Motivating and Retaining Online Students: Research-Based Strategies That Work	5
	Copyright	6
	Content	7
	List of Tables, Exhibits, and Figure	11
	Preface	13
	The Focus of This Book	14
	Who Can Benefit from This Book	14
	Our Beliefs About Learning and Teaching	14
	How This Book Is Organized	15
	Acknowledgments	16
	About the Authors	19
	Chapter 1: Concerns and Opportunities for Online Student Retention	21
	Evolving Concepts of Presence, Communication, and Interaction	21
	Redefining the Characteristics of the Higher Education Learner	22
	New Ways of Learning	22
	Causes for Increased Enrollment	23
	The State of Higher Education and Online Learning	24
	Concerns for Online Student Retention	25
	Reasons Online Students Drop Out	25
	Factors for Student Persistence in Online Education	27
	Opportunities for Online Education	30
	New Learner Behaviors and Skills in the 21st Century	31
	Filling the Gap: Strategies for Online Persistence	34
	Chapter 2: Design Strategies for Retaining Online Students	37
	Intentional Design for Online Courses	39
	Design Elements and Strategies to Help Students Stay Motivated Online	40
	Creating the Learning Environment	40
	Planning for the Teaching Process	45
	Predicting Learners’ Needs	50
	The Impact of Intentional Design for Online Course Success	52
	Design Strategies for Retaining Online Students	54
	Chapter 3: Student Strategies for Staying Motivated Online	58
	Pathway and Strategies for Staying Motivated in Online Courses	58
	Self-Awareness	59
	Self-Efficacy	60
	A Purpose for Taking a Course	61
	Means to Achieve Goals	62
	Rewards for Achieving Goals	73
	Explaining Study Findings from a Motivational Perspective	76
	Incorporating Student Strategies into Course Design	79
	Chapter 4: Support Strategies for Helping Online Students Persist	85
	Types of Support Perceived as Important by Students	86
	Human Resource Support	86
	Institutional Support	89
	Self-Care	90
	Support Strategies for Helping Online Students Persist	91
	Instructional Support Strategies	92
	Institutional Support Strategies	95
	Self-Care Strategies	100
	Chapter 5: Pulling the Strategies Together	103
	Established Findings Related to Online Student Retention	104
	Major Contributions from Our Study	104
	New Ways of Thinking About Learning and Teaching	106
	Persistence Model for Online Student Retention	107
	Student-Centered Model	108
	Strategies for Helping Students Persist in an Online Course	109
	Times of Change for Learning in the 21st Century	114
	Instructors’ Skills for Meeting Students’ 21st-Century Fluencies	115
	Implications and Conclusions for Learning and Teaching Online	124
	Glossary	127
	References	131
	Appendix 1: Survey Questionnaire for Students	137
	Appendix 2: Survey Questionnaire for Instructors	147
	Index	155