Streamlining Distance Education Southeast Arkansas college Gene A. White Jr. February 2017

Background of Project SEARK College is located in the heart of Pine Bluff, AR. SEARK aspires to be the premier two-year college in Southeast Arkansas where students can change their lives! The mission of Southeast Arkansas College provides quality education and workforce development to meet the needs of our service area. The College's evaluation process is systematic and ongoing with an emphasis on strategic long-range planning, assessment and improvement programs for continuing institutional effectiveness, and evaluation of administrators, faculty, and staff.

SEARK Distance Education Background Southeast Arkansas (SEARK) College began its online program by offering select classes, which were proposed by individual faculty members. Faculty members who have taken on this challenge, have taught themselves and may not realize the possibilities available, or the possible legal problems that may occur due to inadvertent copyright violations. There is no one size fits all solution for online learning. Many strategies and techniques can be utilized to provide a custom solution for instructors and the students receiving instruction.

Purpose of Project To improve the overall functionality and adoption of distance learning on the SEARK College campus.

Problem Identified The problem is that some students at SEARK have reported difficulty with accessing courses, not being enrolled in classes in time outside of the normal enrolment period, and with coming on campus to take a proctored exam. Distance learning requires students to have an updated operating system, advanced software and an internet connection. students who lack basic computer skills or have older computers or slow connection speeds may struggle with the fundamentals of an online program and become frustrated with accessing required files. Students who are enrolled in 100-percent online learning programs often lack the support and services available on a traditional campus.

Questions to be Answered How can enrolment be increased and drops prevented by overcoming technical difficulties? How can the enrol/unenrol process be integrated with the student information system to become seamless? What changes need to be made in technology to offer a better selection for student access to the Moodle Learning Management System? (LMS)

Research Methods Instructor Discussions Student Online Survey Student Information System Report Data

Survey Questions Do you find Moodle use friendly and easy to navigate? What device(s) did you use to access Moodle? Which device do you spend the most of your time using to access Moodle? How often do you login to Moodle each week?

Survey Questions Cont’d Students were asked to rate each of the following statements with one of these four categories: Not Observed, Insufficient, Meets Needs, Exceeds Needs. Before starting a distance education program, students are advised about the program to determine if they possess the self-motivation and commitment to learn at a distance. Before starting a distance education program, students are advised about the program to determine if they have access to the minimal technology required by the course design. Throughout the duration of the course/program, students have access to appropriate technical assistance and technical support staff.

Survey Questions Cont’d Student support personnel are available to address student questions, problems, bug reporting, and complaints. Minimum technology standards are established and made available to students. Efforts are made to engage students with the program and institution. Students are instructed in the appropriate ways of communicating with faculty and students. The institution provides guidance to both students and faculty in the use of all forms of technologies used for course delivery.

Survey Questions Cont’d Tutoring is available as a learning resource Students are instructed in the appropriate ways of enlisting help from the program. Students should be provided a way to interact with other students in an online community. Online Courses are interactive and provide multiple methods of instruction to facilitate student learning. The process from admission to course enrollment in moodle was seamless and without error.

Results There are 440 online students taking at least one online course at SEARK, so the goal was reduced to a minimum of 44 random participants, which represents 10% of the SEARK Distance Education user community.

Results

Results

Results

Results

Areas of Concern Strong use if smartphones to access Moodle LMS. Instructor training on strategies that can enhance Distance Education and increase interactivity Enrolment process refinement: adding and removing students from courses in an efficient manner. Online social engagement through mobile app

Recommendations Research and implement an official mobile app to its technology access. This app will allow students to engage with one another and the school by connecting to the mobile platform to see events, get information, check their schedules, and more. Implement professional development for faculty and online instructors that is geared toward Distance Education and making courses more interactive for students. Automate the enrolment process in which students are added or removed from courses. Automating the system by integrating with SEARK’s student information system will streamline some of the issues that occur when students are relying on a manual process to be added or removed from the system.

Timeline Moodle Integration with SIS Mobile App Responsible Party - Distance Learning Coordinator with help from the Director of Technology Time – Host providers can integrate into SIS in an average of eight weeks Mobile App Responsible Party – Committee headed by Student Activities Director Time – 1 yr from beginning to end of project Professional Development Responsible Party - Distance Learning Coordinator with help from the VP of Academic Affairs Time – 6 months to identify curriculum and setup training dates and compensation.

Wrap up