Online Student Support Services: Advising and Tutoring Across the Web

1. Online Student Support Services: Advising and Tutoring Across the Web Success 2.0: Enhancing Student Learning and Retention with Technology October 29th, 2010 Middlesex Community College

2. Benefits of Support Services “Courses and programs that build mentoring and support groups into their designs help improve levels of student involvement, motivation, and academic self-confidence and, in turn, increase levels of institutional commitment and engagement (Mangold et al., 2003; Padgett & Reid, 2003). Such findings serve as the basis of many efforts to improve retention, such as faculty-student mentoring, peer tutoring, academic counseling, and advising programs (Chenoweth, 1999; Roach,1997, 1999; Rodriguez, 1997).” http://inpathways.net/college_retention.pdfThe Role of Academic and Non-Academic Factors in Improving College Retention, ACT POLICY REPORT

3. “Our most important finding is that student service expenditures influence graduation and persistence rates and their marginal effects are higher for students at institutions with lower entrance test scores and higher Pell Grant expenditures per student. Put another way, their effects are largest at institutions that have lower current graduation and first-year persistence rates. Simulations suggest that reallocating some funding from instruction to student services may enhance persistence and graduation rates at those institutions whose rates are currently below the medians in the sample.” Do Expenditures Other Than Instructional Expenditures Affect Graduation and Persistence Rates in American Higher Education? By Douglas A. Webber and Ronald G. Ehrenberg http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/cheri/upload/cheri_wp121.pdf

4. Why Online? For on-campus students: • Retention • Convenience • Additional Resources • Enhanced contact with campus

5. For Online Students • All these reasons AND • Accreditation compliance

6. NEASC Guidelines for the Evaluation of Distance Education (On-line Learning) The institution provides effective student and academic services to support students enrolled in on-line learning offerings. http://cihe.neasc.org/downloads/Pp90_Guidelines_for_the_Evaluation_of_Distance_Education.pdf

7. NEASC Standard 5 5.17 “The institution has in place an effective system of academic advising that meets student needs for information and advice and is compatible with its educational objectives. Faculty and other personnel responsible for academic advising are adequately informed and prepared to discharge their advising functions. Resources are adequate to ensure the quality of advising for students regardless of the location of instruction or the mode of delivery. “

8. Online Tutoring Options • Build Your Own • Outsource • Join a Collaboration

9. Online Tutoring: Do It Yourself North Dakota State University: Synchronous Tutoring • Request session by phone or email • Multiple subjects available • 100-200 Level Courses • VOIP Emphasized, encouraged http://www.ndsu.edu/studentsuccess/online_tutoring/

10. Online Tutoring: Do It Yourself Houston Community College System’s Online Tutoring Program http://hccs.askonline.net/ • Asynchronous Document Submission Process • Using their own tutors • AskOnline does have some Synchronous Capabilities

11. Online Tutoring: Do It Yourself • Central Piedmont CC • Tutoring via Blackboard http://www.blackboard.com http://www.cpcc.edu/academic_learning/online-tutoring • File share and online chat, tutorials and resources • Math and writing tutoring • Appointment by request • Sessions available daytime, M-Th

12. Online Tutoring: Do It Yourself • Advantages • Complete control over content and design • Course Specific • Uses College staffing • Disadvantages • Administration Intensive • Could require IT Dev and Support on Campus • Labor and Training Intensive • Challenge to provide extended schedule: Nighttime and Weekend hours

13. Smarthinking: www.smarthinking.org NetTutor: www.nettutor.com Others? Outsourcing your service: Options

14. Advantages No strain on staff in terms of resources or personnel Support is handled by an outside source and no need to have specialized IT staff No time needed to set up Typically have an extended schedule and number of subjects offered is higher than one single institution can provide Disadvantages No control over rising costs, hours offered, subjects offered, or tutors hired Politically sensitive if you are hiring tutors from out of state or overseas Can’t customize as easily to the needs of your institution or students – without additional costs Outsourcing your service

15. eTutoring.org

16. eTutoring.org • A Collaborative, Aggregated Service: • Institutions join for a fee, based on usage • Tutors provided by each institution • Tutoring hours are combined into one schedule • Students at each institution access all tutors on this one schedule

17. eTutoring Collaborations Total = 12 states

18. eTutoring Partner Institutions Total = 94 Institutions

19. A Collaborative Tutoring Platform http://www.redlanternu.com/ http://www.redlanternu.com/

20. Online Tutoring: Collaborations • Advantages • Have input into program development: procedure, and technology • Easy to implement and administrate • Uses College staffing • Fully hosted and supported • Cost Savings • Evenings, Weekends • Disadvantages • Subject specific, not course specific tutoring • Does not cover all subjects; all programs • While you have input, you do not have complete control over program delivery • Responding to challenges takes time

21. ADVISING ONLINE Outsourcing and Collaborating

22. Academic Advising Online Resources • Red Lantern • U.Direct- the Degree Planning Tool • U.Select- used for Transfer Advising • U.Achieve- dynamic and concise degree audit report; self serve advising tool and asynchronous communication between advisor and student

23. Academic Advising Online Resources • MNSCU’s GPS LIFEPLAN • Created by Minnesota State Colleges and Universities • Focus in on Delivery and Support of Holistic Advising • Connected to MNSCU’s eFolio ePortfolio platform; helps Advisor “See” the Whole Student • Can be purchased and branded: Century College

24. Coaching • USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2005-10-11-college-coaching_x.htm

25. Online Coaching: Outsourcing • Inside Track • San Fran based private company • Student Coaching- Prospective and Current • Takes place mostly over PHONE • Personalized, one-on-one coaching services • Use worksheets, goal-setting exercises • Different programs, i.e. weekly ½ hour Coaching Sessions

26. Online Coaching http://collegesuccess.net/about.html

27. CTDLC’s Collaborative Online Adult Success Center (ASC) • Prezi

28. Carolyn Rogers crogers@ctdlc.org Bonnie Riedinger briedinger@mcc.commnet.edu Questions?