NECC Northern Essex Community College Online Courses at Northern Essex Community College 2013 Course Enrollment & Completion 1 WEBON (100% online) course enrollment at Northern Essex Community College increased by 2.8% from 2012 to 2013.The number of WEBON courses also increased by 2.8%, while online sections for WEBON increased 4.2% (see Table 1). WEBHY (50% online) course enrollments decreased by 1.8%. The number of WEBHY courses increased by 19% and the WEBHY sections remained unchanged (see Table 2). Table 1 WEBON 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 % Change '12 - '13 # WEBON Seats 2,021 2,182 1,992 2,013 2,069 2.8% # WEBON Courses 52 63 71 71 73 2.8% # WEBON Sections 102 109 101 96 100 4.2% Average WEBON Section Size 20 20 20 21 21-1.5% Average Traditional Section Size 19 20 19 19 20 5.3% For 2013 there were 2,069 grades assigned to WEBON classified courses and 1,148 to WEBHY classified courses. Although there has been a slight increase in WEBON seats in 2013 by 2.8% from 2012, there has been a decrease in the number of WEBHY seats by 5.8% in 2013 from 2012 (see Table2). Table 2 WEBHY 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 % Change '12 - '13 # WEBHY Seats 424 763 784 1,169 1,148-1.8% # WEBHY Courses 19 24 29 42 50 19.0% # WEBHY Sections 23 38 45 70 70 0.0% Average WEBHY Section Size 18 20 17 17 18 5.8% Average Traditional Section Size 19 20 19 19 20 5.3% 1 This report calculates average section size using the end of term grade file. Sections with enrollments of 1-4 are considered directed studies and not included. Page 1 of 12
Number of Online Seats Figure 1 below shows the trend of the number of seats for WEBON and WEBHY from 2009 to 2013. There was a steady increase in number of WEBHY seats over the years from 2009 to 2010 in comparison to the slightly decreased number of WEBON seats. 2013 shows a stabilization of both WEBON and WEBHY. Figure 1 2,500 Number of Seats 2009-2013 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 WEBON WEBHY 0 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 In 2013, the number of seats for traditional courses decreased by 0.8% from 2012 while WEBON seats increased by 2.7% and WEBHY seats decreased by 1.8% (See Table 3). Due to the fact that many traditionally taught courses now have a blackboard component, traditional, web companion and web enhanced course methods are more similar and therefore have been merged together in this analysis. Table 3 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 % All courses by Method Type # Seats % # Seats % # Seats % # Seats % # Seats % Change Traditional* 15,421 86.3% 16,503 84.9% 16,178 85.4% 15,802 83.2% 15,674 83.0% -0.8% WEBON 2,021 11.3% 2,182 11.2% 1,992 10.5% 2,013 10.6% 2,069 11.0% 2.7% WEBHY 424 2.4% 763 3.9% 784 4.1% 1,169 6.2% 1,148 6.1% -1.8% Total Grades 17,866 100% 19,448 100% 18,954 100% 18,984 100% 18,891 100% *Traditional include WEBCP and WEBEN WEBON A-C completion rates barely changed from 64.7% in 2012 to 64.8% in 2013. WEBHY A-C completion rates have increased from 73.1% in 2012 to 77% in 2013. The traditional A-C completion rates have increased from 71.5% in 2012 to 73.1% in 2013 (see Table 4). Reported traditional completion rates in Table 4 include web enhanced and web companion for reasons previously detailed. Page 2 of 12
Table 4 % WEBON 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Change '12 - '13 # WEBON Grades 2,021 2,182 1,992 2,013 2,069 2.8% # WEBON Completers (A - C) 1,251 1365 1,276 1,303 1,340 2.8% WEBON Completion Rate (A - C) 61.9% 62.6% 64.1% 64.7% 64.8% 0.0% % WEBHY 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Change '12 - '13 # WEBHY Grades 424 763 784 1,169 1,148-1.8% # WEBHY Completers (A - C) 260 513 488 855 884 3.4% WEBHY Completion Rate (A - C) 61.3% 67.2% 62.2% 73.1% 77.0% 3.9% % Traditional* 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Change '12 - '13 # Traditional Grades 15,421 16,503 16,178 15,802 15,674-0.8% # Traditional Completers (A - C) 10,849 11,597 11,260 11,295 11,457 1.4% Traditional Completion Rate (A - C) 70.4% 70.3% 69.6% 71.5% 73.1% 1.6% % Total (all Grades) 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Change '12 - '13 # Total Grades 17,866 19,448 18,954 18,984 18,891-0.5% # Total Completers (A - C) 12,361 13,475 13,024 13,453 13,681 1.7% Total Completion Rate (A - C) 69.2% 69.3% 68.7% 70.9% 72.4% 1.6% % of WEBON Grades to All Grades 11.3% 11.2% 10.5% 10.6% 11.0% 0.3% % of Online** Grades to All Grades 13.7% 15.1% 14.6% 16.8% 17.0% 0.3% *Traditional include Web enhanced and Web companion ** Online include WEBON and WEBHY WEBHY realized the largest year gain in course completion rate by 3.9%, increasing from 73.1% in 2012 to 77.0% in 2013. Due to this significant increase, it is important to consider what factors could potentially account for this large difference. The I Health program began more recently, and the I Health sections are all WEBHY. Due to these two factors, it is important to examine what type of an impact I Health has on the WEBHY course completion rate. Table 5 shows that I Health WEBHY course completion rate is significantly higher than the non-i Health WEBHY course completion rate. However, the 2012 to 2013 increase in WEBHY course completion rate was higher for the non-i Health courses, indicating non-i Health WEBHY courses had a more significant impact on the overall WEBHY course completion rate change of 3.9% in Table 4. Page 3 of 12
Table 5 2012 2013 Course Completion Rate % Change WEB HYBRID # # A-C completers # # A-C completers 2012 2013 '12 - '13 # I Health Seats 352 303 424 374 86.1% 88.2% 2.1% # Non I Health Seats 817 552 724 510 67.6% 70.4% 2.9% Total Grades 1,169 855 1,148 884 73.1% 77.0% 3.9% Online courses were offered in 40 disciplines in 2013. Table 6 includes all disciplines offered during 2013 and the corresponding completion rates by instructional method. Out of these 40 disciplines, 6 showed a higher A C completion rate than their traditional counterparts (highlighted in gray). Of these 6 highlighted disciplines, Medical Records Technology had the largest difference of 67.1% between the online and traditional course completion rate. Table 6 Discipline Subject Code 2013 Online A- C Completion Rate 2013 Traditional A - C Completion Rate Accounting ACC 61.4% Anthropology ANT 68.0% Art ART 54.5% American Sign Language ASL 100.0% Biology BIO 66.8% 68.3% Business BUS 63.9% Chemistry CHM 88.0% 77.4% Computer Information Sciences CIS 58.5% Clinic Lab Science CLS 100.0% Communications COM 82.8% Cooperative Education COP 100.0% Criminal Justice CRJ 54.7% Computed Tomography CTA 83.3% Computer Technology Electronics CTE 95.2% Computer Technology Networking CTN 67.2% Cardiovascular Technology CVT 91.7% Dance DAN 100.0% Dental Assisting DAS 100.0% Early Childhood Education ECE 89.5% 89.9% Economics ECO 67.3% 77.6% Elementary Education EDU 66.7% 75.0% Page 4 of 12
Table 6 continued Discipline Subject Code 2013 Online A- C Completion Rate 2013 Traditional A - C Completion Rate Emergency Medical Technician EMT 80.0% 92.4% English ENG 60.6% 68.7% Earth Science ERS 62.7% 68.3% English as a Second Language ESL 83.8% Engineering Science & Technology EST 82.4% Geography GEO 80.0% Government GOV 58.1% 68.6% Graphic Design GRA 66.7% Health Services HES 89.5% 85.6% History HIS 58.7% 80.2% Honors HON 81.8% Human Services HUS 93.0% Literature LIT 70.6% 74.4% Medical Assistant MAS 92.1% 100.0% Mathematics MAT 67.5% 65.2% Management MGT 69.0% Marketing MKT 62.5% Medical Records Technology MRT 80.4% 13.3% Music MUS 100.0% Nursing NUR 100.0% 100.0% Paralegal Studies PAR 81.3% 72.9% PE / Sport and Leisure Studies PED 84.7% Philosophy PHI 49.5% 77.5% Physics PHS 84.2% Polysomnography PSG 91.9% 94.7% Psychology PSY 71.2% 71.8% Reading REA 66.7% Religion REL 40.0% 80.0% Respiratory Care RSC 100.0% 96.8% Radiologic Technology RTA 100.0% 100.0% Science SCI 73.3% Sociology SOC 68.1% 72.4% Spanish SPN 83.9% Theater THE 93.8% Page 5 of 12
Course Completion by Demographic Groups (Grades A-C) The graphs in figures 2-6 show the difference in course completion rates by various demographics. In these figures, course completion rates for online method of instruction includes WEBON and WEBHY. Course completion rates for traditional method of instruction includes Web enhanced and Web companion. In addition, Independent-samples t tests were conducted to find out if there were significant differences in mean grades between students using online as method of instruction and students taking traditional method of instruction. The test results are by various demographics detailed in tables 7 9. Gender Females completed both traditional and online courses at a higher A C rate than males in 2013 as shown in Figure 2. This difference was more pronounced with the traditional courses as females had A C completion rates 7% greater than their male counterparts. Males in both methods of instruction attained A C course completion rate below the overall averages compared to females who attained above overall averages in both methods. Figure 2 2013 A-C Course Completion by Instructional Method & Gender 80% 60% 40% 20% 69% 76% 61% 73% 0% Male Female Traditional (overall 73%) Online (overall 69%) Traditional include Web companion & Web enhanced Online include WEBON & WEBHY Grade comparison by Instructional Method & Gender In comparing mean grades for males who took online sections and those who took traditional sections, traditional male students had a significantly higher mean grade than male students taking online as method of instruction. In contrast, traditional female students had no significant difference in mean grade from online female students (see Table 7). Page 6 of 12
Table 7 Using All Grades 4.0 to 0.00 Online Traditional Gender Mean SD Mean SD P value Males 2.17 1.62 2.35 1.48 0.000* Females 2.58 1.51 2.63 1.43 0.134 * t test was statistically significant at p < 0.01 Age Students over age 25 taking online courses completed courses at a higher A C rate than students age 25 and under by 11% in 2013. The A C completion rates for online section courses for students over 25 were higher than the traditional completion rates for students age 25 and under by 5% (see Figure3). Figure 3 2013 A-C Course Completion by Instructional Method & Age 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 80% 70% 64% 25 & Under Over 25 75% Traditional (overall 73%) Online (overall 69%) Traditional include Web companion & Web enhanced Online include WEBON & WEBHY Grade comparison by Instruction Method and Age In grade comparison, students aged 25 & under who took courses using traditional method of instruction had a significantly higher mean grade than students aged 25 & under who took online as method of instruction. Similarly, students aged over 25 who took courses using traditional method of instruction had significantly higher mean grade than students over 25 years old who took online as method of instruction (see Table 8). Page 7 of 12
Table 8 Using All Grades 4.0 to 0.00 Online Traditional Age Mean SD Mean SD P value 25 & Under 2.20 1.55 2.39 1.46 0.000* Over 25 2.73 1.52 2.81 1.39 0.050** * t test was statistically significant at p < 0.01 ** t test was statistically significant at p = 0.05 Enrollment Status Part-time 2 students taking online sections completed courses at a lower A C rate than fulltime 3 students taking online sections by 2%. Full-time students taking traditional method of instruction had 4% higher A C completion rate than full-time students taking online method of instruction (see Figure 4). Figure 4 2013 A-C Course Completion by Instructional Method & Enrollment 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 72% 74% 68% 70% Part-Time Full-Time Traditional (overall 73%) Online (overall 69%) Traditional include Web companion & Web enhanced Online include WEBON & WEBHY Grade comparison by Instruction Method and Enrollment Status Part-time students who took courses using online method had a mean grade not significantly different from mean grade of part-time students who took courses using traditional method of instruction. Likewise, the mean grade for full-time students taking traditional section was higher than mean grade of full-time students taking online as method of instruction but not significantly different (see Table 9). 2 Students are considered to be part-time if they are enrolled in 11 credits or less. 3 Students are considered to be full-time if they are enrolled in 12 credits or more. Page 8 of 12
Table 9 Using All Grades 4.0 to 0.00 Online Traditional Status Mean SD Mean SD P value Part-Time 2.44 1.58 2.49 1.47 0.212 Full- Time 2.47 1.53 2.54 1.43 0.093 Credits Earned Students in traditional sections who earned one credit or more prior to 2013, had an 11% higher A C completion rate compared to students taking traditional sections who had not earned any credits. Students taking online sections with one or more earned credits had a 2% higher A C completion rate than students taking online sections who had not earned any credits (see Figure 5). Figure 5 2013 A-C Course Completion by Instructional Method & Earned Credits 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 64% No Earned Credits 75% 67% 69% 1 or More Earned Credits Traditional (overall 73%) Online (overall 69%) Traditional include Web companion & Web enhanced Online include WEBON & WEBHY Grade comparison by Instruction Method and Earned Credits The mean grade for students taking traditional sections who had earned zero credits prior to 2013 was lower than the mean grade for students taking online sections who earned zero credits prior to 2013, however the difference was not statistically significant. In contrast, the mean grade of students taking traditional sections who earned 1 or more credits prior to 2013 was significantly higher than the mean grade of students taking online sections who earned 1 or more credits prior to 2013 (see Table 10). Page 9 of 12
Table 10 Using All Grades 4.0 to 0.00 Credits Online Traditional Earned Mean SD Mean SD P value 0 Earned 2.35 1.66 2.24 1.59 0.248 1 or More 2.47 1.55 2.56 1.42 0.001* * t test was statistically significant at p < 0.01 Registration Date Students taking courses online as a method of instruction and students taking traditional courses, who registered for classes before January 1st, 2013, had higher A C completion rates than online and traditional students who registered on January 1st, 2013 or later. The difference was more pronounced for online students registered before January 1 st, 2013 with the A C completion rate being 32% higher than online students registered on or after January 1st, 2012. Traditional courses had a 28% higher A C completion rate for students who registered before January 1st, 2013 than traditional students who registered on or after January 1 st, 2013 (see Figure 6). Figure 6 2013 A-C Course Completion by Instructional Method & Registration Date 100% 50% 83% 81% 55% 49% 0% Registered Before Jan. 1st Registered Jan. 1st or Later Traditional (overall 73%) Online (overall 69%) Traditional include Web companion, Web enhanced Online include WEBON & WEBHY Grade comparison by Instruction Method and Registration Date In a comparison of students who registered before January 1st, 2013, students taking online sections had a higher mean grade than students taking traditional sections, but the difference was not statistically significant. Students taking online sections who registered on January 1 st, 2013 or later had a signigicantly lower mean grade than students taking traditional sections who registered on January 1st, 2013 or later (see Table 11). Page 10 of 12
Table 11 Using All Grades 4.0 to 0.00 Registration Online Traditional Date Mean SD Mean SD P value Before Jan.1st 2.89 1.30 2.85 1.22 0.255 Jan. 1st or later 1.72 1.69 1.88 1.61 0.003* * t test was statistically significant at p < 0.01 Summary 2013 experienced an increase in WEBON seats by 2. 8% from 2012 while the number of WEBON courses also increased by 2.8%. WEBON course completion rate remained unchanged at 64.7% compared to 2012. The WEBHY course completion rate increased by 3.9% from 73.1% in 2012 to 77% in 2013. The traditional A-C completion rate also increased by 1.6% from 71.5% in 2012 to 73.1% in 2013. As seen in previous year s online courses at Northern Essex Community College reports, males, students age 25 and under, part-time students, students with no earned credits, and students that registered on January 1 st,2013 or later had lower A - C completion rates than their counterparts. Registration date had the largest difference in A C completion rate with 32% difference for online courses and 28% for traditional courses as indicated in Figure 6. In 2013, both male and female students taking traditional sections had a higher mean grade than male and female students taking online courses. However, only males had a statistically significant difference. In an analysis to compare the performance of students by age, traditional students aged 25 and under had significantly higher mean score than online students of the same age category. Likewise, students aged over 25 taking traditional method of instruction had significantly higher mean grade than students taking online sections of the same age category. There was no significant difference in mean grades of part-time or full-time students taking traditional or online sections. Students taking online sections who earned no credits had lower mean scores than students taking traditional sections who earned no credits, however, the difference was not statistically significant. The mean grade of students taking online sections with 1 or more earned credits was significantly lower than students taking traditional sections who earned 1 or more credits prior to 2013. Students taking online sections registered before January 1 st, 2013 had a higher mean grade than students taking traditional sections registered before January 1 st, 2013, however, the difference was not statistically significant. In contrast, students who took online sections who registered January 1 st, 2013 or later had a statistically significant lower mean grade than students who took traditional sections who registered January 1 st, 2013 or later. Page 11 of 12
This analysis revealed that there was a remarkable increase in number of WEBHY courses despite a slight decrease in WEBHY enrollment. Further, the course completion rate for the WEBHY sections increased considerably. Page 12 of 12