Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Retention Rates of College Students

Concept Paper – Analysis of Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Retention Rates of College Students
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Concept Paper – Analysis of Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Retention Rates of College Students
Understanding the importance of technological devices and systems is essential for any educator. It allows an educator to better appreciate its use in light of the new learning modalities during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite its advantages, technology also has its disadvantages. For example, studies show that college students in courses that require building their skills have less retention and comprehension (Mukhtar et al., 2020). Another general disadvantage is that students who study at home are more likely to be distracted by their external environment compared to those studying using traditional learning modalities like face-to-face classes.
Online Learning Processes
Problem Statement
In line with this, the researcher aims to determine whether online learning has perceivable and measurable benefits for a student's comprehension, retention, and application skills. The tentative population for this study is college students from both learning modalities; (1) online learning and (2) traditional learning. However, the researcher would like to categorize further students between courses that: (1) require skills application and (2) are knowledge-based. Nonetheless, the test would only include general questions to reduce the external effects of their differences in courses, age, and other external factors that might affect its results.
Research Question
In line with the topic as mentioned earlier at hand, the following are the research questions that the author is hoping to answer:
1 Whether or not online learning helps in increasing retention for students in knowledge-based courses (i.e., humanities)? What about for those in skill-based courses (i.e., nursing)?
2 Whether or not online learning modalities increase environmental 'noise' or 'distractions' compared to face-to-face learning?
3 Whether specific parts or techniques in online learning cause an overall improvement to the student's learning capabilities?
4 Are such discovered benefits applicable to face-to-face modalities cost-efficient and feasible?
Purpose
The primary purpose of this study is twofold; (1) addition to the pool of knowledge about educational techniques and (2) to aid in policymaking approaches. This study aims to determine differences in the nature and outcomes of the learning modalities to take advantage of the best practices in student learning. As stated earlier, online learning modalities have shown that online learning methods have helped improve students' memory and retention (Li & Lalani, 2020). Thus, considering that some educational institutions are already shifting back towards traditional face-to-face modalities, this study could help determine the best practices during the pandemic and integrate them into face-to-face learning.
On the other hand, the findings of this study would aid in...