Australia has seen significant increase in online enrolments in recent years; however, non-completions and early attrition of online students are often above 30% (TEQSA attrition report, 2017). This raises several issues for institutions including financial costs associated with dropouts, failure and non-continuation, potential institutional reputation damage and the need to meet TEQSA threshold standard requirements to demonstrate parity between face-to-face and online instruction.
In changing between delivery modes, a one-size-fits-all approach is often used, however there is a significant problem with the one-size-fits-all approach for external students who experience isolation and face a number of barriers to their full participation. (Gillett-Swan, 2017)
Several Australian institutions have taken affirmative action to address these issues. One such approach is to provide proactive and personalised academic assistance anchored in specialised technology-assisted student engagement strategies delivered by qualified academics. This has been achieved in partnership with LINC Education, a provider that specialises in activating otherwise passive learners, common in online settings.
Over 2000 Australian online students across multiple institutions and disciplines have benefited from this approach. Unit level evidence shows over 10% decrease in overall attrition, with 80-85% new students continuing post census as compared to the norm of 70-75%. Further, 90% of the students successfully completed the unit and nearly 80% re-enrol for the next unit as compared to the norm of 65-70%. This specialised service effectively addressed common challenges faced by online learners such as limited synchronous support, access to academics and isolated learning environment.
Student feedback and learning behaviour indicates high motivation, increased engagement, and a sense of empowerment, high satisfaction with the learning program and an appreciation of the additional support provided. Institutions report an increased comfort in meeting TEQSA threshold standards. The affirmative action taken results in a win-win situation for the institutions, the student community and regulators.