Mind the Gap: Providing Academic Student Support Services in Distance Education A Workshop Presentation for the 12 th International Conference on Learning by Dr. Nancy J. Mactague Handouts & Additional Information:

Why Are You Here? Recruiting academically qualified students? Retention: Drop Out, Stop Out, Transfer Out Rates? Graduation Rates? Students Expressing Dissatisfaction?

Who are you? Determine Your Needs Your Unique Educational Environment: Your Institution’s Mission. Your Learners’ Characteristics and Needs: Especially Learner Isolation & Procrastination Input from students, faculty, staff, alumni: Overwhelming faculty response shocked me! They wanted the opportunity to be heard!

Institutional Support Institutional Review Board approval. Get backing from budget managers. Keep them updated on your progress. You will be asking them for funding! Provide training & professional development for services providers throughout the institution.

How to Determine Needs Ask all the stakeholders: faculty, staff, students, alumni. Administer surveys, focus groups? By telephone (one-on-one, conference call), , web-based survey, mail surveys. Review the literature. Contact similar institutions, your peers.

What Services--and When--Will Meet Needs? Prior to enrollment: can student meet your academic rigor? Early in enrollment: integrate into institution, orient & remediate. Continuing: Social & emotional support, counseling, help to become independent, & Academic support, tutoring, advising, and Financial aid.

Who will Provide Services? Admissions Academic Advisors Bookstore Counselors Deans Faculty Financial Aid Librarians Mentors Peer-Mentors Tutors

How to Provide Long-Distance? Electronic communication. Technology training for students, faculty and staff. Formal virtual learning communities. Informal online “coffeehouse chats.”

Academic Student Support Services Model Type: Assess, Remediate/Tutor, Orient, Build- Community, Mentor/Counsel, Develop- Professionally Provider: Faculty, Academic & Non- Academic Personnel, Peers, Family Monitor, Evaluate: Surveys, Focus- Groups Timing: Synch Asynch Organize To Meet Needs: Provider Timing Type Revise Determine Needs: Lit Review, Surveys, Focus- Groups Students, Alumni, Faculty, Staff, Other- Personnel Implement: Needs-Goals- Gap-Analysis, Organization- Wide- Support, Funding, Personnel, Technology Revise © 2003 Nancy Mactague

Academic Student Support Services Model--Workform Determine Needs: How: Who: Organize To Meet Needs: Provider Timing Type Provider: Timing: Type: Implement: Revise: Monitor, Evaluate: Revise: © 2003 Nancy Mactague