Campus Location
Dallas Campus (Online)
Date of Award
6-2025
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3690-8382
Document Type
Dissertation
Department
Organizational Leadership
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
Dean Campbell
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Joseph Cardot
Third Committee Member or Committee Reader
Colleen Ramos
Abstract
The aim of this qualitative research study was to identify dynamic advising and high-impact educational practices employed by advisors and faculty that prevent dropout and improve online adult learners’ performance and retention in undergraduate courses at a 4-year private, faith-based institution in the southwestern United States. This study explored the impact of these practices from the students’, faculty’s, and advisors’ perspectives to provide suggestions for improvement that would help retain these students in the classroom and the institution. The problem this study explored was that adult learner dropout from online higher education institutions is a persistent and increasing issue faced by online higher education institutions that negatively impacts the learner and the institution. This study utilized a qualitative single case study design focused on the online undergraduate degree program for adult learners in a faith-based private university in the U.S. southwest. It used a semistructured questionnaire and interviews with open-ended questions designed to shed light on the problem and address the research question. After the data were transcribed, they were analyzed with the help of an Excel code book and the Taguette tool for qualitative analysis to match a priori codes, extract in vivo and concept codes, and develop categories and themes. The key findings of this study revealed that spiritual formation; spiritual encouragement; relating life experiences with learning; providing adequate access to support services and resources; and effective communication, interaction, and engagement between students, faculty, and advisors lead to learner satisfaction and positively affect student persistence. Keywords: adult learner, online learner, high-impact practices, retention, persistence
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Rodriguez-Ramos, Fernando, "Exploring Effective Institutional Strategies to Retain Adult Learners in Undergraduate Online Programs at a Faith-Based Institution" (2025). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 915.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/915
Included in
Academic Advising Commons, Adult and Continuing Education Commons, Online and Distance Education Commons