in the program. (Contains 2 figures and 8 tables.) [This article was previously published in "Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, v10, n4 (Dec 2006)."]
Descriptors: School Holding Power, Theories, Elementary School Teachers, Secondary School Teachers, Certification, Academic Persistence, Online Courses, Educational Practices, College Instruction, Learner Engagement, Graduate Study, Program Effectiveness, Program Descriptions, Computer Assisted Instruction, Electronic Learning, Distance Education, Web Based Instruction, Asynchronous Communication, Library Education, Librarians, School Libraries, Educational Media, Graduate Surveys, Student Surveys, Educational Certificates
Sloan Consortium. P.O. Box 1238, Newburyport, MA 01950. e-mail: publisher@sloanconsortium.org; Web site: http://sloanconsortium.org/publications/jaln_main
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Montana
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A