Drop Out Rates: Should Traditional and Online Schools Have Their Own Rates?

Dropout rates are a primary concern for universities and governments that want to create accountability in higher education. How dropout rates are defined has a large impact on the future success of schools and may influence those that will be around in the future. Some have argued that the timetables and lack of understanding put online schools at a disadvantage under definitions more in tune with the needs of traditional schools.

How Drop Out Rates are Defined

The way in which dropout rates are set can make a large difference in the final rate. For example, if a dropout rate is by course level it will have one value while if it is calculated over a year, or two years, will have another. If calculated over longer periods of times the rates may capture students who bounce in and out of classes but have not given up on their education. When a student drops is confusing.

The government requires the numbers to be calculated each year. These numbers create a rate that is compared with other universities to determine the schools' value. What they don't compare is the background and demographics of the students attending different types of schools and it impacts short-term retention. Some students don't have the full freedom or support to attend college all the way throughout without working.

Different Numbers for Online and Traditional Universities

A study conducted in Spain found that dropout rates would better reflect what is going on if there were a separate definition for online universities (Grau-Valldosera& Minguillon, J. (2014). They believe that the online method of learning is very different from brick-n-mortar institutions and having the same definition doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Students in the online world come from a different background that makes the virtual educational process different than traditional universities. Trying to force online schools into brick-n-mortar models is unfair. As traditional schools move more into online education, they may find similar inaccuracies in reporting.

Online Students are Unique

Students in the online world are more transient and will sometimes attend a few classes and then disappear for a couple of classes before returning. The measurement should be different as those engaged in traditional schooling may never return to an institution once they leave as larger barriers to reentry exist.

There is also another problem related to the preparedness of students. Up to 1/3 of students who enter college are not prepared for higher education through their standard high school education (McMahon, 2015). If online education is serving students with multiple interests and under-served demographics the numbers may be indicative of the challenges in their student populations.

As online schools become more prominent, the very nature and face of education will likely change to incorporate new methods of school evaluation. At present traditional schools are defining the dropout rates leaning heavily in their favor and may not reflect what is occurring in online schools. Coming to a stable definition that reflects both mediums is necessary for an accurate and fair assessment of school quality.

Grau-Valldosera, J. & Minguillion, J. (2014). Rethinking dropout in online higher education: the case of Universitat Oberta De Catalunya, International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 15 (1).

McMahon, M. (2015). Underprepared college students. Research Starters, Education.

Redefining Dropout Rates for the Working Scholar

Dropout rates have become an important educational marker of institutional success. It doesn’t matter if the metric is used to define high schools, college, or even training. A drop out is a sunk cost and administrators are concerned about its implications for the future of certain programs. However, dropout rates, like any other metric, is only part of the issue. It is a number that is redefined depending on which definition the evaluator wishes to use and the general educational environment.

An article in the International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning discussed the nature of common definitions of dropout and how these measurements are somewhat subjective (Grau-Valldosera & Minguillon, 2014). Current definitions may be inaccurate and not applicable to online education as much as it is to traditional schools. 

Students in the online system may leave and return a year or more later; they are calculated as dropouts. Under more traditional systems the instance a student leaves school they are considered a dropout. Under a traditional semester and dormitory school this is a sufficient method of calculating rates because of the re-access barriers and formal approval processes that define the educational process makes it difficult for most of these students to return.

Within an online system students may not view a drop out the same way. A person who doesn’t take an accelerated class this semester may not consider themselves drop outs. They could be taking a break, moving apartments, or changing jobs. After getting over their hectic life change they may just sign back up for another course. Tracking over a longer period would create a more accurate assessment.

Such students aren’t always lost. They are sort of in the transitioning process of working and continuing their careers. Sometimes they have the extra capital and time to go school while at other times they be too busy with work or family. The tragedy of a drop out doesn’t occur unless the person doesn’t come back or takes an excessive amount of time to fulfill their educational goals. 

That is part of the point of online higher education. It was meant to help working adults that want to go back to school and further their careers. Some of these students achieve academic excellence that other systems don't offer. For example, Master and Doctoral students offer a chance to gain practical knowledge in the working world while becoming theoretical contributors. The process may take longer but the potential contribution to society could be more.

Even if such doctor’s don’t immediately produce high levels of laboratory experimentation they do contribute to literature, science and industry knowledge. Because the online system is becoming fully established it will eventually raise doctors who will conduct high levels of applied research. Theoretical knowledge tied with practical working knowledge is a dynamite combination.

Higher education is about raising the specter of minds available to society. It improves upon an individual’s lifestyle and earning prospects. Whether they stay or leave college their knowledge goes with them. Retention could be better defined by the empirical model as outlined in Grau-Valldosera & Minguillion’s journal article that affords more flexibility in working-learners than traditional models. The online student is a highly motivated self-learner that may pop in and out of the educational system. Knowing where and when to reclassify a non-active student a drop out is open to definitional debate.

Grau-Valldosera, J. & Miguillon, J. (2014). Rethinking dropout in online higher education: the case of the Universitat Oberta De Catalunya, 15 (1).