A blessing in disguise? How digital teaching formats reduced dropout intentions among studying parents during the COVID-19 crisis

Abstract The COVID-19-pandemic accelerated the adoption of distance learning in current higher education. However, dropout research has rarely examined the role of digital teaching formats on student retention. This paper examines how such formats can reduce dropout intentions by mitigating time constraints, focusing specifically on students with children, who clearly struggled with time shortages due to increased childcare responsibilities during the pandemic. The analysis draws on the nationally representative German survey ‘Studying in Corona Times’ (2020), which provides comprehensive information on the widespread expansion of distance learning at that time. Our analyses are based on OLS regression models using an analytical sample of 989 students with children. Our findings reveal that asynchronous formats reduce dropout intentions among studying parents by compensating for time shortages through time flexibility. Additionally, interactive formats are particularly beneficial for studying parents, promoting social integration within their limited available study time. These findings apply equally to both studying mothers and fathers. Overall, our results indicate that the digital features examined helped prevent dropout among students with children during the pandemic. The paper also discusses the implications for the continued use of digital teaching formats in higher education beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.