Understanding student paths in higher education blended-learning: beyond success and dropout by Kalliopi Benetos, Université de Genève

1. Understanding student paths in
higher education blended-learning:
Beyond success and dropout
Kalliopi Benetos
University of Geneva, Switzerland
UniDistance (Swiss Distance
University), Switzerland,
kalliopi.benetos@unige.ch
Laurence Gagnière
University of Geneva, Switzerland
laurence.gagniere@unige.ch
Kalli Benetos & Laurence Gagnière

2. Questions
Roughly what
proportion of face-to-
face students do you
consider to be non-
traditional?
a) 0-20%
b) 21-40%
c) 41-60%
d) 61-80%
e) 81-100%
Kalli Benetos & Laurence Gagnière
Roughly what
proportion of your
blended or distance-
learning students do you
consider to be non-
traditional?
a) 0-20%
b) 21-40%
c) 41-60%
d) 61-80%
e) 81-100%

3. (Non)traditional students in blended-learning
Non-traditional students
• Over 25
• Geographically distant (off-campus)
• Employed or constrained by other obligations or
activities
• Gender, ethnicity, socio-cultural background, socio-
economic status, disability
• enrolled in alternative programs: part-time,
distance/blended learning
• Admission pathway: through continuing education or
other qualifications/equivalences
• Previous degree
Chung, Turnbull & Chur-Hansen, 2014
Kalli Benetos & Laurence Gagnière

4. Understanding student paths in higher education blended-
learning: Beyond success and dropout
Kalli Benetos & Laurence Gagnière
+ = Dropout
(Xenos & al., 2002; Pierrakas & al., 2004; Lee & al., 2013; Levy, 2007)
Non-traditional students
Blended learning

5. Research questions
1. Are there critical moments for departures?
2. What is the degree of completion before
withdrawal?
3. Are there critical (problematic) courses?
Kalli Benetos & Laurence Gagnière
Differences and similarities?
Master Bachelor CAS

6. 3 programs, 2 institutions, 3 levels
CAS e-learning (28)
Students graduated Students still enrolled
Students dropped out Students eliminated
MALTT (118 students)
Students graduated Students still enrolled
Students dropped out Students eliminated
BA Psychology (259 students)
Students graduated Students still enrolled
Students dropped out Students eliminated
Master (118 students)
Kalli Benetos & Laurence Gagnière

7. Enrollment duration
Master
Bachelor
CAS
Early
departures
Later
departures
1st or 2nd semester
for 2/3
Kalli Benetos & Laurence Gagnière

8. Credits earned before withdrawing
Master (120
credits: 4 or 6
semesters)
Bachelor (180
credits: 9
semesters)
CAS (12 credits:
2-4 semesters)
71.7%
7.1%
0.5% 1.1% 0.5%
4.9%
1.6% 0.5% 2.2% 0.5% 0.5% 1.6% 0.5% 0.5% 2.2% 1.1% 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 1.1%
credits
0
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
26
30
35
36
50
51
56
66
70
82
86
120
0.0% 0.0%
11.8%
5.9%
0.0%
5.9%
17.6%
5.9%
11.8%
23.5%
17.6%
0 credits 1 credits 2 credits 3 credits 4 credits 5 credits 6 credits 7 credits 8 credits 9 credits 10 credits
Kalli Benetos & Laurence Gagnière
Before masters thesis
and work-study
1st semester
Some - 1st semester
Most - before final project reporting

9. 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
M01 M02 M03 M04 M05 M06 M07 M08 M09 M10 M11 M12 M13 M17-1 M17-2 M18
Achieved Failed Missing
100.0% 99.5%
29.5%
26.2%
9.3% 8.7% 9.3% 9.3%
3.3% 4.4%
2.7% 3.8%
1.1% 2.2% 1.6% 1.1%
Total
Course enrollment
CAS
Master
Bachelor
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
M1J1 M1J2 M1J3 M1J4 M1J5 TFM M2A1 M2A2 M2A3 M2A4 M2A5 M2A6 M3TFE
Achieved Failed Missing
100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
64.7%
70.6%
52.9%
76.5%
82.4%
64.7%
76.5%
Total
Kalli Benetos & Laurence Gagnière
The case of the « missing
students »

10. Conclusions
1. Early departures: contradict Hornik et al., 2008
§ No disciplinary effect: fundamental sciences (Master /
CAS) vs humanities/social sciences (BA)
➥ Need to identify and non-traditional students’
profiles
Propose early support for differing profiles
Kalli Benetos & Laurence Gagnière

11. Conclusions
2. No similar trends in number of credits completed
before withdrawal
➥ E-learning culture
§ blended-learning perceived as an advantage or
inconvenience (Klein et al., 2006):
§ Master / CAS -> development of e-learning culture is part of
learning objectives
§ Bachelor - > unfamiliar culture, significant barrier to success
Prepare/promote the development of students’
e-learning competence
Kalli Benetos & Laurence Gagnière

12. Question
Which of the following do your institutions offer to
develop e-learning culture and skills?
a) Training tutorials online
b) Voluntary courses
c) Digital skills certification (e.g. ECDL) or validation
(badges, added credit, other?)
d) Digital skills developed intentionally through
course activities
Kalli Benetos & Laurence Gagnière

13. Conclusions
3. Critical courses: final project never completed
➥ Non-traditional students :
skills development ≠ certification
§ Degree not necessarily linked to academic success for non-
traditional students (Karunaratne et al., 2017)
Take non-traditional students’ learning goals into
consideration in curriculum design
Kalli Benetos & Laurence Gagnière

14. Question (open discussion)
What can be done to accommodate these real-world
needs within higher-education institutions?
§ Should they be accommodated? Why? Why not?
§ Should wider degree options be offered? If so
what types of options?
§ Other questions?
Kalli Benetos & Laurence Gagnière

15. Perspectives
Highest early dropout in programs with high credits/course ratio
➥ dropout in first semester
§ 71% - 10 ECTS courses (BA Psy)
§ 36 % - 6 ECTS courses (MALTT)
§ 12% - 1 ECTS courses (CAS)
Reconsider impact of course lengths and credit
distributions of courses => curriculum design
§ favour incremental accumulation of credits rather than heavy,
lengthy courses for programs aimed at non-traditional
students.
Kalli Benetos & Laurence Gagnière