UTA works with Boeing, NASA, MIT to improve online students' completion rates

Researchers at The University of Texas at Arlington are working with Boeing, NASA and Massachusetts Institute of Technology to better understand the role that social networks play in the completion rates and academic performance of students taking online courses.

"Learning online is exploding in popularity, as is the research evaluating how to best learn with technology," said George Siemens, executive director of UTA's Learning Innovation and Networked Knowledge Research Lab and principal investigator of the study. "This project with LINK Research Lab will examine how social networks contribute to student success."

The researchers are studying the performance of students in an online four-course certification program in systems engineering that was launched in fall 2016 through a partnership with Boeing, NASA and MIT Professional Education.

Students cited several reasons for not completing the MIT-Boeing Systems Engineering course, which had a drop rate of 5 percent. While this rate is extremely low for open online courses, it still concerns corporate partners who have made a significant investment in employee development. The reasons given for discontinuing courses range from dissatisfaction due to technical issues to inability to keep up with course load.

"Our MIT online course data already suggests students perform better when they have help and the social connection to support their learning," Siemens said. "This connection contributes to their willingness to persevere through the course and could come in the form of interaction on the social network platform, experience in leveraging online social capital and personal motivation."

"Understanding these social factors will uncover pedagogical and technological constraints that have negative impacts to student persistence," he said. LINK is a research lab where researchers, educators and graduate students connect, share and collaborate in advancing social and technological networks, designing future learning models and exploring the future of higher education.

LINK Research Lab was launched in 2013. Since that time, the lab has obtained a number of NSF grants, foundation, and corporate grants. This has resulted in the development of a network of international scholars, cutting-edge research projects and collaboration with graduate students, faculty and staff at UTA.

"This new research project is reflective of LINK's prominent international research profile," Siemens explained. "It also helps us work with top corporate partners and global universities to advance scientific research and develop doctoral and post-doctoral students in the process."

Provided by University of Texas at Arlington