Access to online college courses can speed students’ degree completion

Online courses are an increasingly important part of students’ college experience, but how does this impact what students glean from their college experience? In our study, just published in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis (EEPA), we analyzed six years of institutional data (all before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic) for three cohorts of students (N=10,572). Overall, our study finds that online course-taking is associated with more efficient college graduation. Students who are given the opportunity to take classes online graduate more quickly compared to students in departments that offer fewer online courses. We also find that online course-taking is associated with a higher likelihood of successfully graduating college within four years. Importantly, our findings seem robust for students who are generally considered at-risk in college environments. The analyses that focused on the online course experiences of first-generation college students, low-income students, and students with weaker academic preparation indicated smaller, but still positive, benefits of online course enrollments regarding both graduating within four years and the overall time it takes to receive their college degree.

[Christian Fischer is an Assistant Professor at the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology at University of Tübingen, Germany. Rachel Baker is an Associate Professor at the School of Education at University of California, Irvine. Qiujie Li is a Postdoctoral Scholar at the School of Education at University of California, Irvine. Gabe Avakian Orona is a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of California, Irvine. Mark Warschauer is a Professor of Education at University of California.]