Jeremiah A. Gilbert, Ph.D.Faculty Chair, Mathematics

San Bernardino Valley College

Course studied: Elementary Algebra

Location: Southern California community college

Study conducted over three years

Summer sessions excluded

Students broken into those aged “less than 24” and those aged “24 or older”

Alternate course formats are on the rise:

Format Fall 2005 Spring 2008

Traditional 80.0% 66.7%

Alternate 20.0% 33.3%

Alternate Formats: • Online• Weekend• Short-term• Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI)

Percent of students taking alternate formats by age:

Format Less than 24 24 or older

Traditional 78.4% 66.9%

Online 4.7% 14.0%

Weekend 3.7% 11.3%

Short-term 7.3% 4.8%

CAI 5.9% 3.0%

Noticeable increase of students 24 or older taking online and weekend formats.

Retention Rate – The ratio of the number of students receiving a non-W grade in a course to the total number of students enrolled at census.

Total of 4496 unique students enrolled during the timeframe of the study.

Retention rate by course format:

Format Retention

Traditional 70.3%

Online 62.9%

Weekend 70.6%

Short-term 85.4%

CAI 54.2%

Highest Retention: Short-termLowest Retention: CAI

Retention rate by format and age:

Highest Retention (Less than 24): Short-termHighest Retention (24 or older): Weekend

Format Less than 24 24 or older

Traditional 70.6% 69.8%

Online 55.2% 66.7%

Weekend 68.0% 71.9%

Short-term 86.1% 64.0%

CAI 51.6% 61.8%

Alternate formats showing the highest retention rates were weekend and short-term.

These courses:• Offer the structure and instructor contact that can

be lacking from an online course.• Meet less often than a traditionally formatted

course. • Call on students to establish goals and locate

resources.• Require students to evaluation their progress.

Online and computer-assisted instruction courses had lower retention rates than traditionally formatted courses.

Possible reasons:• Lack of computer knowledge or access to a computer off-

campus. • Limited contact with instructor and fellow students.• Lack of interaction may cause students to feel isolated,

frustrated, and discouraged. • Requires self-directed learning.

Student Performance – The grade-point average, on a 4.00 scale, of students within a course or age level.

Grades of W and I were excluded.

Total of 3115 students received an included grade during the timeframe of the study.

Student performance by course format:

Format Performance

Traditional 2.09

Online 1.28

Weekend 2.25

Short-term 1.62

CAI 2.39

Highest Performance: CAILowest Performance: Online

Student performance by format and age:

Highest Performance (Less than 24): CAIHighest Performance (24 or older): CAI

Format Less than 24 24 or older

Traditional 1.90 2.43

Online 0.72 1.43

Weekend 1.74 2.96

Short-term 1.46 1.98

CAI 2.03 3.18

Alternate formats showing the highest performance were weekend and CAI.

Possible reasons:• Adult students perform better when given

directions and structure. • These courses offer students in-class guidance

and direction.• An instructor is present to assist with

technology problems.

Online and short-term courses had lower student performance than traditionally formatted courses.

Possible reasons:• Online courses can leave students feeling isolated and

alone. • Short-term courses necessitate a shorter amount of time

to process the material presented in class. • Both formats rely on the students’ ability to manage

their personal and situational circumstances.

While CAI courses revealed the highest student performance, this format also revealed the lowest student retention.

It is possible that this format weeds out lower performing students.

Students that persist in this format may receive a fuller understanding of the material.

Whether technology is used to assist in instruction (CAI courses) or to delivery the entire course (online instruction), it is still just a tool that cannot replace effective teaching.

Regardless of format, student-faculty contact in and out of classes is an important factor in student motivation and involvement.

In terms of age, this study found that students aged 24 or older consistently outperformed those students aged less than 24.

Such students may value their education more than their younger counterparts or more fully understand the commitment required to succeed.