Profiles of Online Students and the Impact of Their University Experience

Abstract

In recent decades, there has been a steady growth in the population who enter higher education in both brick-and-mortar and, in particular, online universities. This has led to an increase in heterogeneous student profiles in a relatively short period of time. The purpose of this paper was to explore the student profiles at a university that gives all its courses online, namely the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), and analyse students’ perceptions of their university experience. With this goal in mind, we constructed a student typology based on their social conditions and backgrounds using multiple correspondence analysis. Subsequently, an analysis of variance (Kruskall-Wallis test) was run to detect whether there were any differences in students’ perceptions of the impact of their university experience (N = 1850). Although the prevailing profile of students in the online university continues to reflect students with responsibilities outside of the university (e.g., work and/or family), new profiles have been observed, made up of younger students without any work or family responsibilities. In turn, younger students’ distinct perceptions of their university experience has been observed, depending on student profiles, with older students having more intrinsic perceptions, focused on learning and the acquisition of theoretical knowledge.

Non-Traditional Students, University Trajectories, and Higher Education Institutions: A Comparative Analysis of Face-to-Face and Online Universities

“…Evidence of the effect of age and work on dropout is particularly important in the case of online universities, given the specific profile of students there. Several empirical studies have shown that the probability of participating in online universities is higher among older students (Ortagus, 2017), students who combine their studies with a full-time job (Cavanaugh & Jacquemin, 2015), and students with multiple responsibilities such as family and work (Sánchez-Gelabert et al, 2020).…”

“…First, it is a growing reality in the higher education system. Second, and more importantly, the characteristics of non-traditional students differ from those of their traditional peers, the importance of which lies in the impact this has on different dimensions, such as entry motivations (Dos Santos, 2020;Sánchez-Gelabert et al, 2020), dedication to studies (Safford & Stinton, 2016), experiences during university, and educational outcomes (Choi & Park, 2018).…”

Exploring students' learning experience in online education. Analysis and proposals based on the case of a Spanish open learning university

“…A second step, given the current post-pandemic scenario could be useful to look at innovative models from other industries in which service is provided by machines (for example driver-less cars, chat bot customer service, self-service banking and automated tax returns, etc.). This growing set of digital tools used effectively by online universities may provide pedagogical, institutional, and technical support to students (chatbots, web tools, student access to their own and comparative student data analytics), which according to Salmon (2013), could favour the experience of the student body in virtual learning environments.…”

“…In addition, the UOC supports its pedagogical commitment with evaluative flexibility and the creation of a learning environment that favours interactivity and cooperation between students, and between students and the university (Sánchez-Gelabert, Valente & Duart, 2020). It is a model focused on accommodating the contemporary students as active participants in their learning processes (Kocdar et al, 2018) [4] .…”

Exploring students’ learning experience in online education: analysis and improvement proposals based on the case of a Spanish open learning university

“…However, they still need to acquire specific knowledge and skills that are applicable to their personal and professional lives (McKnight et al, 2016). In addition, it is usually students with professional experience and digital skills, who generally seek an education that allows them to integrate their previous knowledge, with new skills and knowledge (Jung, 2011;Sánchez-Gelabert et al, 2020) while adapting to their emergent needs in their professional and personal lives.…”