Di Xu

How do online course design features influence student performance

Given the rapid growth in online coursework within higher education, it is important to establish and validate quality standards for these courses. While many online learning quality rubrics do exist, thus far there has been little empirical evidence establishing a clear link between specific course design features and concrete, student-level course outcomes. In the current study, the authors develop an online course design assessment rubric that includes four areas, and explore the impact of each area on student end-of-semester performance in 23 online courses at two community colleges. The results indicate that the quality of interpersonal interaction within a course relates positively and significantly to student grades. Additional analyses based on course observation and interview data suggest that frequent and effective student-instructor interaction creates an online environment that encourages students to commit themselves to the course and perform at a stronger academic level. A new online design assessment rubric is developed.The relationship between four online course design features and student course grades is examined.Quality of online interpersonal interaction relates positively to student grades.Typical practices of online courses with high- versus low-quality interpersonal interaction are showcased.Potential strategies to improve online learning outcomes are discussed.

Are Community College Transfer Students “A Good Bet” for 4-Year Admissions? Comparing Academic and Labor-Market Outcomes Between Transfer and Native 4-Year College Students

ABSTRACT Using detailed administrative data from Virginia, this paper examines whether community college “vertical transfer” students who resemble “native four-year” students in their accumulated college-level credits and performance at their point of entry into the four-year sector perform equally well in terms of both academic and labor market outcomes. We compare matching strategies typically used in existing literature to one where we match vertical transfer and native four-year students based on prior credits earned, accumulative GPA, and the destination four-year institution, and find substantial differences in estimates based on different matching strategies. We also examine potential mechanisms underlying vertical transfer students’ relative performance at the four-year institution and in the labor market. The results show that vertical transfer students’ probability of baccalaureate attainment is comparable to that of similar native students attending the same four-year institution. However, when considering their earnings eight years after initial college enrollment, vertical transfer students experience a significant and nontrivial earnings penalty. Subsequent analyses examining possible mechanisms suggest the earning decrement is partly due to a delayed entry into the labor market as a result of credit loss at the point of transfer.

Collaboratively Clearing the Path to a Baccalaureate Degree: Identifying Effective 2- to 4-Year College Transfer Partnerships

Objective: This study develops an analytical framework for identifying effective partnerships between 2- and 4-year institutions that enable community college entrants to transfer to a 4-year institution and earn a bachelor’s degree in a timely fashion. Method: Using the individual term-by-term college enrollment and degree records from the National Student Clearinghouse for the entire 2007 fall cohort of first-time-in-college community college students nationwide, we use regressions to control for student and institutional characteristics in identifying effective partnerships in two steps: first, we identify community colleges with large residual values (better than expected outcomes); and second, we identify the 4-year partners of those community colleges with large residual values. Results: Descriptive results on the variation in transfer outcomes among the thousands of unique transfer partnerships nationally are presented alongside results from regressions used in the two-step effective transfer partnership identification. Contributions: Recommendations and considerations for using this framework to evaluate and benchmark institutional performance in supporting the academic success of vertical transfer students for baccalaureate attainment are also discussed.

Strengthening Transfer Paths to a Bachelor’s Degree: Identifying Effective Two-Year to Four-Year College Partnerships

While preparing students academically for vertical transfer to four-year colleges has traditionally been viewed as the major responsibility of the home institutions, there is a growing consensus that the receiving institutions play a critical role in facilitating the transfer process and in supporting students’ academic success after transfer. The goal of improving transfer outcomes cannot be fully achieved until colleges nationwide are provided with commonly accepted metrics and methods for measuring the effectiveness of transfer partnerships. Using the individual term-by-term college enrollment records from the National Student Clearinghouse for the entire 2007 fall cohort of first-time-incollege community college students nationwide, this paper introduces a two-stage, inputadjusted, value-added analytic framework for identifying partnerships of twoand fouryear institutions that are more effective than expected in enabling community college students to transfer to a four-year institution and earn a bachelor’s degree in a timely fashion. In doing so, the paper provides a description of transfer patterns nationwide, broken out by key institutional characteristics. Recommendations and cautions for using this framework to evaluate and benchmark institutional performance in terms of supporting the academic success of vertical transfer students for baccalaureate attainment are also discussed.

Understanding the Relative Value of Alternative Pathways in Postsecondary Education: Evidence From the State of Virginia

Abstract In this chapter, we replicate and extend analyses completed in other state-wide studies by estimating returns to credentials and credit accumulation for first-time college students who enrolled in the Virginia Community College System in Fall 2004 using a classic Mincerian approach. Consistent with previous studies, we find positive returns to college-level credits, even among students who did not earn a credential. When accounting for the total number of college-level credits accumulated, we find significant “sheepskin effects,” the value of an educational award as a signal apart from the skills actually associated with earning that degree—associated with associate and bachelor’s degree receipt but no consistently positive sheepskin effects for short-term and long-term certificates. However, analysis by field of study reveals highly differentiated results, both in terms of returns to credits and the sheepskin effects. Lastly, we find that returns to credits and to award receipt differ among younger and older students, which suggests different educational needs and benefits for students at different points in their careers.