Predictors of course outcomes: early indicators of delay in online classrooms

Abstract

Studies have long shown that students who begin or submit their work later tend to have negative academic outcomes. The measures of procrastination used in those studies may not have provided information timely enough for instructor intervention. This article focuses on delay in the online environment among graduate students. We propose two new measures of delay that can be disclosed in a timely manner, enabling instructors to help students who are prone to late submissions to succeed. Date of class registration and date of initial class posting are negatively associated with final letter grades. Date of first class posting can serve to alert instructors to those with potential delay problems. The results for date of class registration are less clear.

Keywords:

• delay
• online education
• distance education
• student success
• graduate students