Levels of Virginia Tech Graduate Student Perceived Connectedness Across Different Modes of Online Learning: Association to Student Perceived Learning and Retention

This descriptive, survey research study was conducted using a quantitative, non-experimental, correlational, research design. Given the ever-increasing numbers of students taking online learning courses both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study sought to explore this phenomenon by measuring the levels of online graduate student preceived connectedness at Virginia Tech. Bolliger and Inan (2012), validated their Online Student Connectedness Survey (OSCS) instrument in a research study that focused only on connectedness, and was limited to just one subject area, computer engineering. Permission was granted for the use of their OSCS instrument for this study, and the focus was expanded to include various subject areas, and to explore the associations between graduate student peceived connectedness and graduate student perceived learning and retention. Specifically, this study sought to find out whether there were indicators that an association existed between graduate student perceived connectedness and graduate student perceived learning and retention across the different modes of online learning (e.g., asynchronous, synchronous, and blended asynchronous/synchronous). The total sample for this research study was comprised of 67 research participants (32 males and 35 females), and their modes of online learning were asynchronous (n = 22), synchronous (n = 30), and blended asynchronous/synchronous (n = 15). Results indicated no statistically significant differences in graduate student perceived connectedness across the three online learning modes. There was a statistically significant association between graduate students' level of perceived connectedness and graduate student perceived learning and retention. As the level of graduate student perceived connectedness rose, so did graduate student perceived learning and retention. Furthermore, the results revealed that there were no statistically significant differences in the levels of graduate student perceived connectedness across the two types of online courses (e.g., pandemic online learning courses and regular online learning courses). This indicated that at Virginia Tech online graduate students felt connected whether they were in a pandemic online learning course or a regular online learning course.