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Supporting Online Students
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Description
This instructor-led, four-week, fully-online course is an overview of electronic approaches to supporting online learners. Online course enrollments are climbing. Frequently course retention and success rates are not as high as in traditionally delivered courses. Student and Academic Affairs professional must collaborate to reverse this trend.
Most would agree online students deserve services equal to those available to on ground learners. These services are best provided via the same technology used by students to take their courses. Providing these services electronically is a challenge, but one that is mandated by the eight regional accrediting commissions.
In this four week course, participants will learn the scope of online student services and the important of developing effective remotely delivered services to improve student success and retention rates. Participants will understand which services are best delivered at three periods of a student’s enrollment. By completing the course project, participants will devise an implementation plan to improve one online student service at their college.
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Audience
Student Affairs counselors, advisors, academic support staff as well as Academic Affairs faculty and staff and others charged with supporting online learners.
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Topics
Participants will explore in depth the following topics:
- The importance of providing remotely delivered online student services.
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The scope of online student services.
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When online students need particular services
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A single online student service to improve at their college.
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An implementation plan to improve one online student service.
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Outline
Module 1 - Covers terminology, online student success rates, reasons for lack of persistence, and scope of services.
Module 2 - Online student services needed prior to enrollment and through the second week of the semester. Review own college website.
Module 3 - Online student services needed throughout the semester and as students prepare to exit the college. Review other college websites.
Module 4 - Develop a plan for implementing one online student service.
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Goals
- • Increase awareness of which departments are responsible for the success of online learners.
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Learn reasons why students don't succeed in online courses.
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Examine your institution's current services to online learners.
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Become familiar with standards for student services delivered at a distance.
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Explore good practices at other institutions.
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Define and outline content for developing/improving one online student service.
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Create an implementation plan to bring the idea to fruition.
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In threaded discussions via an asynchronous online discussion forum and in a wiki, participants will: -
Identify various types and delivery methods of online student services using the WCET model.
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Identify what services are currently being provided for online students.
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Identify what services could be added to those currently being provided.
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Identify at what point in a student's enrollment various services are needed.
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Identify ways to improve online students' learning experience through development of interactive web based services.
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Develop an in depth understanding of one service to use for the focus of the final project.
In a final course project, participants will: -
Synthesize the topics covered in this course by preparing an on campus student service for electronic delivery.
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Propose an implementation plan for development of this service.
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The course is four weeks in length and requires an online orientation.
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You may take this course without any course prerequisites.
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- Complete the online course orientation prior to the start of the course.
- Read the instructor's lesson introductions and assigned articles from the Web.
- Answer weekly discussion questions related to the assigned Web articles and participate in the wiki.
- Engage in positive and meaningful dialog with classmates concerning the course subject matter.
- Complete the assignments in each module and read and provide feedback to the assignments of other participants.
- Write a summary of the key items covered each week and how they apply to your workplace responsibilities.
- Complete an Online Student Services Implementation Guide.
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The course has a modular structure in which each unit is individually assessed, but successive units build on previous information. The course pedagogy is based on principles of collaborative and constructivist learning and and makes use of group participation. Content is in the form of active participation in asynchronous discussion and the wiki, direct email, postings of materials, Web resources, and instructor notes. Student participation in discussion forums to comment on the ideas and work of others is a major component of the course. Students will acquire more in-depth information on some topics through links to outside sources.
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This is an intensive course requiring about 8-10 hours a week. The time commitment will vary depending the individual's input, needs, and personal study habits. Students are required to log on to the course a minimum of 3 times a week.
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Continuing Education Credit (CEU Credit)
4 Continuing education units (CEU credit) are available for this course.
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A charge is incurred
for anyone enrolled in an Advanced Online Seminar, although there is a discount
for ION members. The tuition is determined by the
number of contact hours and online discussion requirements for the course.
To view the tuition schedule
for a specific section of this course, visit the Schedule and
click on the link for that section (e.g. TM0551).
Taking a course for Graduate Credit through the University of Illinois
at Springfield (UIS):
All of our courses except the Advanced Online Seminars may be taken for graduate
courses through UIS. You do not pay twice if you choose this
route. You pay only the fees associated with UIS enrollment. If you choose
to enroll through UIS, you need to follow the instructions.
You do not register through this site.
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