Abstract

Despite an increasing number of individuals completing doctoral degrees from earlier years, approximately 50% of students who begin a program never complete their degree. Attrition rates for students enrolled in online doctoral programs are higher than students who attend courses in a face-to-face setting. Research has identified that the lack of social integration is one of the key components associated with high student attrition rates in doctoral programs. Creating and maintaining positive student-faculty and student-student relationships are essential factors in doctoral persistence. As the popularity and demand for online doctoral programs increases, student retention and completion rates decrease. The literature suggests that the physical disconnect experienced by students, as well as the challenges of building relationships with faculty and peers, are contributing factors to the high rates of attrition in online doctoral programs. To that end, this study sought to determine how an institution can build relationship and community in a fully online doctoral program.

摘要

尽管从前几年开始完成博士学位的人数有所增加，但大约有50％的开始参加该计划的学生从未完成其学位。参加在线博士课程的学生的流失率要比面对面学习课程的学生高。研究发现，缺乏社会融合是博士课程中学生流失率高的关键因素之一。建立和维持积极的师生关系和学生与学生的关系是博士执业的关键因素。随着在线博士课程的普及和需求的增加，学生的保留率和完成率降低。文献表明，学生身体上的脱节，以及与教师和同伴建立关系的挑战，都是导致在线博士课程流失率高的因素。为此，本研究试图确定一个机构如何通过完全在线的博士课程建立关系和社区。