Exploring first-term online college dropout relative to high school certification, gap years, and computer literacy

Despite university efforts to decrease the number of students dropping out of college, attrition of online students occurs at an annual rate of 50% or more (Wang & Wu, 2004). Educational leaders understand the increased demand for online programs and courses because of students' requirements of convenience and flexibility (Kuo, Walker, Belland, & Schroder, 2013). A challenge for leadership is to maintain and ensure the learning outcomes remain the same between online and on-ground classes. The purpose of this quantitative descriptive study was to examine and describe possible relationships between first-term, degree-seeking students dropping out of online college and type of high school certification, gap years, and computer literacy. Regression analysis was conducted to determine if the predictor variables were related to student dropout. The sample consisted of 98 participants from various locations throughout the United States. The findings showed a significant association between gap years and degree-seeking students dropping out of online college after their first terms. The results showed that students with two to five gap years were less likely to drop out while high school certification and computer literacy did not contribute to student dropout. This study contributes to an improved understanding of the effect gap years can have on students dropping out of online college.