DOCUMENT RESUME JC 020 432 ED 465 402 Moore, Patricia L. AUTHOR Access and Success in Web Courses at an Urban Multicultural TITLE Community College: The Student's Perspective. PUB DATE 2002-00-00 NOTE 25p. PUB TYPE Reports - Research (143) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. *Access to Education; Community Colleges; Computer Mediated DESCRIPTORS Communication; *Distance Education; Ethnic Groups; Minority Groups; *Nontraditional Education; *Nontraditional Students; Outcomes of Education; Two Year College Students; Two Year Colleges; Virtual Classrooms; *Web Based Instruction *Phoenix College AZ IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT This study explores the question of access in Arizona's postsecondary electronic education environment by looking at an urban community college with a highly diverse student population. Phoenix College (PC) is a community college in the Maricopa Community College District in Phoenix, Arizona. A number of neighborhoods near the campus showed a household income of 50-75% below the poverty level. Ethnic minorities represented 57% of the student body at Phoenix College. The college is early in its Web course development, and offered only 16 Web courses in the spring term of 2001. Courses required by or that applied to a large cross-section of academic and occupational degree and certificate programs were selected for the study in order to obtain a broad representation of majors and educational goals among the student sample. The study looked at 10 sections of freshman-level general education courses. The sample included 252 students--140 returned an electronic survey, and 100 participated in the follow-up interviews. Women represented 56% of the PC student body, but 65% of the Web students were women. Older students were underrepresented in the Web courses under study: 6% of these students were aged 40 or older, while 19% of students at PC were over 40. The study also found that the majority of Web students were White, and there were proportionally fewer Hispanics registered in the Web courses. (Contains 32 references.) (NB) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Access and Success in Web Courses at an Urban Multicultural Community College: The Student's Perspective Patricia L. Moore U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS CENTER (ERIC) BEEN GRANTED BY 'Fhis document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. e.e. CI Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES document do not necessarily represent INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) official OERI position or policy. 1 BESTCOPY AVAILABLE Access and Success in Web Courses at an Urban Multicultural Community College: The Student's Perspective Patricia L. Moore Northern Arizona University The growing emphasis on electronic delivery of education in Arizona has occurred as the state's population demographics are rapidly changing. New resources in the state This study was conducted at of online education. are being targeted at the development urban campuses, in the early stages of its web . one of Arizona 's most culturally diverse students enrolled in ten web sections, the course development. From a sample of 252 study explored relationships between student demographics and success in web courses, student reasons for enrolling in web courses, perceived barriers to success, experiences in web versus traditional courses, suggestions for improving the web course experience, and intention to enroll in web courses in the future. Web student attrition rates were Student interviews suggested that found to be twice as high as college-wide attrition. insufficient technology experience contributed most to attrition, followed by learner characteristics, such as self-motivation, tendency to procrastinate, and discomfort with independent learning. Success rates also differed cross courses, with Psychology student English sections. success two to three times higher than success rates in Background Because higher education is closely related to life chances and economic prosperity in America, the issue of who can access advanced educational programs has been controversial. Access was originally thought of as the ability to gain entrance to an institution or program. The concept gradually shifted from one of equity in admissions to equity in outcomes, or the ability of a student or group of students to succeed once admitted. This study looked at web course access from both perspectives. Historically, lower socioeconomic groups, ethnic minorities, and women haye struggled for access. The under-representation of ethnic minorities in higher education is well documented in the literature. (Coombs, 1985; Baker & Velez, 1996; Spring, 1996). Chicano students have been found to be significantly under-represented in colleges of the Southwest, relative to both White and Black students (Garcia, 1980). Further, the significantly higher attrition rates in two-year institutions disproportionately affect minorities (Nora, 1987). In recent years, access issues have broadened to include working students, single parents, and others defined under the broad category of "place-bound and time constrained learners" (Matthews, 1999). Distance-learning modalities have been (11 developed, in part, to help address some of the needs of these populations, from the early correspondence courses of the mid-1800s to the cutting-edge web technologies we see today (Baer, 1998). As scarce resources in higher education have begun to be funneled toward development of Internet-based learning, the issue of access is again being raised. Foundational studies on student access and outcomes in the 1970s and 1980s focused on full time residential college students at four-year institutions (Bean, 1987; Spady, 1971, Tinto, 1975). As higher education diversified and more community college 2 and non-traditional students became an important segment of postsecondary education, persistence outcome studies broadened as well. While campus-based research focused on focus on a smaller to graduation, later studies, particularly in distance education, began to unit of measure, within-course persistence (Bernard and Amundsen, 1989). Studies of within-course outcomes in distance-delivered courses have identified a number of factors that can affect student success. Powell, Conway, and Ross (1990) identified environmental and dispositional factors, including a specific place to study, strong time-management and organizational skills, and a preference for independent learning. Wilkinson and Sherman (1990) cited environmental conditions such as noise distractions, disorganization and unmanageable workloads as faculty-identified factors that contribute to procrastination and student failure in distance learning programs. Terrell and Dringus (2000) showed a link between student learning styles and higher dropout rates in an online master's degree program. In Arizona, there has been a growing emphasis on electronic delivery of education. A considerable proportion of the new resources for education in the state are being targeted at distance education, and particularly the development of online education and e-learning initiatives. The governing board of the State's university system recently launched a "virtual university" which promised "increased access to public university Since it is believed that web courses" (Arizona virtual university launched, 2000, p.1). in Arizona, the object courses can be an effective means of expanding access to students of this study was to determine who is accessing these courses, as well as who is succeeding in them. In addition, qualitative data was collected to better understand the web course experience from the students' perspective. Research Methods The Setting This study attempted to explore the question of access in Arizona's postsecondary electronic education environment by looking at an urban community college with a' The campus selected for the study was Phoenix highly diverse student population. College. Founded in 1920, Phoenix College is the oldest of the colleges in the Maricopa Community College District in Phoenix, Arizona. A two-year public institution, the College has a service area with a six-mile radius in the heart of urban Phoenix and is designated a Hispanic Serving Institution (Benitez, 1998, Raines, 1998). A number of neighborhoods nearest the campus show a household rate of 50%-75% below the poverty level. In the areas closest to the college, Hispanics make up the largest minority group and over 57% of the studen(body at Phoenix College are ethnic minorities (Phoenix College, 2000, pp. 18-19). Phoenix College is early in its web course development. The institution first offered a small selection of web courses in the mid-1990s, and the first faculty members Spring 2001, the were trained and began using the WebCT platform in 1998. In semester in which the study was conducted, P.C. offered only 16 courses on the web, with a total of 24 sections. By comparison, Rio Salado College, a sister college in the Maricopa system that specializes in distance education, offered over 200 courses on the web. 4 3 The Sample In order to obtain a broad representation of majors and educational goals among the student sample, courses were selected which were required by, or would apply to, a large cross-section of academic and occupational certificate and degree programs. A total of 10 sections taught by five full time faculty members were included. The courses were freshman-level general education courses, including all web sections of English 101, English 102, and Psychology 101. The sample included 252 students enrolled in the 10 in sections. 140 students returned an electronic survey, and 100 students participated follow-up interviews. Finally, outcomes for all 252 students in the courses were obtained from the college Registrar and analyzed. lS Students were included in the study if they were enrolled any time between the and the 45th day of the semester, regardless of whether they ultimately completed the possible, between the demographic course or not. Comparisons were drawn, where characteristics of the web students and the student body as a whole. The Design This was a descriptive study with a multi-method design utilizing both qualitative and quantitative data. An electronic survey adapted from an existing web survey used at Northern Arizona University gathered demographic data and probed student reasons for enrolling in a web course. Variables of interest included gender, age, ethnic background, and employment status. Interview protocols were developed to explore student experiences in web courses, including barriers to success they encountered, factors that --experience in web courses course completers attributed to their success, how students' compared to traditional courses, their recommendations for improving the web coufse experience, and their plans to take web courses in the future. Summary descriptive statistics were employed to analyze the results of both of student demographics and outcomes. Analysis of the qualitative data included coding the data, then categorizing responses into emergent themes and patterns as suggested by Miles and Huberman (1984), and summarizing and reporting the responses in matrix tables. Findings Who accesses web courses? Males and Females in Web Courses Although traditionally underrepresented in higher education, women have made 49% at the great strides in recent decades, and now outnumber men by roughly 51% to baccalaureate level (Brownstein, 2000). Early studies of Internet use by women also suggested that there was a "technology gap" between the genders, but most recent data suggests that women have closed this distance as well, at least in this country. Data drawn in May 2001, indicated the gender breakdown for at-home Internet users was 51.7% women and 48.3% men (CyberAtlas, 2001). 5 4 This "reverse" gender trend was evident in the web courses under study at Phoenix College. Women enrolled in the web courses at a higher rate than men, and that college. While men rate was proportionally greater than the percent of females at the represented 37.8% of the student body at Phoenix College, only 33.7% of web students P.C. student body, but 65.1% of the web were men. Women represented 55.8% of the students were women. However, 6.4% of students at the college did not declare their gender. If that information were known and if those students were largely female, the in the percentage of men to women in web courses might closely parallel the percentages student body as a whole. Age Demographics of Web Students There also appears to be a technology gap for older Americans. Recent data indicates that only 5.3% of men over the age of 55 and 4.7% of women 55 and older have identified the aging workforce access to the Internet (CyberAtlas, 2001). Ipsaro (1997) and the need to be re-skilled as an important continuing need in education. Because most older students are also employed full time, access to the Internet for continuing education (Brown and Duguid, 1996; may be the only feasible alternative for older students Threlkeld and Brozska, 1994). Older students were underrepresented in the web courses under study. Results showed that younger students at the college were attracted to web courses in much greater numbers than older students. While 58.8% of the student body is under the age of 30, 78.2% of web students in the study are under that age. Only 6.3% of web students College identify themselves are 40 years or older, while 19.3% of the students at Phoenix this may be the type of courses ' as being 40 years or older. One way to account for studied. Older students often have reasons for continuing their education that would preclude the necessity for general knowledge courses such as English and Psychology. Rather than pursue academic degrees, older students may be taking courses for specific skills or leisure interest, or they may have completed these freshman-level courses previously. However, we can conclude from the sample that traditional-age students--24 and younger--are enrolling in web courses in greater numbers than older students, and in greater proportion than their age categories at the college. Ethnic Background of Web Students The ethnic mix of students in the web sections differed from the college profile in several respects. The proportion of American Indian/Alaskan Native students in web Asian or Pacific Islanders were courses mirrored that of the college population at 4.0%. slightly under-represented, proportionately 2.9% of the student body but only 2.4% of web students. Black students were somewhat over-represented, comprising 8.7% of the web student population as compared to 6.8% of Black students at the college. There registered in web courses than the were proportionately fewer Hispanic students (17.8%) known percentage of Hispanic students at the college (27.2%). White (non-Hispanic) students represented the majority of web registrations (59.1%) while they make up only 40.3% of the student body of Phoenix College. 6 5 In looking at the primary ethnic background of students at Phoenix College, available data is somewhat inexact. The college has the largest number of students within the Maricopa system who label themselves as "other" (18.8%). In a Title V federal grant application college officials state: Anecdotal information suggests that many of the students who fill out forms claiming they are "other" are actually Hispanic but fear that they may call attention from the Immigration and Naturalization Services to themselves if they designate themselves as Hispanic...A significant number of students move back and forth between the U.S. and Mexico each semester, and it is estimated that residents (Phoenix College, many of these students do so as "undocumented" U.S. 2000, p. 9). Thus the percent of Hispanic students at Phoenix College may in fact be significantly higher than 27% of the student body. The under-representation of Hispanic students in web courses may be an even more serious problem than official data suggests, if the large percentage of students categorized as "other" also includes a substantial number of Hispanic students. Figure 1 presents a summary of expanded or constricted is defined as the ability access to selected web courses at Phoenix College, when "access" to enroll in the course. Expanded Access Females Younger students White (non-Hispanic) students Equivalent Access Black students American Indian/Alaskan Natives Asian/Pacific Islanders Reduced Access Males Older Students Hispanic students Figure 1. Summary of access to selected web courses at Phoenix College 6 Employment Status of Web Students The majority of students taking web courses in the study were employed. Only 8% of the students indicated they were not employed, about 30% worked less than 30 hours per week, and 44% were in the "31 or more hours per week" category. During interviews and in response to open ended questions on the electronic survey, many students indicated they worked 40, 50, or 60 hours or more, and a number of them held by 46 of the students in more than one job. Employment information was not reported the study (17.8%) but it is reasonable to assume that many of them were employed. Who is succeeding in web courses? Success in this study was defined as a final grade of A, B, or C. Non-success was defined as a final grade of D, F, I (incomplete), or W indicating that the student had withdrawn from the course. Although in some institutions a grade of D is considered a passing grade, in Arizona a D does not transfer between community colleges and universities, although it does transfer between the colleges in the Maricopa system. Phoenix College does not include a D in its definition of passing grades and thus a grade of D was not considered a successful completion of a web course in this study. Success rates were analyzed and reported in several ways. As stated previously, the sample consisted of 252 students. For purposes of institutional research, Phoenix College computes completion rates based on enrollments (one grade for each student in each class), but includes only student enrollments after the allowable drop/add period during the first week of the semester. In keeping with this standard and for comparison the 238 web student purposes, success rates reported in Table 1 were calculated for only enrollments remaining after the end of the first week. In broad terms, the success rates of web students in the sample were considerably lower than the college rates overall. Calculated from the start of the second week after the allowable drop/add period, 39.5% of web students in the sample completed their of 72.5% for the student body courses with a passing grade, compared to a success rate overall. By far the largest attrition was due to students withdrawing from web courses, not failing them. Of the 238 students still enrolled after the allowable drop/add period, more than half eventually withdrew, a withdrawal rate nearly three times higher than the college overall. This finding is consistent with a previous study done in the Maricopa District at Rio Salado College (Mills, 1999) that found higher non-completion rates for distance learners than for non-distance learners. 7 Table 1. Comparison of Outcome Percent and Frequency of Web Students and Entire College Phoenix College Web course enrollments enrollments Outcome after drop/add after drop/add N=28,909 N=238 37.5% (10,850) 26.0% (62) A - passing grade 7.9% (19) (5,752) 19.9% B - passing grade (3,232) 5.5% (13) 11.2% C - passing grade (844) 2.9% (4) 1.7% D - not passing (1,325) 4.6% 3.7% (8) F - not passing (12) .04% (3) 1.3% incomplete, not passing 19.5% (5,510) 54.2% (129) W withdrawal Success by Gender, Age and Ethnicity Success rates by gender, age, and ethnicity were calculated for all students who of the semester. Those were registered any time between the first and the forty-fifth day web students who took two courses were considered successful if they passed either one. Cases with missing data in which gender, age, or ethnic background were not known deMographic categories. were excluded. Table 2 summarizes the success rates by Table 2. Success Rates by Demographic Variable Non-successful Successful Total outcome: outcome: Demographic D, F, I, or W A, B, or C Gender (85) 100% (62) 72.9% 27.1% (23) Male (164) 100% (100) 61.0% 39.0% (64) Female Age Category (68) 100% 72.1% (49) (19) 27.9% 15-19 (89) 100% 66.3% (59) (30) 33.7% 20-24 (40) 62.5% 100% (25) (15) 37.5% 25-29 (39) 100% 51.3% (20) (19) 48.7% 30-39 (12) 100% (7) 58.3% 41.7% (5) 40-49 (4) 100% 75.0% (3) (1) 25.0% 50-59 Ethnic background (150) 100% 56.6% (85) (65) 43.3% White (45) 68.9% (31) 100% (14) 31.1% Hispanic (22) 100% 21) 95.5% 4.5% (1) Black (10) 80.0% 100% (8). (2) 20.0% Native American (6) 100% 33.3% (2) (4) 66.7% Asian/Pacific Islander 9 8 Not only did women enroll at higher rates, but they also surpassed men in success passed with in their web courses. 39.0% of the women registered on the first day of class One can conclude that from either did so. an A, B, or C, while only 27.1% of the men is constricted access for men. an enrollment or outcome perspective, there Although a higher proportion of young students enrolled in web courses, success proportional rates indicated that these same students did not succeed in the courses at of the semester, rates. Of students age 24 or younger who were enrolled on the first day 31.2% passed their web courses, while 42.1% of students 25 or over passed them. While and actually comprised 62.3% younger students (15 to 24) were attracted to web courses of the sample, just under one-third of them succeeded. When analyzed by ethnic background, the question of success was also mixed. Black students enrolled in web courses at a rate exceeding their representation at Phoenix College, but were the least successful in web courses, with only one student successfully completing out of 22 originally enrolled, a rate of 4.5%. White students in the sample passed at a rate of 42.9%, Hispanics at a 31.8% rate, Native American students at 20.0%, while the six Asian students enrolled succeeded at 66.6%. The small number of Asian students (6) and Native Americans (10) in the sample make it difficult to draw conclusions about their success rates. Success and Employment Status Although the web courses in the sample were accessible to students who were employed (73.8% worked at least part time), there was no clear association between employment status and success. Student work schedules were cited frequently as a suggested that heavy work reason for choosing a web course. Some studies have schedules were an environmental barrier to success in distance courses (Wilkinson and Sherman, 1990) but this study did not find evidence to support that. Of the 130 barriers mentioned a to success identified by students in interviews, only one student specifically heavy work schedule as a partial reason for early withdrawal, although some did cite other types of busy schedules (sports or academics, for example) as barriers to success. Course Differences in Success Rates Bernard and Admundsen (1989) argued that issues specific to the design of a difficulty, and intended learning course, such as structure, delivery, content, level of outcomes could have as much influence on persistence as student background characteristics or attitudes. At Phoenix College, Psychology students were more successful than students in either English class (56.3% of Psychology students registered from the first day succeeded). English 101 students were more successful (at 32.47%) than English 102 students (18.18%). In order to better assess the significance of success rates in the specified courses, final rosters for students in all face-to-face sections of English 101, 102, and Psychology 101 were obtained from Phoenix College. Because there were a large number of these face-to-face sections on campus (91 in all), five sections of ENG 101, five sections of PSY 101, and seven sections of ENG 102 were randomly selected and analyzed for computed after drop/add, success rates. As mentioned previously, success rates were 1 0