Student persistence in online higher education remains a challenge, even with strong curriculum and support systems. While existing literature supports proactive engagement from a student services perspective, there is limited empirical evidence examining faculty-initiated proactive outreach and its impact on student outcomes. This study addresses that gap by evaluating whether proactive faculty communication improves course completion and performance compared to reactive messaging.

Using a quantitative, quasi-experimental design, this study compares two conditions across sequential academic years within the same institution. In 2022 (control), faculty used a reactive outreach model, contacting students only after indicators of academic risk (e.g., missing assignments). In 2023 (treatment), faculty implemented a proactive outreach model, defined as structured, early, and ongoing communication initiated prior to academic difficulty, including welcome messages, progress check-ins, and milestone reminders.

Data includes 3,320 course sections and 108,072 student experiences across twenty-two high-enrollment online business courses. The independent variable was outreach type (reactive vs. proactive), and dependent variables included course completion rates and the frequency of failing (F) and withdrawal (W) grades.

Findings indicate that proactive faculty outreach is more effective than reactive messaging, resulting in higher completion rates and reduced F and W outcomes. These results extend existing theory into the instructional space, offering a practical and scalable, faculty-driven model for improving student success in online learning environments.

Authors:
Cynthia Solari, Colorado Technical University, United States
Catherine McBride, Colorado Technical University, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Cynthia Solari, D.B.A. Executive Program Director and Associate Dean of Business with the College of Business and Management with Colorado Technical University. Also serving as an Associate Professor of Business.

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