Crawling Through the SPIDER - web Enhancing your Online Communication with Students Robert Klick MPA Academic Advisor – Columbia College Online Campus

Crawling Through the SPIDER - web The numbers of students doing some or all of their online coursework online is growing every year. The Academic Environment is changing; pens, books and desks are quickly metamorphosing into PowerPoint, Google and “desktops.” Setting the Stage: Academia in a digital world

Crawling Through the SPIDER - web Source: Online Nation: Five Years of Growth in Online Learning. Allen and Seaman 2007

Crawling Through the SPIDER - web Source: Online Nation: Five Years of Growth in Online Learning. Allen and Seaman 2007

Crawling Through the SPIDER - web Facilitated – A course which uses web-based technology to facilitate a face-to-face course Blended or Hybrid – A course which will mix online and face-to-face delivery Purely Online – Course content is delivered with little to no face-to-face content Setting the Stage: Types of Online Courses

Crawling Through the SPIDER - web Defining the Need: Electronic Forms of Communication

Crawling Through the SPIDER - web All students, even those not solely online students increasingly rely on electronic forms of communication for information. Via , instant messaging, cell phones, Facebook, and Twitter students are constantly bombarded by information, not all of it is accurate and not all of it good. Defining the Need: Electronic Forms of Communication

Crawling Through the SPIDER - web The question truly becomes; How do we, as academic advisors, make the best use of these online tools to stay in touch with our students and help them navigate the complexities of pursuing a college degree? Defining the Need: What are Academic Advisors to do?

Crawling Through the SPIDER - web Technology is not as important as content; we must continue to communicate efficiently and effectively with our students, regardless of the method of communication.

Crawling Through the SPIDER - web Some argue that “ is for old people” and while is perhaps the oldest of the online communication tools; it is still the most ubiquitous. Next to face-to-face advising, using may be the easiest, most efficient and logistically unimpaired form of communication. Narrowing the Focus: Learning from our ‘elders’

Crawling Through the SPIDER - web Students have multiple pre-existing accounts Students get too much Students do not check their (at least not the account at YOUR college) often enough Students don’t remember their address or password Too much information is contained within an Narrowing the Focus: Barriers to successful communication

Crawling Through the SPIDER - web Some hurdles are technical in nature and must be addressed by an IT professional, however many of them can be addressed by using the SPIDER method of advising communication.

Crawling Through the SPIDER - web The Spider Method: Be Speedy S - Be Speedy. Respond with in 2 days, at most; within a couple of hours is ideal. The longer you take, the more impatient a student grows and the bigger hurdle it can be to being an effective advisor.

We all know what students are going to ask for; What do I have to take to complete my degree? Will this count towards my degree? What if I change my major? During your “slow time” develop templates for the recurring questions asked by your students. Copy, paste and then personalize your responses. Re-evaluate them every year, update them, make them an ever evolving document. Crawling Through the SPIDER - web The Spider Method: Be Speedy

Crawling Through the SPIDER - web

P - Be Professional as well as Personal Remember you are not your students’ friend; you are their advisor, be professional. Use language that makes your not sound like a form letter. Do not use abbreviations or acronyms that students may not understand. Proofread – this can keep you from making a costly and unprofessional mistake Crawling Through the SPIDER - web The Spider Method: Be Professional and Personal

I - Be Informative If you don’t know the answer to the question the student is asking, do not make one up! Find the answer. If it will take a while to find the answer, respond to student’s and let them know a timeline for when you expect to know the answer. Crawling Through the SPIDER - web The Spider Method: Be Informative

D – Be Direct Address the student’s concern directly, if the student needs to take some action, let them know and guide them, DO NOT DO IT FOR THEM! Sometimes what the student needs to hear is not what they want to hear, but it is our job to explain the situation and the actions they need to take. Crawling Through the SPIDER - web The Spider Method: Be Direct

E - Endless Communication Make sure that your has an “open-ended” closing, leave the door open for further communication. No matter how good you are, and I know you are all very good, you will not be able to answer every question that a student will have in one . Crawling Through the SPIDER - web The Spider Method: Endless Communication

Make sure you end your with welcoming phrasing that lets the student know that they can contact you if they have any more questions. Possible closing lines – – I hope this helps if you have any other questions just let me know and I will be happy to assist. – Please let me know if you have any other questions I will be happy to help. – If this leads to any more questions just let me know and I will be happy to answer them for you. Crawling Through the SPIDER - web The Spider Method: Endless Communication

R - Provide Resolution Make sure that you have done all you can to resolve the issue that was presented. Read over the student’s original questions and make sure that you have answered them. If you have not provided an answer make sure that you have a timeframe for when it will be answered. Crawling Through the SPIDER - web The Spider Method: Provide Resolution

Crawling Through the SPIDER - web S- Be Speedy P- Be Professional and Personal I- Be Informative D- Be Direct E- Endless Communication R- Provide Resolution

Crawling Through the SPIDER - web Using the SPIDER method of communication we, as advisors, can breathe new life into an old method of communication and better assist our students.

Crawling Through the SPIDER - web S- Be Speedy P- Be Professional and Personal I- Be Informative D- Be Direct E- Endless Communication R- Provide Resolution Questions?

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