Exploring the Factors Affecting Student Academic Performance in Online Programs: A Literature Review

Online education has been receiving an increasing interest, and there are several studies focusing on student satisfaction with fully online or blended learning models. This paper has been written with a view to explore the recent developments and literature in the field of online courses and e-learning education, in general, focusing on pertinent published research. Aiming at an understanding of the factors that have an impact on student performance in the online education, a literature review of the pertinent publications has been conducted. Sixty papers have been carefully reviewed to provide a synthesis of previous and recent findings. To our understanding, this is the first systematic review focusing on student performance in the online setting, and this work will help teachers and institutions develop an understanding of what drives academic performance of online students so that they can create the appropriate e-environment for e-teaching and e-learning.

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