Impact of Date of Student Entry on Online Higher Education

Online education has never been more relevant than after the pandemic in 2020. Many classrooms moved to the online format for the first time. This study looked at how date of student entry and activities in online learning affect final grades and student-reported learning in higher education. The author considered undergraduate and graduate students at an online university to learn whether early entry into a class could predict final grades of students. There was significant correlation between date of student entry and grade, especially for the undergraduate students, with weaker predictability for graduate students. The number of keyboard/course clicks within the online class by a student was found to be a predictor for students’ performing well and for those students who were struggling with the content