OLI has potentially positive effects on credit accumulation and persistence among postsecondary students¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 2 studies · 2 causal r3 · q3 · i1 small
Currency · newest study 2020 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i1 OLI improved course completion rates with a statistically significant effect (effect size 0.23, improvement index +9). → bowen-completion q3 i? OLI showed a positive but non-significant effect on course pass rates (effect size 0.14, improvement index +6). → bowen-pass

Evidence¶

bowen-completion¶

What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. (2020, January). Supporting Postsecondary Success intervention report: Open Learning Initiative (OLI). https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/InterventionReport/698

q3 · i1 · causal · r3

WWC calculations from Bowen et al. (2014), a randomized controlled trial in seven public 4-year colleges with 605 randomly assigned students and no attrition. The completion rate was "87 82" percent, mean difference 5.0, effect size 0.23, improvement index +9, p = .004.

"Course completion rate (%) (Bowen et al., 2014)a Postsecondary students 605 students 87 82 5.0 0.23 +9 .004"

bowen-pass¶

What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. (2020, January). Supporting Postsecondary Success intervention report: Open Learning Initiative (OLI). https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/InterventionReport/698

q3 · i? · causal · r3

WWC calculations from the same RCT: pass rate was "80 76" percent, mean difference 4.0, effect size 0.14, improvement index +6, p = .083, not statistically significant.

"Course pass rate (%) (Bowen et al., 2014)a Postsecondary students 605 students 80 76 4.0 0.14 +6 .083"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• OLI statistics students completed the semester's material in approximately half the regularly scheduled time — related
• OLI evidence base covers community college and postsecondary students across diverse racial and ethnic groups — related
• OLI has mixed effects on academic achievement among postsecondary students — related
• Suh et al. (2019) found a positive but non-significant effect on course passing rate (effect size 0.80) and a negative non-significant effect on final exam score — related
• First year experience courses show potentially positive effects on credit accumulation, with two of three qualifying studies showing statistically significant positive retention effects and one showing no significant effect — related