Georgia Tech Research Challenges Assumptions About Online Education Success

Admissions applications, discussion posts, grades, and activity logs are among the most common signals educators use to gauge whether students will thrive in an online program. But two new Georgia Tech studies suggest those measures tell only part of the story. One study by OMSCS team members David Joyner and Alex Duncan found that admissions data offers limited insight into long-term academic success. The other study, by Marjorie T. Ivy and David Joyner, challenges assumptions about so-called "lurkers," students who rarely post in online discussions but may still be deeply engaged in their courses.