A lot of people post requests for information on degree programs with "it must be 100% DL." I've known a few people that took DL courses or started DL programs and never completed them. One of my friends came to within 6 units of completeing her BS degree. All she needed to do was to either take 2 CLEP or tests or 2 DL courses. It took me more than a year of nagging and pushing on her to finally complete those stupid 6 hours. I think what finally got her moving was when I told her I'd be done with my MBA before she finished her BS degree, and she applied at UoPhx to finish her BS degree before I did. Have there been any studies that show a difference in the drop rates of 100% DL programs, or even short residency programs, with respect to butt-in-seat type delivery methods (which people also drop)? Have they found a higher incidence of non-completions in DL programs? I would suspect that isolation would have some effect on the drop rate, as does the lack of real time information sharing that is possible in the class room. ------------------ ========================================== Humans are the only animals that protect their stupid from the forces of evolution. <A HREF="http://www.blahetka.com ===================================" TARGET=_blank>http://www.blahetka.com ===================================</A>
I think it is really hard to get reliable data, Russ, for at least three reasons: 1. Some, perhaps many, schools are reluctant to give out these data. Embarrassment? 2. Many simply don't know, since a lot of people don't actively drop out, they just go dormant. And when there is a 7 to 10 year period for completion, how do you know if someone is hibernating or dead? When we were involved with the Heriot-Watt MBA, we regularly heard from people who had been quiet for a year or two, even three, who decided to march on. 3. Just because people enroll doesn't mean they intend to finish. Again, we learned with Heriot-Watt that a significant percentage (my estimate: 15-20%) had no intention of getting the MBA; they simply wanted more knowledge (and, sometimes, the certificates that came on completing each course). If there is ever an award in this field, we might call it the Teddy, in honor of my friend who completed 119 of the required 120 units at UC Santa Barbara 25 years ago, but never went back for the remaining one unit. I think he enjoys that status -- and, as he says, "I'm at the top of my field as a Las Vegas stage lighting engineer; I don't think a BA in English literature would advance my career."
John, do you have any statistics on H-W's overall retention rates? I would imagine that with H-W's open admissions policy and the difficulty of its examinations (I checked - I was impressed) that H-W's MBA program might have a fairly low success rate. (Note to current H-W MBA enrollees: this is not meant as an insult to your institution. I'm quite confident that any H-W MBA graduate has achieved sufficient academic rigor.) Mark
The last I heard, but this was about three years ago, was that they had settled into a sort of routine, of roughly 3,000 new students each year and roughly 1,000 graduates each year. This is, of course, highly unofficial, as well as out of date, but it is consistent with what we noted during my seven-year involvement (1990-1997). The completion rates varied considerably by country as well, with (as I recall) Hong Kong, Singapore, and Canada well above 50%.
While you were in Mongolia evading prosecution (so claimed an A.E.D. poster ), someone posted here looking for a place for her son to take some individual DL courses. She was frustrated by the fact, real or imagined, that all the schools wanted her son to enroll for a degree program. The question is, do DL schools resent and avoid single-course students? By forcing such students to go through a painful admissions process, the schools can effectively block non-degree-seeking students. I've suggested to some acquaintances at very expensivex schools to take some non-core courses at DL schools and transfer the credits. Is this generally viable?
This is very interesting issue. Everyone talks about advantages of DL. Very few talk of its disadvantages. I can imagine a person doing DL has to be more self-driven and self-motivating than a person going through a regular routine. Like showing up at the regular hours, several times a week, for lecture, individual discussion, or lab becomes part of the driver if you study non-DL way. Considering myself as an example, I'm fairly sloppy and disorganized, and so I always have a hard time learning on my own, even if the material is not too complicated, and I have plenty of time and all information in my disposal. Taking a course is pretty much the only way I can learn - and showing up for lecture is part of the routine. So I can imagine some easy-going person enrolling and not completing DL-based degree. In a sense, DL is harder than non-DL. Any comments on this one?
**************** I think the difficulty depends on the person. Myself, I can't stand sitting in a classroom listening to a lecture when it could be downloaded and read. And, how many accelerated on-ground programs are out there? On-ground courses will never have the potential for student interaction that an asynchronous class has. DL has the flexibility I need since I usually work 60+ hours per 7-day work week. I love it so much it's virtually addictive Three more classes until my Bachelors and then it's on to a DL MBA. There are others who have the discipline to attend classes, but not to sit down and turn on the computer. For these folks, DL will be more difficult since the interest factor is absent.
