(852) KEEPING A STUDENT ON THE PATH TO GRADUATION: THE ONLINE M.SC.IN SOFTWARE ENGINEERING DATABASE (M.SC.SED) TECHNOLOGIES

摘要

The increasing number of entrants into the field of online education from private sector companies to traditional institutions of higher education, has intensified the rivalry and competition for attracting students. Online education “is growing at a significantly faster pace than education providers can keep up with”. [1] It is projected that the global corporate e-learning market will reach close to USD 31 billion in revenue by the end of 2020. [2] With such financial incentives, today’s universities understandably recognise the importance of the online market. They are and need to be continually vigilant in highlighting the unique selling points of their educational content and delivery in order to attract future students. Launched in 2004, the online Masters in Software Information Systems (a joint collaboration between the National University of Ireland, Galway and Regis University, Colorado) has seen strong enrollment figures. Whilst by no means unique, this online program is successful in terms of studentengagement and retention. Having a pedagogical framework underpinned by Social Constructivism, with a low student-to-facilitator ratio and content validated by both academic and industry experts, the success of the M.Sc.SED program is evident in the percentage of graduates completing this level 9 degree. In this paper, the authors will outline the delivery methods and program structure and essentially, some of the factors which they contend have contributed to the success of this online program. It should be noted that whilst this Masters program commenced in 2003 and launched in 2004, this paper will deal with data from 2004 to 2016.