Internet Learning Volume 6, Number 2, Fall 2017/Winter 2018 | Page 27

Internet Learning Journal
program, receiving responses from 95
students (Rodrigue et al., 2016). When
asked if they preferred one term length
over the other, 90% of students responded
that they preferred the 8-week term
or a mix of 8-week and 16-week classes
(Rodrigue et al., 2016). The researchers
then asked about student preferences of
term length for different academic content
areas (specifically reading, writing,
and mathematics), finding that fewer
students chose an 8-week term for
mathematics than for any other content
type (Rodrigue et al., 2016). This finding
is tremendously important because
it sheds light on how students perceive
time in relation to learning mathematics.
The authors suggest that students
feel challenged to complete their mathematics
work in a shortened term and
that “students perceive that having
more time to process and apply mathematical
concepts is beneficial to them”
(Rodrigue et al., 2016, p. 227). It should
be noted, however, that it is not made
clear within the paper whether the 95
survey respondents actually took an
online mathematics class, or if their responses
were merely how they thought
term length would impact their studies
in a mathematics class.
Mensch (2013) has produced a
very interesting descriptive study of the
impact of term length on grades in online
number-based classes, specifically
100 and 200 level accounting and mathematics/statistics
classes. In comparing
5-week and 14-week terms, Mensch
(2013) found that 54.5% of students in
5-week courses had final course grades
of A or B, whereas only 45.7% of students
in 14-week courses had such final
grades. Interestingly, it was noted that
students in the 14-week classes were
twice as likely to withdraw and also had
higher fail rates (Mensch, 2013). When
compared to non-numeric courses, students
in numeric-based courses had
lower grades and lower retention rates
(Mensch, 2013). These findings are
quite relevant to the current study in
that the students are taking lower level
numeric-based courses. Mensch (2013)
uses descriptive statistics for a preliminary
review of the course data, but does
not dig deep into the findings. What factors
cause students in the shorter term
length to have higher achievement? Are
students going into the shorter term
class with the expectation that they will
need to work harder since, as Collins
et al. (2013) noted, students often perceive
accelerated classes as being a challenge?
The first step in addressing this
question is to determine the nature of
the relation between achievement and
term length. From there, a deeper examination
of relevant factors, such as
those that pertain to adult learners, can
be completed.
Supporting Theories
This study is grounded in the adult
learning theories of andragogy, self-directed
learning, and transformational
learning. As noted by the American Institutes
for Research (2011), these three
components undergird the knowledge
base that supports adult learning. To
empower the adult learner, Giannoukos,
Besas, Galiropoulos, and Hioctour
(2015) also support a multifaceted approach
through the use of andrago-
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