Student Success by Course Modality

Today’s topic is the follow-up on success by course modality that I promised during last week’s zoom.

The Office of Strategic Insights (OSI), which does remarkable work, provided data on the last four fall semesters. Because this period spans the time frame from pre-pandemic to post-pandemic, it should be contextualized as such.

For example, the amazing success rate for on-campus students in fall of 2020 (which exceeds NOVA’s typical rate by about 13 points) reflects a limited number of student enrollments in hands-on courses we targeted for the return to campus. Similarly, the lower success rate for on-campus students in fall of 2021 reflects a time of transition back to campus during the pandemic. Both are outliers (high and low), and this context for higher education data will need to be noted for future researchers across the field.

In contrast, the success rates for NOVA Online (NOL) during these four years reflect those observed pre-pandemic. A difference in on-campus and online success rates is fairly consistent across higher education providers that offer both modalities (here’s a frequently cited large scale study from California). NOL continues to focus on improving student outcomes, and as shown in the table, success rates are trending consistently upward.

It is also worth noting that as we expand the number of hybrid classes (any course that includes on-campus and virtual components), the overall success rate is moderating.

The table below shows student success rates, where success equals a grade of C or better earned in a college-level course (excepting SDV). 

If your department would like discipline-level data, please contact the Office of Strategic Insights.