Qualitative Study of Online Graduate Student and Faculty Advising Experiences

As colleges and universities grow online graduate programs, rates of attrition and program withdrawal at many institutions remain significantly higher than face-to-face graduate programs. This paper offers a qualitative case study to understand the advising experiences of students and faculty as they relate to persistence and timely graduation and examine barriers to degree completion experienced by online graduate students at a school of education (SOE) at a selective public university. The study employs Lent, Brown, and Hacket’s (1994) social cognitive career theory as a theoretical framework to consider how an individual’s personal characteristics, background, learning experiences, self-efficacy, supports, influences, and choices combine to impact a student’s persistence and how advising experiences affect performance domains and obtainments. Research findings from the study uncover distinct barriers experienced by students in online graduate education programs and inform future advising interventions to increase persistence to graduation.