Online student engagement and success in graduate studies

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) examines university programs on four themes: academic challenge, learning with peers, experiences with faculty, and campus environment. We examine NSSE's commonly accepted indicators of student engagement on these four themes using Athabasca University Faculty of Business (AUFB) online graduate programs. Each theme is referred to in this chapter in light of these student engagement indicators and how they are operationalized within AUFB's graduate online environment which is designed to be a high-quality/high-touch system. We discuss online pedagogical elements and student engagement through the provision of academically challenging learning materials, small online discussion groups, unfettered access to professors, and an individualized student support system. The AUFB example used in illustration of the NSSE engagement indicators shows how elements can work together to create enhanced student engagement and success. The chapter ends with the suggestion that effective graduate management education should provide the same degree of academic challenge, experience learning with peers, access to faculty, and campus experience to engage students to succeed at the level of degree earned regardless of mode of delivery.