Are Design Elements in Blended Learning Courses Factors of Student Completion Rate

Over the past decade, 80 to 90 percent of courses at universities and colleges in the United States were delivered as blended learning courses. However, systematical research has rarely been done to identify the measureable impact and effectiveness of the design of blended learning on learning related outcomes. In this article, the authors first identified five design elements: (a) Online Activity as an Extension of In-class Activity, (b) Self-directed Learning Activity, (c) Collaboration and Communication, (d) Assessment, and (e) Reference Materials; and then explored whether any of these design elements are factors of student successful completion rates. A total of 2,624 blended learning courses offered in fall 2012 at a western state university were reviewed, out of which 1,143 courses met the criteria of the study and were used for data analysis. One of the five design elements was found significant on student successful course completion rates.