Business students learning at a distance: One form of pre‐enrolment counselling and its effect on retention

Abstract

This pilot study tested the effect of a pre‐enrolment counselling booklet on prospective business students who were matched with others receiving normal enrolment materials. Eventual enrolments from both groups were tracked throughout the year with comparisons of retention rates, student satisfaction, motivation and commitment. Those not enrolling were approached to discover the effectiveness of the counselling booklet. Course completion for the booklet group was over twice that of the control group; intrinsic motivation increased for the booklet group while extrinsic motivation increased for the control group. Some indication was found that the booklet was effective in a self‐selection pre‐enrolment process.