Online Student Survey: Why Students Drop Summer Courses

1
Online Student Survey Why Students Drop Summer
Courses

• Summer Session Office
• Summer 2004

2
Survey was conducted in Summer 2004

• Online survey was sent to students who enrolled
  in CSU summer session and who dropped at least
  one course.
  
• Sent to 4047 students
• Return rate was 12.9
• N 521
• No identifiers on the questionnaire but students
  could respond only once.

3
Class Level of Respondents

• Freshman 1.5 (8)
• Sophomore 10.6 (55)
• Junior 30.4 (158)
• Senior 46 (239)
• Other 11.4 (59)
• Other 37 were Graduate/Master level

4
Type of Student andPast Attendance of CSU Summer
Session

• CSU admitted student 96.5 (499)
• Summer Only Student 1.4 (7)
• Other 2.1 (11)
• Attended past summers 37 (192)
• No, did not attend in the past 63 (328)

5
Number of Courses Enrolled

• One 119 22.9
• Two 156 30.0
• Three 112 21.5
• Four 63 12.1
• Five plus 70 13.5

6
When did students register(Check all that apply)

• Before spring break 118 23.8
• Mid March thru April 274 55.4
• In May 141 28.5
• In June 30 6.1
• In July 4 0.8
• Dont remember 31 6.3
• Missing 26

7
Number of Courses Dropped

• One course 312 68.0
• Two courses 93 20.3
• Three courses 33 7.2
• Four courses 14 3.1
• Five plus courses 7 1.5
• Missing 62

8
When did students drop(check all that apply)

• Before spring break 6 1.3
• Mid March thru April 44 9.6
• In May 212 46.1
• In June 179 38.9
• In July 38 8.3
• Dont remember 18 3.9
• Missing 60

9
Dropped courses before they began

• Yes 333 66.9
• No 165 33.1
• If yes how many courses were dropped before
  they began?
  
• One course 223 67.6
• Two courses 68 20.6
• Three courses 22 6.7
• Four plus courses 17 5.1

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Dropped Courses after they began

• Yes 157 31.7
• No 339 68.3
• If yes how many courses were dropped after they
  began?
  
• One course 130 82.8
• Two courses 21 13.4
• Three courses 5 3.2

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Reasons for Dropping (check all that apply)

• Didnt have the 128 26.3
• Job took priority 125 25.7
• No financial aid 70 14.4
• Vacation, didnt need the class, pace too
  accelerated, enrolled in too many credits 57-61
  12
  
• Other 181 37.2

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Open-ended Responses N 261

• Too expensive 32 12.3
• Time conflicts (inconvenient, class too
  early/late, classes overlapped) 31 12
  
• Conflict with work 31 12
• Personal Issues (death, illness) 26 10
• Instructor problems 26 10
• Took a different course 25 9.6
• Pace/workload too much 21 8

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Between Group Analyses 1

• Students who register early for summer courses
  are the ones taking the largest load.
  
• Using the earliest time the students registered
  with the of registered courses, a t-test was
  performed
  
• Compared Before SP Break In May w/ of
  registered courses significant at .05 level
  
• There was a decrease in the mean of courses as
  students registered later.
  

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Between Group Analyses 2

• Students register for more courses than they plan
  to take or they register for more courses than
  they can handle.
  
• Pearson Correlation is positive .01 level
• The more courses students registered for the more
  courses they dropped

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Between Group Analyses 3

• Students dont realize they are taking more than
  they can manage if they have never taken summer
  courses before
  
• T-test no significant difference between those
  students who enrolled in past summer sessions and
  those who enrolled for the first time regarding
  of courses dropped.

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Between Group Analyses 4

• Students drop more courses before courses begin
• Paired t-test compared of courses dropped
  before classes began w/ of courses dropped
  after classes began significant at .01 level
  
• Students more likely to drop courses before
  classes start

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Between Group Analyses 5

• The times when students drop courses correlate
  with their reasons for dropping
  
• Pearson Chi-Square four correlations are
  significant (p
• Dropped before want time off job took priority
  did not have the funds
  
• Dropped after pace of course too fast

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Conclusions

• Students enroll for SS later than we assumed 55
  - between mid-March and end of April
  
• A fourth register early (before spring break a
  fourth later (in May)
  
• The students who enroll early, register for the
  most credits skews our SCH projection and
  revenue projection

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Conclusions cont.

• 67 of students dropped before course(s) began
  not assessed tuition no problems w/ withdrawal
  policies
  
• 32 dropped after courses began of these, 83
  dropped only one course
  
• Major reason for dropping after classes began
  pace too fast.

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Discussion

• Communicate to students expect an accelerated
  pace
  
• Most students dont enroll in 9 credits in the
  summer session, thus . . .
  
• Students perceive that summer tuition is much
  higher than fall/spring this is problematic.