Date of Award
2002
Document Type
Practicum
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Programs for Higher Education
Keywords
adult learners, alternatives, annual growth, attrition, campus management, campus operations, classroom instruction, colleges, committee members, competitive environment, convenience, corporate management, criteria, developmental study, distance education, educational needs, educational options, educational processes, educational services, enrollment growth, external factors, feedback, formative committee, growth strategies, guidelines, higher education, implementation, instructional delivery methodologies, instructional program, instrument design, instrument development, integration, institutions, internal factors, literature review, management, nontraditional institutions, pilot test, presentation, private colleges, private universities, program completion, proprietary institutions, public colleges, public institutions, public universities, quality, recruitment, recommendations, retention initiatives, review, student feedback, student retention, student services, student withdrawal, students, study, summative committee, support services, sustainable growth, theoretical concepts, traditional institutions, usage guidelines, university management, validity, withdrawal factors
Abstract
The management of Strayer University has established very aggressive student 2 enrollment growth plans, which entail annual growth percentages exceeding those of many other regionally accredited public, private, and proprietary institutions of higher education. Catering to the educational needs of adult learners, Strayer University operates in an environment that has undergone an extensive metamorphosis as an increasing number of public and private colleges and universities have incorporated the adult learner market into their growth strategies. As a host of distance education alternatives continue to gain acceptance from both the general public and the higher education community learners, both traditional and nontraditional, are provided access to educational options not afforded to past generations; therefore, an institution's growth is predicated on its ability to recruit new students and most importantly retain its current student population.
The problem was that Strayer University had no mechanism in place to solicit feedback from students withdrawing from the institution prior to completing their programs of study; therefore, the institution was unable to determine the major factors contributing to student withdrawal. Thus, the purpose of this study was to develop an instrument that could be used by Strayer University to timely gather feedback regarding both the educational processes utilized by the institution and the extent of various external and internal factors influencing a student's decision to withdraw from the institution.
There were three research questions for this study: What are the appropriate and valid criteria for the development of an instrument to be used in determining factors relating to early student withdrawal from Strayer University? What is the appropriate and valid design of an instrument to be used in soliciting feedback from students withdrawing from Strayer University? What is the appropriate and valid content to be used within the instrument?
Procedures used for this developmental study included: (a) review of relevant literature, (b) selection of and meeting with formative and summative committee members, ( c) development of a usable instrument within established criteria, ( d) formative committee analysis of the developed instrument, (e) establishment of usage guidelines, (f) pilot test of the instrument, (g) review of the instrument by the summative committee, and (h) presentation of the instrument and usage guidelines to the institution's Provost for implementation.
The findings of this study demonstrated that student retention initiatives are becoming a high priority among both traditional and nontraditional institutions of higher education as environment in which many of these institutions operate becomes increasingly competitive. Institutions with student populations consisting of a large percentage of adult learners must ensure educational and student services are aligned with the unique educational needs of this student segment, classroom instruction incorporates practical application to theoretical concepts, convenience and quality are closely intertwined, and a host of instructional delivery methodologies are available. Colleges and universities must actively solicit feedback from both in-school students and those withdrawing from the institution to clearly evaluate the effectiveness of the educational processes and support services being employed by the institution, and accept the premise that student retention is the lifeblood of any institution wanting to sustain high growth in a very competitive environment.
It was recommended that the results of this study and the associated instrument be presented to the Provost of the University for presentation and integration into the institution's student retention initiatives. Additionally, it was recommended that feedback gained by the instrument be summarized into attrition issues that are systemic and those related particular campus operations, and that these results are distributed throughout Strayer's corporate and campus management. Recommendations were also made regarding time-periods for the potential modification of the instrument and/or its usage guidelines, and avenues for additional student retention studies within Strayer University.