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A study by Nistor and Neubauer considered dropout and participation in online courses from a quantitative standpoint, accounting only for observable variables within their research. Drop-outs occurred more frequently at the beginning of the course, although drop-outs did occur throughout the duration of the course. Nistor and Neubauer found that the dropout group had significantly less participation with regards to response to assignments and communication with the instructor. Dropouts also had a tendency to register for classes early. Three variables were found to be predictive of online dropouts: presence in the face-to-face session, self-introduction in the "yellow pages," and sending an

Literature Review 3

email to the instructor in the first two weeks (2010, p.670). These factors are highly related to student relatedness and feeling a sense of connectivity with classmates and instructors.

In addition, many research point to developing effective e-learning relative to the use of Blackboard. An international study conducted at a university in central Taiwan investigated the relative to attrition in that satisfaction has been previously linked to the decision of a learner to drop or persist in an online course. Liaw tested and created a model for developing effective e-learning that included three factors: learner's self-efficacy (self-directed behavior and autonomy), multimedia formats, and interaction environments (Liaw, 2008, p. 866). Statistical testing revealed that all three factors were significant, with perceived self-efficacy being the largest contributor in predicting student satisfaction with the e-learning system (2008, p. 870). Other important findings from Liaw's study was the finding that students often had many experiences with the Internet, but did not have much e-learning experience and that students' most positive attitude toward e-learning came in the form of perceived usefulness. The implications of this study are that a student needs to have high self-efficacy in order to be satisfied with e-learning. Some recommendations are designing training programs and orientations for e-learning systems and promoting the usefulness of the e-learning system.

"The current study attempts to report how adult learners confidence in academics and financial stability can affect their success in completing a program of study. A survey was administered to a convenient sample of first year undergraduate students in order to determine the student's level of confidence in their internal and external capital. Analysis revealed that when it comes to adult learners there was significance between the confidence of learner's prior academic knowledge as well as the learners future financial resources needed to complete their program of study." (Miky Telbis., 2010)

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