Improving Student Retention with Blackboard Lori Vargo Director of e-Learning My research area is online teaching and learning. Much of my research pertains to online students. The tool I am going to demonstrate is effective for both online and campus-based courses. But, first let’s talk about why students drop out of online courses…

Online Students: Most important factor… Institutional support to students Increased faculty instruction Last grade received in an online course Maintaining an adequate GPA Meaningful feedback given to students No transfer credit received by student Quality of faculty and student interactions Student self-discipline Transfer credit received by students Online students were interviewed and asked what was the most important factor affecting student retention. Pick the top 3 and number 1, 2, 3. Wait and share your thinking…

Online Faculty: Most important factor… Institutional support to students Increased faculty instruction Last grade received in an online course Maintaining an adequate GPA Meaningful feedback given to students No transfer credit received by student Quality of faculty and student interactions Student self-discipline Transfer credit received by students Next, online faculty were interviewed and asked what was the most important factor affecting student retention. Pick the top 3 and number 1, 2, 3

Top 3 factors that affect student retention in online courses are: According to Students According to Faculty Increased faculty instruction Meaningful feedback given to students Transfer credit received by students Student self-discipline Quality of faculty and student interactions Institutional support to students What’s going on here? What do you think?.... “The contrast in perceptions of online faculty and students may help explain the student retention problem. Whereas online professors are holding students more accountable for their own learning, students would like to receive much more instruction, including content knowledge. Let’s here from non-successful students… Comparing Faculty and Student Perceptions Regarding Factors The Affect Student Retention in Online Education Jorge Gaytan, North Carolina A&T State University, 2015

Top Ten Reasons for Non-Success I got behind and it was too hard to catch up (19.7%) I had personal problems (health, job, child care) (14.2%) I couldn’t handle combined study plus work or family responsibilities (13.7%) I didn’t like the online format (7.3%) I didn’t like the instructor’s teaching style (7.3%) I experienced too many technical difficulties (6.8%) The course was taking too much time (6.2%) I lacked motivation (5%) I signed up for too many courses and had to cut down on my course load (4.3%) The course was too difficult (3%) Student reasons for non-success in their online course (selected from 22 statements) The top 3 reasons accounted for 47.6% of the student reported reasons for not being successful   #1 reason: they got behind and couldn’t catch up What can you do to help a Ss not fall behind? How do you tell that a student is falling behind ONLINE?) What do unsuccessful online students want us to know? Marie Fetzer, Monroe Community College, 2013

Bb’s Retention Center Utilize Retention Center information to monitor student engagement View and modify rules for alerts Create new rules Retention Center is an instructor only tool – Focused attention to those students who need it. I – personally – do not have students in my sandboxes. So I am using actually data with all names removed. That’s why I am NOT live.

How to Find Retention Center

1. 2. 3. Main page has 3 areas: Students at risk USCB student USCB student 3. Main page has 3 areas: Students at risk Students you are specifically monitoring Your course activity

1 USCB student The bar at the top shows you the total number of students at risk. Click the barl # students in each category The CATEGORIES show students at risk because of missed deadlines, low grades, minimal activity or not logging in.   You can contact students in the categories easily. For example, access the students who have not accessed the course recently.

Risk Table 2 USCB Student USCB Student USCB Student USCB Student The Risk Table lists students in the four categories shown in the bar above the table. You sort the information in each column from highest-risk to lower-risk by clicking the column header. Click any students name to view his risk factors, notifications sent and notes you have written. You can customize the rules – IE: Actvity Alert set for 7 days USCB Student USCB Student

Contacting Students at Risk USCB Student Contact a student - For example, access the students who have missed a deadline. USCB Student USCB Student USCB Student USCB Student USCB Student

Contacting Students at Risk Course Title USCB Student You can contact students in the categories easily. For example, access the students who have missed a deadline.

Monitoring Students 3 USCB Student

Customizing Rules

USCB Student

Monitoring Your Engagement RC shows your activity in the course. Only you see. At a glance you know which assessments and communication areas await your attention You can send quick announcements

Review Retention Center shows you Easy to notify students at risk Specific people or rules you are monitoring Your course activity Easy to notify students at risk Create, delete, and edit rules Next advice from those who know…

Advice to potential students from UNSUCCESSFUL online students Stay up with course activities – don’t get behind Use good time management skills Use good organization skills Set aside specific time during each week for your online class Know how to get technical help A lot of writing is required TWELVE top pieces of advice:

Advice to potential students from UNSUCCESSFUL online students There is a lot of reading in the textbook and in online discussion – be prepared Regular online communications are needed Ask the professor if you have questions Carefully read the course syllabus Be sure you understand the requirements of the online course discussions Understand how much each online activity is worth toward your grade TWELVE top pieces of advice:

What do Faculty Developers recommend to faculty for IMPROVING retention… Open portions of your course site before the starts. Set the tone for engaging the class in a community of purpose KISS: Keep the course operations simple Make the structure of the course and expectations for overall flow explicit. 1. Open portions of your course a. Giving students an early view of syllabus, materials required and description of course. Early opening avoids last minute panic and establishes transparency from the start. 2. Set the tone: We’re all in this together. 3. KISS: Keep the course operations as simple as it can be while maintaining course quality and effectiveneSS 4. Make the structure: Week 1 – ASSIG 2 Use tables, charts, mind-maps, advance and graphic organizers, photos, cartoons – whatever it takes to help students see how the pieces of the course relate to one another and The Road to Retention: A Closer Look at Institutions That Achieve High Course Completion Rates Janet Moore, Sloane Consortium Marie Fetzner, Monroe Community College

What do Faculty Developers recommend to faculty for IMPROVING retention… Link to student services and resources from within the course. Provide a detailed timeline Encourage students to support each other Provide frequent and regular checkpoints 5. Link to student services and resources from within the course. 6. Provide a detailed timeline for assignments so learners get a sense of how they’ll need to manage their time. AND Collect feedback on time actually spent to involve class members in co-design. 7. Encourage students to support each other: a. giving each other feedback and help on assignments before you assign a grade.) Provide a student café so that students can support each other. 8. Provide frequent and regular checkpoints a. Low-stake questions, automated “check your knowledge” or question forums can go a long way to keep students engaged and on track.

What do Faculty Developers recommend to faculty for IMPROVING retention… Present learning tasks in terms of problem-solving Flexibility in communication and delivery requires underlying structure and predictability Give your students the opportunity to publish work 9. Present learning tasks in terms of problem-solving, not only as accumulated knowledge, and encourage multiple approaches to problem solving 10. Flexibility in communication a. Set patterns of instructor communication and meet and keep scheduled updates; students may interact in various ways, but the instructor establishes the solid center. 11. Give your students the opportunity to publish work – CAMPUS-BASED

Bibliography Fetzner, M. (2013). What do unsuccessful online students want us to know?” Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks 17(1).   Gaytan J. (2015). Comparing faculty and student perceptions regarding factors that affect student retention in online education. American Journal of Distance Education 29, 56–66. James, S. Swan, K. & Daston, C. (2016). Retention, progression, and the taking of online courses. Online Learning Journal 20(2). Meyer, K., Bruwellheide, & K. Poulin, R. (2009). Why they stayed: near-perfect retention in an online certification program in library media. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks 13 (3). Moore, J. & Fetzer, M. (2009). The road to retention: a closer look at institutions that achieve high course completion rates. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 13 (3).

Improving Student Retention with Blackboard Lori Vargo, Director of e-Learning vargolj@uscb.edu Ext. 8272 My research area is online teaching and learning. Much of my research pertains to online students. The tool I am going to demonstrate is effective for both online and campus-based students.