Personal and engagement factors in remote learning contributing to high student achievement in a transnational education context: A quantitative study

Remote learning, adopted by many institutions as a temporary measure during the COVID-19 pandemic, has been found to be a viable option in many educational settings, including transnational higher education. Remote learning makes extensive use of technology such as virtual learning environments (VLEs) and video conferencing applications. Understanding how these tools can be used to predict students’ academic performance has brought huge benefits to both students and educators. The main determinant of student success is revealed to be personal factors/individual differences that are yet to be investigated. Taking exam performance as an outcome variable, this research utilises a BSc pharmaceutical course student perception on a survey to quantitatively identify the personal factors that contribute to academic achievement through the construction of a new X variable. The findings confirm that page views values operate as a simple one-to-one predictor of exam performance regardless of student cohort. In a holistic model, days since last log in, and practical and coursework marks had a high influence on the generated equations. Additionally, self-study skills, note taking and interest in the subject matter as personal factors were found to be key determinants of student engagement in remote settings. Conversely, less engaged remote learners appeared to struggle with motivation and keeping up to date with their studies, relying to a high extent on teacher support and university facilities during their learning journey. For the first time, this paper addresses personal factors contributing to success in remote learning settings using mathematical modelling and machine learning, thereby avoiding subjectivity and bias in assessment. The findings will be of use to designers of remote learning in general, and more specifically in transnational education.