The Effect of a Multifactor Orientation on Student Performance: Organizational Skills, Goal Setting, Orientation to Classroom, and Academic Support

This quantitative study examined the effects of an online synchronous orientation on the final grade of students enrolled in a first-term online class. The multifactor orientation focused on several factors which are thought to contribute to online student success, including organizational skills, goal setting, orientation to the online classroom, and academic support. Six course sections (three treatment and three control) were included in the study. In each of the three treatment sections, students had the option of participating in the orientation during the second week of the term; about half in each section did so. Controlling for course performance at the second week, students who attended the orientation earned significantly higher end-of-term grades, compared to either control students (who were not offered the option of the orientation) or to students who were offered the extra seminar but did not attend it.