Relationships Between Online Student Engagement Practices and GPA Among RN-to-BSN Students

Authors

  • Kathryn E. Rioch National University of Health Sciences
  • Jennifer L. Tharp The King's College

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v26i2.2680

Keywords:

student engagement, online learning, Community of Inquiry, RN to BSN students

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to investigate the relationships between perceived online student engagement and self-reported grade point average (GPA) among post-licensure, undergraduate nursing students. Participants for this study were RN-to-BSN students at a mid-sized university in the Midwest. Approximately 110 students were contacted for participation, with 27 complete student responses (N= 27). Study participants were predominately 36 years or older (63%), full-time students (55.6%), and female (77.8%). The Community of Inquiry survey instrument by authors Arbaugh et al. (2008) measured perceived student engagement. Significant, positive correlations among the variables of cognitive presence (rs= .467, p= .014), teaching presence (rs= .448, p= .019), and self-reported GPA were determined among RN-to-BSN students. Significant effect differences were found between student engagement groups and self-reported GPA (p< .05); thus, within this study, student engagement significantly related to academic outcomes. Subsequently, the utilization of institution standards that heighten online student engagement could relate to improved student academic outcomes for RN-to-BSN students.

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Published

2022-06-01

Issue

Vol. 26 No. 2 (2022)

Section

Empirical Studies

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