Promoting Online Student Persistence: Strategies to Promote Online Learning Self-efficacy

Persistence in an online course is associated with several factors (Chu and Chu in Comput Educ 55:145–154, 2010; Prior et al. in Internet High Educ 29:91–97, 2016; Zimmerman and Kulikowich in Am J Distance Educ 30:180–191, 2016), including online learning self-efficacy (Bandura in Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. Freeman, 1997; Stephen et al. in Am J Distance Educ, 2020; Tinto in Leaving college: rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition, 2nd edn. University of Chicago Press, 1993; Tinto in J College Student Retention Res Theory Pract 19:254–269, 2017; Zimmerman and Kulikowich in Am J Distance Educ 30:180–191, 2016). Students with strong online learning self-efficacy are confident in their ability to use technology, manage their time to ensure course work is complete, and to navigate the online learning space successfully (e.g., submit assignments, watch online videos, and participate in an online discussion forum); therefore, they are more likely to persist. Drawing from an extensive review of the literature, the authors of this chapter define online learning self-efficacy and then discuss high-impact interventions related to this construct. While high-impact practices (HIPs) to improve student success, including persistence, in residential university and college settings are well established, little research on high-impact practice experiences for online settings exists (Kuep in High impact practices in online education: research and best practices. Stylus, 2018). This chapter, thus, provides discussion in this much-needed area and presents a model for a HIPs First-Year Seminar that focuses on promoting online learning self-efficacy and other human agency-related elements