Surviving the shipwreck: what makes online students stay online and learn?

• Published in: Educational technology & society Vol. 9; no. 4; pp. 185 - 193
• Main Authors: Cronje, Johannes C, Adendorff, Debbie E, Meyer, Salome M, van Ryneveld, Linda
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Palmerston North International Forum of Educational Technology & Society 01-01-2006
• Subjects: Academic Persistence; Adult education; CAI; Computer & video games; Computer assisted instruction; Computer Uses in Education; Distance education; Distance learning; Doctoral students; Dropout Rate; Dropout Research; Educational environment; Educational Games; Educational psychology; Email; Foreign Countries; Full Length Articles; Games; Graduate Students; Group facilitation; Internet; Learning Experience; Learning motivation; Online Courses; Online instruction; Online learning; Peer Relationship; Peer relationships; Social support; South Africa; Student Characteristics; Student Motivation; Students; Teacher Role; Tribes; South Africa
• ISSN: 1176-3647; 1436-4522; 1436-4522

Although much is written about reasons why students drop out of online courses, little is said about what makes them stay. This article reports on an experiment whereby online students were exposed to a learning experience modelled on the US television seriesSurvivor. Twenty-four students were put intotribesand allowed to vote one another off the island at the end of each week. Students who were voted out of their tribes, were still on the course, but could no longer rely on the support of their peers. The course had a very high dropout rate, and students reported that the experience was extremely stressful. Yet there were fifteen students who completed the whole course. The question iswhy? This article identifies and discusses three aspects that contributed to the success of those who completed: The game metaphor, the roles and competencies of the facilitator, and the affective dimensions of peer support in a non-contact environment