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Traditional or Online Community College Student Success Courses: Proximal and Distal Outcomes

Myers, Selena C, Myers

Abstract Details

2018, PHD, Kent State University, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration.
MYERS, SELENA, Ph.D., December 2018 School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration TRADITIONAL OR ONLINE COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENT SUCCESS COURSES: PROXIMAL AND DISTAL OUTCOMES (192 pp.) Director of Dissertation, Mark A. Kretovics, Ph.D. It is common to find a first-year student success or student experience course included in the requirements for graduation at most two and four year colleges and universities. While the delivery method of the course (i.e., face-to-face or online) may vary, the content is similar in that the overall goal is to acclimate first-year students to the collegiate environment and assist them in becoming proficient in study skills, time management, planning for their career, and setting them on a trajectory to completing a degree or academic credential. With the increased interest in distance education and online learning, some colleges and universities are offering student success courses that were traditionally face to-face, in an online format as well. As these courses become more commonplace at two-year institutions, little research exists on the effectiveness of the delivery method for these courses, as well as whether delivery method used can aid the progression of a community college student to degree completion. This quantitative study examines delivery methods of a student success course at a two-year institution and its impact on student academic performance and persistence towards a subsequent semester of coursework while controlling for various demographic variables. Subjects took the success course in either their first academic semester or first academic year at the selected institution during the fall 2014 and fall 2016 terms for both face-to-face and online delivery methods. Research focused on the impact of student success course modality on current semester outcomes (proximal) and subsequent semester outcome (distal). Proximal results indicated that female, non-traditional aged students who received a passing score on the computer placement exam, took the course face-to-face in their first semester, classified as White/Non-Hispanic, and were Non-Pell eligible were more likely to complete as many semester credit hours as they attempted and receive a grade of A in the course. Distal results indicated that male, non-traditional aged students who received a passing score on the computer placement exam, took the course by a full-time instructor and were Non-Pell eligible were more likely to complete as many subsequent semester credit hours as they attempted. The three variables that consistently impacted the outcomes were Age, Pell/Non-Pell, and Computer Placement Score for both proximal and distal outcomes. Results of the variable Pell/Non-Pell were the most pervasive findings across all research questions. In this study, those who were Pell eligible were less successful in the current semester of taking the success course and in the subsequent semester after the success course was taken compared to those who were Non-Pell eligible.
Mark Kretovics (Committee Co-Chair)
Aryn Karpinski (Committee Co-Chair)
Therese Revlock (Committee Member)
192 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Myers, Myers, S. C. (2018). Traditional or Online Community College Student Success Courses: Proximal and Distal Outcomes [Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1542197607977327

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Myers, Myers, Selena. Traditional or Online Community College Student Success Courses: Proximal and Distal Outcomes. 2018. Kent State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1542197607977327.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Myers, Myers, Selena. "Traditional or Online Community College Student Success Courses: Proximal and Distal Outcomes." Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1542197607977327

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)