Patricia Martinez
OMDE 608
Section: 9040
March 17, 2013
Position Paper
Terry Müller’s paper, “Persistence of Women in Online Degree-Completion Programs” (Müller,
2008), concludes that, while distance education (DE) institutions in the United States market to women,
“without necessarily taking into account that women continue to be primary caretakers of children and other family members” (Müller, 2008), as well as other stressors and responsibilities. Müller emphasizes that more research has to be done on the subject to further examine the extent other factors plat in the role of persistence, or lack thereof, in their studies. However, in the study conducted, he gains insight on the some of the crucial factors with regard to women and the …show more content…
Factors in Learner Persistence
The females students interviewed stated some key factors to maintaining persistence included frequent interaction with classmates and faculty, as well as, being engaged in a supportive learning environment (Müller, 2005). Sherri Restauri’s article, “Creating an Effective Online Distance Education
Program Using Targeted Support Factors,” she acknowledges that new DL’s need faculty support in navigating technology, group discussions, and answering questions related to assignments
(Restauri,2004). Interactive and supportive learning environments assists women in building confidence in course participation, flexible feedback from instructors allows women to improve writing skills, and interaction among classmates helps women feel a part of the group (Hipp, 1997), all of which improve the chances of successfully graduating.
Interactive Learning Environment
Müller’s article discusses the importance female learners place on interacting with fellow students and instructors in assisting to remain focused (Müller, 2005). In Anderson’s article “Getting the
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Patricia …show more content…
In
Hipp’s study, women shared their fear of failure being reinforced by harsh criticisms and comments on assignments causing them disconnect from the instructor and diminishing their self-confidence as a student (Hipp, 1997). Female students in several studies also openly discussed spending vast amount of time attempting to understand instructors expectations with regard to assignments (Hipp, 1997), and difficulty reaching the instructor within a timeframe which allowed them to complete the assignment successfully (Müller, 2005). Lack of guidelines and quality feedback from instructors was also reported to be a disappointing factor causing students to lose interest and at times quit on their education
(Restauri, 2004). In review of the above mentioned barriers, it is evident that lack of quality communication and support between the instructor and female students eradicate the desire to move forward in earning a higher education. There is also the barrier of issues in the personal lives of