Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identifier

4837

Date

2016

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Major

Instr and Curr Leadership

Concentration

Instructional Design and Tech

Committee Chair

Deborah L Lowther

Committee Member

David Cox

Committee Member

Torre Carter Kelley

Committee Member

Trey Martindale

Abstract

Higher attrition rates among students in online as compared to face-to-face (F2F) degrees are a major concern in higher education. Consequently, many institutions are rethinking academic advising to support the retention and graduation of F2F and online students. This study analyzed existing data collected from 522 undergraduate seniors at a large public urban university who completed the 2014 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Academic Advising Module. Three research questions guided the study: 1) To what degree, if any, does the frequency of interaction with academic advisors reported by undergraduate students differ on the basis of course format (face-to-face vs. online only) and by student factors (gender, ethnicity, first generation status, and Pell Grant status)? 2) To what degree, if any, does academic advisor support reported by undergraduate students differ on the basis of course format (face-to-face vs. online only) and by student factors (gender, ethnicity, first generation, and Pell Grant status)? 3) To what degree, if any, does the primary source of advice reported by undergraduate students differ on the basis of course format (face-to-face vs. online) and by student factors (gender, ethnicity, first generation,and PellGrant status)? Regarding frequency of interaction with academic advisors, findings revealed no significant differences between face-to-face and online students by gender, ethnicity, first generation status or Pell Grant status. Additionally, no significant differences were found in reported levels of academic advisor support received by face-to-face and online students by gender, ethnicity, first generation status or Pell Grant status. However, Chi square analyses revealed that White, first generation, and non-Pell eligible online students sought advice from their assigned advisor significantly more that their F2F counterparts. The findings have implications for academic advising policies that may lead to the implementation of more effective strategies that enhance students' overall academic advising experiences. Recommendations for future research include examining advising experience when combining student factors as well as advisor support by frequency of interaction and primary source to identify possible correlations. Lastly, research examining additional NSSEindicators of student engagement beyond academic advising might provide insight into student retention and graduation issues.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.

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