Tools for Retaining Online Students Tara Boozer, Account Manager Dr. Kara Monroe, Ivy Tech Community College
“What our program really needs is a …”
DECADE Consulting, LLC Distance Education Consulting And Development Experts Founded 2000, Incorporated 2002 400+ schools, corporations and consortia as clients Approximately 200,000 students & faculty per year use our products Suite of four solutions for distance learning programs Marketed at eLearningToolBox.com or DECADEConsulting.com We identify common problems then develop low-cost yet robust solutions.
distance learning leaders have changed. The questions asked by distance learning leaders have changed.
PROBLEM Some students are prepared to learn at a distance and others are not. SOLUTION READI.info Readiness for Education At a Distance Indicator (patent pending)
PROBLEM Efficiently finding academically qualified, experienced online faculty. SOLUTION FacultyFinder.com
PROBLEM How do we know what students think about our online courses? SOLUTION PostCourse.com
PROBLEM How do we find neutral yet convenient test proctors? SOLUTION TestProctors.com
READI Implementation Case Study Ivy Tech Community College
READI Usage Ivy Tech Community College added READI in the fall 2009 semester Approximately 2200 assessments voluntarily taken in the first semester
About Ivy Tech Nation’s largest statewide community system with a single accreditation Largest post-secondary institution in Indiana serving more than 130,000 students annually 29 degree-granting campuses in 14 administrative “regions”
Indiana’s fastest growing institution of higher education. Many campuses are among the fastest growing in the nation in their size/type categories. Multiple campuses are the fastest growing in the country (Indianapolis/Fort Wayne in large metro; Richmond/Lafayette/Bloomington in small to medium sized communities) Distance education courses alone serve more than 45,000 students annually. Increased growth in distance education last year by more than 35%.
How we use READI currently… Voluntary student assessment tool for the student to determine if they have the skills necessary to be successful in an online course. Taken as a part of our online orientation Taken before a session with an advisor As an assignment in a course Entire READI assessment Portions of the READI assessment As a “marketing” tool for interested students Call Center distribution to students indicating an interest in distance education
Marketing and Promotion Animate the three elements on this slide…
What we’ve learned so far… General knowledge Computer skills may NOT be the problem – at least for students Many students score low in only one area Helping all students Locus of Control is generally lower attribute than others Informing course design process Procrastination and time management are challenges across the board for nearly all students
Expanding READI usages… Achieving the Dream New Student Orientation Online Student Orientation Assessment Centers with COMPASS Recorded in Banner as a means to “skip” the online orientation Faculty readiness assessment in faculty certification course
WWW.READI.INFO
Information about the instrument
Reliability and Validity Information
Login Screen
Custom User Interface
School Specific Questions
Ability to Stop and Start the Assessment
Automated PIN Email
Note the Ability to Change Text Size
Info About The Reading Passages
Results Reported in School’s Interface
Color Coded Results
Graphical Results
Reporting National Averages is an Option
Tabbed Sections of the Report
Free Resources Provided for Each Section Schools can Provide Info About Their Own Resources
Detailed Info On Each Learning Style
Results Graphically, Textually and Numerically Reported
READI Administrative Panel Can be used by faculty and staff who are reviewing the student’s READI scores. http://admin.readi.info
Usage Metrics
Results At A Glance
User Group Set-up
User comments about READI I wanted to let you know how things went this semester with READI. The process was very smooth and there were no complications. The students found the assessment easy to take and they have nothing but praise for the product (I have included some of their feedback). After I reviewed each student's results, I felt like I 'knew' him or her a bit better. It made me aware of any weaknesses and that enabled us (me & the student) to be proactive and address the weakness rather than having to deal with the results of the weakness. That alone has been a huge plus. I want to share some of the feedback I received from the students... The assessment shows that I do have the capabilities to do online courses even though I many not have thought so earlier!
I think READI is pretty interesting and actually tells you things that are correct... I thought that the READI assessment was helpful in showing me the areas that I might need help in. I know my typing skills are not as good as they could be. I was delighted in knowing as much as I did in most of the categories. I actually enjoyed the READI assignment... ...I knew I was an average reader. Actually, I'm surprised I scored as high as I did. I did not realize until I read my printout that research shows that reading is around 25% slower from a computer screen than from paper. I am one who has to print out everything and have the paper in my hand. I guess that goes back to the physical part of my learning style. ... ...I did learn that social and physical are my two dominant learning styles with visual and verbal being my non-dominant. Scoring high with the social learning style surprised me a bit. I thought I would have scored higher with solitary learning. Hey, I guess these group assignments are my preferred way to learn after all!!! I would have never guessed it!
FacultyFinder.com
PostCourse.com
Contact Information Tara Boozer eLearningToolBox.com (877) 411-ELTB (3582) x 107 (334) 593 4334 tara@eLearningToolBox.com