The cost of withdrawing course of Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University's students

Abstract

This study is an analytical study aimed at examining the statistics of course withdrawals, investigating the costs incurred from course withdrawals, and identifying the causes of course withdrawals among students of the Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University. The study utilized three years of retrospective data from the academic years 2019–2021, obtained from the Registration and Academic Affairs Division. The population consisted of course withdrawal data of students from the Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University. The statistical methods used for data analysis included frequency and percentage, as well as content analysis summarized descriptively or categorized into key issues. The results revealed that there were a total of 6,841 withdrawn credits, comprising 6,624 credits from lecture courses (96.83%) and 217 credits from laboratory courses  (3.17%). The total cost incurred was 1,279,120 Baht, of which 1,192,320 Baht (93.21%) resulted from lecture course withdrawals and 86,800 Baht (6.79%) from laboratory course withdrawals. Regarding the causes of course withdrawals (grade ‘W’), several key factors were identified, including failure to attend classes as required, incomplete accumulation of required activity hours, low midterm examination scores, lack of readiness or unwillingness to continue the course, examination schedule conflicts, class schedule conflicts with other courses, incorrect course registration, absence from examinations, health problems, and the intention to reapply for admission. These factors affect academic achievement and represent significant hidden costs in the curriculum management of the Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University.