Yes, You Can Raise Retention Rates in Online Courses Student Success Summit September 19, 2013

Why Students Drop... Students do not feel connected with the course, instructor or fellow classmates (Braxton, et. Al., 1997) Faculty are not responsive to student needs (Herbert, 1994) “Affiliation is the key to the development of a learning community” (Palloff & Pratt, 2001)

Why Students Drop... Time constraints, lack of motivation, technical difficulties, inadequate student support services, poorly designed courses have been identified as reasons why adult learners drop out. (Frankola, 2001)

Why Students Drop... Students self-reported poor course design and lack of communication w/instructor were reasons for not completing online course. (Aragon, 2008)

Why Students Drop... Students indicate that poor course design, not understanding new medium, lack of consideration of learning styles and no support systems are reasons why they drop out (Frontline Group 2001)

Why Students Drop... Inexperienced instructors have been identified as a reason why adult learners drop out. (Frankola, 2001) Not feeling connected to other students is cited as a major reason for students dropping out of online education. (Link & Scholtz, 2000)

Why Students Drop... Students lack specific characteristics to master online learning (Wojciechowski & Palmer, 2005) – GPA – Orientation – Number of previous withdrawals

Strategies Pre-course orientation Early interventions Properly designed online courses Trained faculty in online pedagogy

Early Intervention for Online Students Grand Rapids Community College Christopher Sain Lynnae Selberg Khalia Twork EARLY ALERT……

What is it? Identified Issues & Options Timeline Soft Launch CAP/ Strategic Plan Roll Out & Training Early Alert…..

Early Alert How does it work? Faculty Advisor/ Counselor/ Retention Specialist Students

Manual Raised Flags Last Log In Raised 3 or More Raised * (Combo auto & manual flags) Total Flags Raised % of Total Flags are Last Login Cleared % Cleared Fall % % Winter % % Summer % % Fall % % Winter % % Summer % 35326% Fall % % Winter % % Summer % %

Early Alert…… In an Online Environment…. Opportunities Challenges QUESTIONS?

Early Alert……. THANK YOU Christopher Sain, MSW Lynnae Selberg, MA, CRC, LPC Khalia Twork, MA, MS, LLPC

E-Learning Preparatory Class Mandatory online preparation course

History Concern from faculty on student understanding of technology. Students were using technology as an excuse not to finish assignments. ITC Conference – Florida school created a 3 credit hour course for their students Distance Learning Advisory Subcommittee (DLAS) monthly meetings. Report to College Professional Study Committee (curriculum approving body). Sent a proposal to mandate our prep session. Contracted with a current online instructor to help design our session. Decided to make the session a free non- credit requirement prior to enrollment in online courses.

Session Content

Content Create an assessment tool that addresses requisite technical skill that students will encounter in most any course. Design a format that allowed students of all skill levels to complete. 4 hrs – 1 week Provide tutorial materials for students needing assistance. Each session lasts one week. Grades are entered into our ERP system daily for those who complete before the session close date.

Content Primary focus on basic technical ability and basic research skills. The content is monitored and the session revised – on the 4 th version currently. Designed to meet the basic needs of all online courses – not just technology based courses. Intended to help student recognize if the e- Learning format suits them.

Implementation Mandatory for ALL students – no exceptions Needed to work with registration for coding and because session run outside of normal registration periods. Finding the most effective times to offer the sessions to ensure adequate registration time and success rates. Communicating with Advising on what the sessions were and how they worked. Instituted a $25 fee for retakers. Sessions are offered by current online instructors. Paid at the non-instructional rate. Worked out an agreement with Faculty Union. Faculty provide feedback on the session content and student engagement.

Outcomes e-Learning office responsible for managing the sessions and tracking statistics. Since inception, overall 20% increase in student success in e-Learning courses. Now the equivalent of on ground course success rates. E-Learning faculty reported they noticed that students were more prepared. Statistics showed that over time, students who retake the session are not necessarily passing. In light of the positive feedback, faculty want to mandate the session for their on ground courses. Positive feedback from students on the content.

Questions Contact Information: Margaret Bourcier, Manager of e-Learning Cheryl Bassett, Chief Technology Officer