Identified success factors of graduates in an online program

Abstract

There has been a growing body of research on the identification of particular characteristics or factors that can be used to predict learners' success in online learning environments. However, there still exists much uncertainty about the conditions that are essential to create a successful online venture for both learners and educators. The purpose of the study is to investigate the factors that support online learners' success from the online graduates' perspective without constraining it to one or two constructs. The study included 40 participants who graduated from Online Information Technologies Certificate Program in 2009. The qualitative methods were used to analyze the data. The findings were categorized under four main factors: demographic and personal characteristics, studying strategies, motivation and interaction. The results of the study might be worthy of consideration for future research studies and other online learning institutions who knows little about how to assist learners to be successful.