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M. Lynne Perritt
University of Arkansas
December 2013
Running Head: CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL ONLINE LEARNERS 2
Abstract
Distance education has existed in various forms for hundreds of years evolving over time
to keep pace with technology. Recent developments in technology such, as smaller more
powerful computers and the internet, make distance education more accessible to the masses. As
online learning grows in popularity the need to understand distance learners also grows in
importance. Studies show a higher dropout rate in distance courses than in equivalent courses
taught on campus (Atwell, 2007, Willging & Johnson, 2009, Young, 2005).This paper
investigates demographics and learning characteristics of successful and satisfied online learners.
Introduction
In the most general terms, Distance Education describes a course of study delivered to
students in a non-classroom setting. The instructor and students are separated by distance and
very little, if any face-to-face instruction occurs. By this definition, distance education, in one
form or another, has existed in the United States for centuries (Schrum & Hong, 2002). Through
the 1970s distance education depended primarily upon one-way communication and delivery
methods such as the postal service, radios, and television. In the 1980s new technology,
including teleconferencing and fax machines, provided opportunities for quicker communication
and 2-way communication. In the 90s the debut of the internet opened wide the possibilities and
e-learning, a type of internet based distance learning, emerged only two decades ago and
quickly evolved into the most prevalent form of distance education (White, 2006). Thus, the
terms online learning, cyber learning, and distance learning are often used interchangeably and
The purpose of this paper is to examine characteristics of typical online learners. The
research seeks to answer the following questions. What similarities exist among online learners
and, what differences, if any, exist between online students and students in traditional face-to-
face classes? Do any demographic factors or learning styles affect online student satisfaction or
success? Finally, this paper posits that online students demonstrate as much, if not more,
academic success than traditional students (Aragon, Johnson & Shaik, 2002, Prins, Drayton,
Methods
The methods described below were used in order to find the most informative and
suitable sources of information the. Using ERIC, Ebsco, Google Scholar and ProQuest as
database search engines, combinations of the following terms were used to identify possible
course success, and learning styles of online learners. In order to narrow the selection, only
books and articles containing primary research focusing on tertiary distance learners were
Literature Review
The U.S. Distance Learning Association defines distance learning as supporting the
pursuit of lifelong learning for all (Butler, 2008). Yukselturk and Bulut (2007) call it anywhere
anytime learning. In fact, the internet does make information available anytime and anyplace
(Prokop, 2008). Tech savvy employers, corporations, educators, vocations, avocations, and
Running Head: CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL ONLINE LEARNERS 4
schools can, and do, use the World Wide Web to deliver information, education, and job related
training to millions. According to a 2008 study, by the fall of 2007 nearly 3.9 million students
were enrolled in online courses (Schwiebert, 2008). As online courses grow in popularity, so
grows the research. Facets of and uses for distance education are unbounded, thusly, this paper
focuses primarily on adult tertiary learners and what makes them satisfied and successful
students.
Online student success and satisfaction is important for many reasons. Awareness of
factors contributing to, or distracting from, satisfaction and success helps instructors create better
online experiences for their student; in 2000 Mitchell posited that students should be instructors
primary design element of their online courses. Students who are cognitive of factors that may
aid or thwart their success will be able to make informed decisions when choosing between
online or traditional class formats. Employers benefit from such research when they effectively
train employees in remote locations without paying for travel or spending time away from the
office to train. Additionally, recruiting and retaining students is a competitive business. Some
students. They consider themselves to be consumers of education services (p. 101), potentially
giving to the institution their time and financial resources (Dumais, Rizzuto, Cleary & Dowden,
2013). As more colleges and universities offer online classes the competition to attract and keep
students increases, making student satisfaction more important than ever (Little, 2008).
Unfortunately, as in the education field in general, there exist almost as many definitions
of online learning satisfaction and success as there are learners, instructors, and researchers.
Some of the researchers, like Atwell asked students to define success by letting them choose
from options like, receive an A in the class, receive a B in the class, pass the class, complete and
Running Head: CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL ONLINE LEARNERS 5
studies defined student success as completing a course (Atwell, Harrell & Bower, 2011),
completing an entire program (Willging & Johnson,), GPA (White), receiving a C or better in a
course (Wiens, 2005), application of learned knowledge during instruction or in ones job (Lim
& Kim, 2002), or passing post graduate national exams (White). Defining and measuring student
satisfaction proved even more subjective. This disparity results in inconsistent results and makes
In contrast, most of the studies measured similar student demographics such as age,
gender, race, hours worked per week, and education level (Butler, 2008, Koch, 2005, White,
Yukselturk & Bulut ). Researchers employed several methods to determine learning styles and
characteristics. To assess learning styles, four of the studies (Daniel, 1999, Elliott, 2006,Little,
Nguyen & Zhang, 2011) used Kolbs Learning Styles Inventory; one researcher (Wiens) used a
modified version of the Grasha Riechman Student Learning Style Scale; Butler (2008) used the
Group Embedded Figures Test. Harrell and Bower chose the Barsch Learning Styles Inventory to
determine the learning styles of their respondents. Several others created their own learning
characteristics assessments (Wang, Peng, Huang, Hou & Wang, 2008, Atwell White, Yukselturk
& Bulut). Elliott and Mitchell evaluated personality types for their research using the Myers-
The Koch study, summarized in his 2005 article Does Distance Learning Work, sampled
76,866 student performances in online courses at Old Dominion University, in Norfork, VA. In
comparison, many of the studies surveyed for this paper were conducted using a convenient
sampling method, resulting in much smaller data pools (typically of 200 or less) and, perhaps,
more homogenous subjects. Some of the results proved statistically significant in these studies;
Running Head: CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL ONLINE LEARNERS 6
this information is helpful in finding patterns and gleaning insight, but should not be over-
generalized to other situations (Knowles & Kerkman, 2007,Little, Willging & Johnson,
Yukselturk & Bulut). However, this does not make this data any less informative or valuable.
Demographic Findings
In the United States, the average distance learner is older than the traditional bricks and
mortar learner. In 2006, the average traditional undergraduate student was 21 years and the
average age of the online student was 26 (Butler, Koch). Little found that 51.9% of his subject fit
in the 30 39 year age group. More online learners are women than men (Koch, Neuhauser,
2002). Most online learners attend school part time (Little, Lim & Kim) and most work at least
10 20 hours a week (Schrum & Hong). Distance students also tend to have more children than
their peers in traditional classes (Butler). Almost half of all distance learners enroll in online
classes because of the scheduling flexibility it affords (Navarro & Shoemaker, 2000, Prins, et al.,
Prokop, Reio & Crim, 2013,Young).Other demographic information collected by the researchers
includes race, ethnicity, native language, marital status, income, level of education, distance from
learning style assessment tools, self-descriptions, researcher created surveys, and instructor
descriptions. Daniel, Elliott, Little, and Nguyen & Zhang used Kolbs LSI which divides learning
styles into four groups: accommodating, diverging, converging, and assimilating. White suggests
using Canfields Learning Style Inventory to determine students preferred methods of learning.
Butlers study determines learners field-dependence vs. field-independence using the Group
Embedded Figures Test. And Wiens used a modified Grasha-Riechman Student Learning Style
Running Head: CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL ONLINE LEARNERS 7
Scale to describe students learning and interaction styles as avoidant, participant, competitive,
collaborative, dependent, or independent. The Barsch Learning Styles Inventory, used in Harrell
and Bowers research, designated participants as auditory, kinesthetic, tactile, or visual learners.
Some of the other characteristics most often assessed follow: self-motivation, internal or external
locus of control, test anxiety, intrinsic or extrinsic goal orientation, self-efficacy, self-regulation,
Findings - Demographics
In Whites study 2nd semester the average online student GPA of 3.0 is .5 higher than that
of the average brick and mortar students. Neuhauser observed students enrolled in different
sections of the same course, taught by the same instructor. One course was offered online, the
other on campus. The mean final grade for the online section was 3.5 (out of 4.0); the mean on
campus grade was 3.35. This is consistent with data from other studies (Aragon, Johnson &
Shaik, Koch, Prins, et al.). Despite higher GPAs, online students tend to have a higher drop-out
rate than traditional on campus students. Koch found that mens online learning performance was
inferior to womens and Lim & Kims study showed women demonstrated a significantly higher
degree of learning in online classes than men. Similarly, Willging and Johnson found that men
dropped out at a higher rate than women. In their study, 33.7% of the students who began the
course dropped out; 42.9% of men did not complete the course. There was no significant
difference in the percent of white students (29.7%) and the percent of black students (30.8%)
who dropped out. Most of the students who dropped out indicated that time was a factor in their
decision. Some experienced difficultly balancing demands of work and school; others initially
underestimated the amount of time an online class would consume. Most data indicates that pre-
existing computer skills have little influence on cyber learning success or satisfaction
Running Head: CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL ONLINE LEARNERS 8
(Thurmond, Wambach, Connors, & Fray, 2002). Surprisingly, in Harrell and Bowers study of
distance college students a higher level of computer experience was associated with failure to
online course. Butler and Koch both found a positive correlation between student age and student
success. More specifically, Kochs study showed that an online student 10 years older than the
average of 26 years will earn a GPA .14 higher than the average aged student. Education level
and high school and current GPA also correlate positively with learning success (Harrell &
Bower). Most student demographics seemed to have little effect on student success or
satisfaction. Butlers study showed that age, education level, and race influence student
VanBerschat, LaPointe, and Rao (2010) identified computer self-efficacy as the most significant
These studies showed that some learning characteristics influence student success and
satisfaction. Instructors interviewed in Schrum and Hongs study agreed that the nature of
distance learning magnifies the consequences of negative influences such as lack of organization
and lack of self-discipline. Students with external loci of control may also find online courses
more difficult than the on campus counterparts (Knowles & Kerkman). Nguyen and Zhangs
divergent learners struggled with the flexible scheduling of e-learning; alternative activities
served as distractions, thus divergers had more difficulty meeting due dates than convergers,
assimilators, or accommodators.
Running Head: CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL ONLINE LEARNERS 9
Cyber learning is often closely associated with the constructivist theory of learning
because distance learning promotes greater student responsibility and involvement in the
learning process. By its nature, it also nurtures each students propensity and ability to actively
construct internal meaning (Navarro & Shoemaker). Successful distance learners tend to be
highly motivated self-starters (Koch, Nguyen & Zhang, White). Self-motivation and discipline
are essential characteristics of successful distance learners (Huckabee, 2010, Schwiebert, 2008).
And students with an internal locus of control are more likely to persist in distance learning than
Wiens found that a correlation exists between learning/interaction style and online course
satisfaction but not with academic success. Three of the 6 learning/interaction styles (avoidant,
with student satisfaction. Wiens study showed a negative association exists between satisfaction
and avoidant. Students who thrive off learner to learner interaction incline to be disappointed by
the lack of student to student interaction in online classes. Discussion boards, chats, and emails
prove to be insufficient substitutes for face to face contact. Students who are motivated by
competition also often prefer traditional classes. A strong positive correlation exists between
satisfaction and participant; a moderate positive correlation exists between satisfaction and
satisfaction with their online classes with preferences for the activities that allowed for building
relationships.
These studies show that effective cyber courses are more than mere digital versions of
face-to-face classes, that most distance learners are somewhat demographically different from
their on-campus peers, and that successful online learners demonstrate high levels of self-
Running Head: CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL ONLINE LEARNERS 10
motivation. As such, some researchers suggest institutions use informal screening processes to
help students determine whether online or on campus instruction is best for them. Screening of
this type could also help instructors better prepare for their courses.
Conclusion
In conclusion, student demographics appear to play a small role in the success and
satisfaction of cyber learners. Yet, statistics show women drop out of online classes less than men
and older students have higher GPAs. However, research indicates that some learning
with internal loci of control demonstrated the highest levels of satisfaction with online classes.
The most common learning characteristics of successful online learners are self-motivation,
discipline, and their ability to self-regulate and take responsibility for their learning experiences.
Additionally, most of the research reviewed for this paper asserts that cyber education is as
The main weakness found among these studies is the often used small sampling group
which can affect reliability and validity. Results from smaller more localized studies are difficult
to generalize. The education fields vast array of definitions of success in tertiary education
leads to results that are difficult to compare across studies. Finally, more large sample, control
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