Internet Learning Volume 6, Number 2, Fall 2017/Winter 2018 | Page 36

The Effect of Term Length on Student Achievement in Online College Algebra
students who wait to take their math
credits at the very end of their academic
program, grit, or the perseverance
to push forth and reach the long-term
goal of graduating (Duckworth et al.,
2007) may be a factor. The self-selection
process, in and of itself, supports the
adult learning theory ideas of Kleden
and Adisucipto (2015), who encourage
students to take ownership of their
learning goals. Choosing a term length
that best meets their needs can help
students feel empowered to reach their
learning objectives, but is there an ideal
term length that best suits the needs
of most students? For the students who
chose the longer 16-week term, they
may have done so because they felt that
more time with the content would help
in their understanding. As Bonk et al.
(2015) and Collins et al. (2015) noted,
there are time management concerns,
especially with adult learners who also
have career and family responsibilities.
For some, trying to fit a large amount
of content into a short period of time is
unreasonable.
From an administration perspective,
these findings show that the
current trend of offering shorter class
terms does not inhibit a student’s development
of mathematical content
knowledge. It also has potential cost
savings because it allows students to
move through their academic programs
at a faster pace without a loss in student
content knowledge (Mensch, 2013).
There are, of course, potential
downsides to accelerated courses.
Many students are hesitant to take
a shorter term class because they are
not confident in their abilities to succeed
in mathematics. Vilardi and Rice
(2014) and Rodrigue et al. (2016) noted
students’ perceptions that more time
is necessary to practice mathematics.
Similarly, Collins et al. (2015) reported
that the pace of an accelerated course
is too fast for some students and that,
if students get behind in their course
work, it is hard to catch up. Perhaps, a
longer term allows students to feel more
relaxed and confident while learning
the content. This would be an area for
future study.
References
American Institutes for Research.
(2011). TEAL Center fact sheet no.
11: Adult learning theories. Retrieved
from https://lincs.ed.gov/sites/default/
files/11_%20TEAL_Adult_Learning_
Theory.pdf
Anderson, T. I., & Anderson, R. J.
(2012). Time compressed delivery
for quantitative college courses: The
key to student success. Academy of
Educational Leadership Journal, 16,
55–62. Retrieved from https://searchproquestcom.ezproxy2.apus.edu/
docview/1082278012?accountid=8289
Bonk, C. J., Lee, M. M., Kou, X., Xu, S.,
& Sheu, F.-R. (2015). Understanding the
self-directed online learning preferences,
goals, achievements, and challenges
of MIT OpenCourseWare subscribers.
Educational Technology & Society, 18(2),
349–368. Retrieved from https://pdfs.
semanticscholar.org/ad5b/36dd334
d7bee3cd5a3ad4682733e69185560.pdf
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