Dropout rates are a growing concern for educators in both classroom and online settings. While both environments face unique challenges, this blog focuses on online learners. We’ll look at why they lose interest, and more importantly, how you can catch the early warning signs and step in before they drop out.
What Causes Students to Drop Out
As per studies, the dropout rate for online learners ranges from 40% to 80%. If we talk about the massive open online courses (MOOCs), the rate even jumps to over 90%.
If you want to prevent this alarmingly high dropout rate, the first step is to understand what makes learners leave before completing the course.
Below are the top 10 reasons why students drop out of online courses:
- Difficulty adjusting to the online learning environment
- Course content not matching learner expectations
- Frequent technical issues or platform instability
- Poor time management among students
- Loss of motivation during the course
- Excessive flexibility with no structure or deadlines
- Lack of interaction with instructors or peers
- Overwhelming content presented in large chunks
- Inadequate academic or technical support
- Course material lacking real-world relevance
Early signals: How to Spot Learners at Risk of Dropping Out
The following are some of the most common early warning signs in at-risk online students:
Long Gaps in Login Activity
If a student has not logged in for a few days, especially after being active, it’s a strong indicator that they are slipping. Occasional absences should not be a worrying sign. But if they are taking excessive absences, including excused and unexcused absences, it should tell you that that student is definitely at risk of dropping out.
These absences could be due to any personal or health challenges they might be facing. However, you have to stay vigilant by setting up activity tracking and alerts for inactivity beyond a certain period.
Incomplete Assignments or Lack of Participation
Another early signal that offers valuable insights is how a student behaves during the class or course. Are they skipping quizzes or not submitting assignments? Do they avoid discussion forums, or are they reluctant to ask questions?
These things generally point toward disengagement. While there could be other reasons as well, the best approach is to check with them before they fall too far behind.
Low Video Completion Rates
A low video completion rate is another early sign that a student is at risk of dropping out. Let’s say a learner starts watching videos but does not watch them till the end or skips altogether; it is a clear sign that something is wrong.
Maybe the content is too long. Or maybe it’s not engaging enough. When attention drops this early, it’s high time to revisit your format, pacing, and presentation style to keep learners interested.
Declining Academic Performance
Another great way to identify at-risk learners is to look at their academic performance. If they consistently score low on quizzes or practice exercises, or you simply notice a general reduced interest or lack of effort on the part of certain learners, these are signs they might be at risk.
Therefore, you should carefully monitor any drop in student performance compared to previous terms. If that drop is significant and sudden, it might mean the student is struggling and needs help.
Strategies to Identify Early Signals and Reduce Dropouts
You want to ensure 100% student success. Here is some good news: the problems we discussed above are not unsolvable. With the right strategy, you can spot and solve those early signals to re-engage learners and reduce dropout rates.
Build Momentum with Timely Check-Ins
Sometimes, all it takes is a gentle nudge. For students who stop logging in, you can set up automated nudges that remind them to return and make them feel noticed.
You can use push notifications, emails, or in-app messages to remind learners where they left off. For instance, you can say: “Hey Sarah, you’ve completed 70% of your course, great job! Just 3 more lessons to go. Ready to continue?”.
By using progress nudges and sending personalized reminders, you can easily turn red flags into opportunities to retain your students.
Break Content into Bite-Sized Modules
If you find out that students are not finishing videos, then the topic might not always be the problem. It’s time to look at the delivery of your materials.
Break your lesson into shorter chunks to make it easier for students to maintain a daily habit. You should try to aim for video lessons of less than 10 minutes. You can follow up with short exercises or quizzes.
This way, you reduce cognitive load and keep your learners engaged without overwhelming them.
Ensure Clear and Explicit Instructions
If students are submitting incomplete assignments, it’s possible that they cannot fully understand the accompanied instructions. To prevent any misunderstandings, you can ask your teachers to include clear instructions that detail everything explicitly.
Instead of written instructions, your teachers can include recorded videos to clearly explain or provide a demonstration on how to complete and upload the assignments. When needed, they can share rubrics or sample projects so students know what’s expected of them.
Keep Learners Involved and Motivated
To keep your students engaged, one great strategy is to develop pulse surveys or weekly reflections. You can also create anonymous discussion forums where learners can speak up without any fear.
To motivate students, you can offer milestone-based rewards by gamifying the learning process. You can give small rewards like badges or certificates so learners feel a sense of achievement and progress.
Make Targeted Interventions, Proactively
Once students at risk of dropping out are identified using early signals, you should place them in a targeted intervention program. With targeted interventions, you can address the unique needs of students related to attendance, behavior, or academic achievement.
However, it’s vital that your interventions are proactive, not reactive. Following a proactive approach, you should reach out to students before they reach a point where engagement sharply declines.
Ready to Catch Early Red Flags with Edly LMS?
Dropout rates can only be reduced if you can catch those early warning signs. Only then can you step in at the right time and re-engage learners before they reach a critical point.
Edly LMS makes this possible by giving you access to the data you need to study students’ behavior. Under the Edly Insights tab, you get all the detailed information about learners and courses so you can easily track their login patterns, assignment submissions, course progress, and other metrics.
Once you have a clear view of the student’s behavior, you can intervene early and offer personalized support to keep learners on track.
Thanks for reading. Hope it helps!
