Factors Affecting Student Success In Distance Learning Courses At A Local California Community College

The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of staff and faculty regarding factors affecting student success in distance learning at a California community college (CCC). Participants were members of the leadership group known as the distance learning committee. Data were collected through in-depth interviews using open-ended questions. Eight of 10 committee members volunteered to be interviewed for this study. This study identified four categories of factors affecting student success consistent with the literature: Organizational factors (campus and administrator support, user friendly course management systems, infrastructure), student internal factors (student initiative, familiarity with technology, motivation and competence), student external factors (family and work responsibilities), and pedagogical factors (course design, and course delivery).