Articles, book chapters & presentations

STUDENT DROPOUT: THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM OF DISTANCE EDUCATION (with Woodley) chapter in “Online Distance Education – Toward a Research Agenda” pub. Athabasca University Press
https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3A0cab3555-4b3e-4b44-8c3b-ea629728747a

This chapter argues that dropout in distance education has been ignored for far too long.

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DEVELOPING STUDENT SUPPORT FOR OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING: THE EMPOWER PROJECT. Sánchez-Elvira Paniagua, A. & Simpson, O., (2018). Journal of Interactive Media in Education. 2018(1), p.9. DOI: doi.org/10.5334/jime.470

The European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU) launched the EMPOWER project in 2015 so that the EADTU could share expertise of distance education universities in the field.

The EMPOWER project is organised in 12 areas. One is student support, as the central area for students’ success. The project’s goal is to empower students to become life-long, self-directed learners in open, online and blended-learning environments. The plan was to increase student retention and enhance academic performance, integration and satisfaction.

This article summarises the work that has been done during the past two years to offer different tools and resources, such as webinars and reports. These can help institutions and academics in their understanding of what underlies student engagement and motivation versus student drop-out.

STUDENT RETENTION IN DISTANCE EDUCATION: ARE WE FAILING OUR STUDENTS?
This paper brings together some data on student retention in distance education in the form of graduation rates at a sample of distance institutions. The paper suggests that there is a ‘distance education deficit’ with many distance institutions having less than one-quarter of the graduation rates of conventional institutions.

The paper suggests that one reason for the deficit is the ‘category error’ of confusing teaching with learning, and that institutions have focused too much on the provision of teaching materials, especially online, and too little on motivating students to learn. The paper makes various suggestions for helping students succeed better.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259384509_Student_retention_in_distance_education_are_we_failing_our_students

RETENTION AND COURSE CHOICE IN DISTANCE LEARNING
Course choice is an important factor in new distance students’ subsequent retention. This article looks at various methods of helping students onto the best course for them.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/255546342_Retention_and_Course_Choice_in_Distance_Learning 

PREDICTING SUCCESS IN IN OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING
This paper reviews some of the ways in which student success can be predicted in conventional and distance education. It suggests that statistical methods involving logistic regression analysis are
more useful than questionnaires or tutors’ opinions. Identifying students with low probability of success allows support to be targeted on them.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/42792547_Predicting_student_success_in_open_and_distance_learning

IMPROVING STUDENT RETENTION THROUGH EVIDENCE BASED PROACTIVE SYSTEMS AT THE OPEN UNIVERSITY (UK) (with Gibbs and Regan)
This paper outlines the similarities and differences between retention in distance learning in the UK and in US Colleges, illustrate the way a programme of planned interventions was evaluated at the Open University, explain how the cost-effectiveness of interventions was established, and describe the integrated proactive system now in operation.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/42795975_Improving_Student_Retention_through_Evidence_Based_Proactive_Systems_at_the_Open_University_UK

RETENTIONEERING’ HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE UK: ATTITUDINAL BARRIERS TO ADDRESSING HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENT RETENTION IN UK UNIVERSITIES (with Johnston).
This article suggests that the biggest barriers to increasing students retention in UK higher education are the attitudes of staff in higher education institutions.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/42795977_Retentioneering_higher_education_in_the_UK_Attitudinal_barriers_to_addressing_student_retention_in_universities 

Presentation given 28th September 2016 at the Empower Project of the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU) ‘STUDENT DROPOUTS IN DISTANCE EDUCATION – HOW MANY, WHO, WHEN,WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES FOR THEM, WHY THEY DROPOUT AND HOW DO WE REDUCE DROPOUT?’.
Dropout in open and distance education tends to be higher – sometimes much higher – than in conventional education. This webinar tries to understand the issue by looking at the scale of the problem – how many students drop out and who drops out and when. It examines the serious consequences – social and financial – for students, institutions and society as a whole. It argues that overcoming the problem involves recognising that funding appropriate student support is not simply a cost but can have a positive financial return for institutions through increased retention. The webinar suggests some ideas for discussion about what that appropriate support might comprise.
Podcast www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLIlOURPCec&feature=youtu.be

DROPOUT – WHY WORRY?
Student dropout from conventional and distance education is a serious problem with substantial financial and health consequences for students and society as a whole. This presentation tries to put a figure on these consequences and argues that not nearly enough attention is being paid to them.
Podcast www.authorstream.com/Presentation/ormondsimpson-401933-dropout-why-worry-narrated-education-ppt-powerpoint/
Pdf Click here to download this file

A FORMULA FOR RETENTION
This presentation suggests that in order to effectively increase student retention it’s necessary to focus on a few particularly effective activities. These activities are summarised in the formula Retention = AC + EId + (E + C).PaC + ExS AC = Appropriate Course Choice, EId = Early Identification of vulnerable students (E + C) = (Early and Continuous) PaC = Proactive Contact ExS = External Support. The presentation gives examples of all of the components of the formula.
Podcast www.authorstream.com/Presentation/ormondsimpson-403840-formula-retetion-student-retention-dropout-attrition-persistence-formula2-narrated-education-ppt-powerpoint/
Pdf Click here to download this file

DISTANCE COURSE DESIGN FOR RETENTION
This presentation looks at various ways in which distance courses can be redesigned for increased student retention.
podcast www.authorstream.com/Presentation/ormondsimpson-405930-distance-course-design-retention-student-dropout-narrated-education-ppt-powerpoint/
Pdf Click here to download this file

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES FOR SUCCESS IN OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING
A report in the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA)’EdTech Notes’ – a topical start-up guide series on emerging topics on Educational Media and Technology. This report looks at various topics such as ‘Developmental ‘and ‘Problem solving’support, Support with or for the student, Instigating student support, Sources of support, Timing of support, Media for support, Support for different students, Institutional organisation for
support and the Cost and benefits of support.
Click here to download this file

CHALLENGING THE ‘DISTANCE EDUCATION DEFICIT’ THROUGH ‘MOTIVATIONAL EMAILS’
This paper reports an attempt in the London University International Programmes to use ‘proactive motivational support’ in the form of ‘motivational emails’. The project found an increase in retention of 2.3%. Although this increase was small, it had a positive financial return on investment to the institution.
The paper suggests that motivational emails could be made more effective through the use of interactivity, nudging and priming. However it also argues that distance student retention will always depend less on technology and more on personal human support.
Link to paper here www.tandfonline.com/eprint/uvPCaYIjJ5eZZR8kMVNI/full

FACE TO FACE TEACHING IN DISTANCE EDUCATION
Face to face (f2f) teaching still survives in distance education to a surprising extent, even in highly internet connected countries like South Korea. This article looks at why this is so via a literature review and institutional survey and suggests that f2f teaching still has a vital role in student retention in distance education.
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This article has been published in a Chinese translation in Distance Education in China, 9:14-24. DOI:10.13541/j.cnki.chinade.2015.09.004 Translated by Junhong Xiao
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MOTIVATING LEARNERS IN OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING: DO WE NEED A NEW THEORY OF STUDENT SUPPORT?
This paper calls for a new theory of learner support in distance learning based on recent findings in the fields of learning and motivational psychology.
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STUDENT-STUDENT MENTORING FOR ENGAGEMENT AND RETENTION IN DISTANCE EDUCATION (with Boyle, Kwon and Ross)
The article reports on three mentoring projects in the United Kingdom, Korea and New Zealand, and shows that retention gains of up to 20% with a return on investment of the order of magnitude of several hundred per cent may be possible.
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PARTNERS, FAMILIES AND FRIENDS: STUDENT SUPPORT OF THE CLOSEST KIND (1998) Open Learning, 13:3, 56-59 (with Dr. Sue Asbee)
A survey of OU students asking them where they got their most important support revealed that it was primarily from their partners and family,next from their tutors, next from other students and lastly from the OU itself. this article suggested that the OU could do more to help families and friends support ‘their’ student.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/42795982_Partners_Families_and_Friends_Student_Support_of_the_Closest_Kind 

THE STRANGE CASE OF FACE TO FACE TEACHING IN DISTANCE EDUCATION
Why does face to face teaching survive in so many distance education institutions – even in places like South Korea which has 95% access to high speed broadband internet?
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A NEW THEORY OF DISTANCE LEARNER SUPPORT
This article argues that distance education needs a new theory of student support based on theories of learning motivation.
Podcast www.authorstream.com/Presentation/ormondsimpson-405222-theory-distance-student-support-motivation-retention-learning-support2-narrated-education-ppt-powerpoint/
Pdf Click here to download this file

‘SUPPORTING STUDENT SUCCESS IN ONLINE LEARNING THROUGH DATA’ – a presentation to the Center for Innovative Higher Education, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, South Korea – 27 January 2021
This presentation looks at various ways that Learning Analytics can be used to enhance student success in online learning.
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.25478.50249

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJMQcZupwCg

OPEN TO PEOPLE; OPEN WITH PEOPLE – ETHICAL ISSUES IN DISTANCE LEARNING
Article argues that ethical issues in distance learning need to be reviewed in the light of recent developments. Three examples in distance education are taken: the increasing use of e-learning, dropout rates, and the development of methods of predicting student success.
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DOES DISTANCE EDUCATION DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD?
The first term in the Doctor’s Hippocratic Oath is ‘Do no harm’. In distance education it’s axiomatic that we do good but this paper suggests that we may be too complacent about this and that we need to know rather more than we do about what in many cases is our final product – the dropped out student. For there is evidence that dropping out of full time UK higher education has deleterious effects on the students who drop out and on society as a whole.
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E-LEARNING: EDUCATIONAL SOLUTION OR TECHNOLOGICAL TAPEWORM
Examines the advantages and disadvantages of e-learning and tries to distinguish between the hype and what might be of real value in enhancing student success.
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“ONLINE EDUCATION: TRANSFORMING AND STEPPING FORWARD” – presentation to the Open University of Nepal – 6 December 2020
As H.G.Wells once said ‘Civilisation is in a race between Education and Catastrophe’. So can online education be the answer to the world’s problems such as global heating, pollution, species extinction, terrorism and poverty? But what kind of education? Bertrand Russel once said ‘Most people would rather die than think’ so we must teach the importance of being able to use System2 thinking (Kahnemann) and evaluate evidence.

https://studio.youtube.com/video/UiI03TbR9Ww/edit

COST BENEFITS OF STUDENT RETENTION POLICIES AND PRACTICES
This chapter will suggest that the economics of distance and online learning are very strongly affected by the financial aspects of student retention in distance and online education
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RESCUING THE PERSONAL TUTOR IN HIGHER EDUCATION
This article suggests that the effective abolition of the personal tutor in the UKOU has had negative effects on student retention and re-registration
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THE IMPACT ON RETENTION OF INTERVENTIONS TO SUPPORT DISTANCE LEARNING STUDENTS
This article looks at the role of proactive interventions from the institution to its students. It uses the concept of ‘cost per students retained to show that in the case of the UKOU there are clear financial benefits to the institution, the individual and the UKOU’s funding agency, the UK Government.
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E-LEARNING AND THE FUTURE OF DISTANCE EDUCATION
Paper explores the economic concepts of ‘return on investment’, ‘willing to pay’, ‘resale value of an education’ and ‘investment risk’ as they apply to e-learning and distance education.
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Coming Soon – ‘FOLLOWING THE MONEY IN ONLINE LEARNING’

THIS DOOR IS ALARMED – WIDENING PARTICIPATION IN THE OPEN UNIVERSITY
The UK Open University has been attempting to widen participation in higher education for 35 years. This article is a brief history of widening participation in the OU, surveys some of the issues involved including a brief analysis of the costs and benefits, and reports on the successes and failures of recent widening participation projects.
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22% – CAN WE DO BETTER?
This is an literature survey for the UKOU Centre for Widening Participation on international research into retention (copyright UKOU). It concludes that there is very little good evidence of effective retention activities in distance education but that there are a few activities which would be worth developing.
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Coming soon