The online bachelor’s degree completion program in Early Childhood & Family Studies is the first undergraduate online program at the University of Washington. Now in its second year, this program provides an affordable, accessible, flexible, and relevant B.A. option for non-traditional students, both those who are already early childhood professionals as well as those who are new to the field. To support and retain our online students, we have developed a high-touch, data-driven, and collaborative advising approach. Lessons Learned: Launching an online program that supports students Catherine Mutti-Driscoll, Ph.D., & Jennifer Campbell IntroductionOutcomes We had a successful first year! 91% retention rate 97% of students feel well-supported by program staff and instructors Students appreciate high-touch model Challenges… Difficulty of connecting in person or synchronously Online environment leads to expectations of one-on-one relationships and quick responses Students have concerns related to time management, work/life balance, technology, comfort with academic environments, and ROI Use of cohort model allows for continued collaboration Formation of a new program provides opportunities for creativity Online learning environment is data-rich Students enrolled in program are diverse and focused …and Opportunities Our Priorities & Strategies Our top priority is student retention. We also seek to establish strong virtual relationships with students, adopt flexible and asynchronous student supports, and use strategies that can accommodate increasing numbers of students. With these priorities in mind, we adopted a high-touch, data-driven, and collaborative approach. Intervention Plan Further Questions Contact Us Catherine Mutti-Driscoll, Ph.D. Retention Analytics Specialist UW Educational Outreach Jennifer Campbell Academic Adviser College of Education How do we adapt our high-touch approach for increasing numbers of students? How do we support and retain students who do not respond to our communications? How do we best support students who struggle across quarters? “Thanks for keeping tabs on me! It makes me feel like an individual, not just another student number!” Instructors, Advisers, & Retention Analytics Specialist (RAS) Tier 1 (for all students) Monitoring grades and assignments, regular communication and meetings, assisting with registration, course evaluations, quarterly surveys, week 3 check-in, optional interview follow-up meetings. Tier 2 (a student concern is raised in one course) Connecting with student about late work, notifying appropriate parties of concern (adviser and/or RAS), documenting concern, discussing if any actions need to be taken (outreach from adviser/interview from RAS, etc.) Tier 3 (a student concern is raised in all courses in a particular quarter) Instructor re-articulates expectations/criteria, develops plan collaboratively with student. Adviser connects with student, makes a plan, and encourages connection with instructor. RAS and the rest of the team consult and take any necessary action (e.g., interview, etc.). Tier 4 (a student concern persists across quarters) Ideas: Learning or advising contract? Satisfactory progress policy? “Thank you so much for your feedback to the survey! I am so amazed by the support this program offers!” We ask for student feedback regularly, using quarterly surveys and regular, less formal check- ins. We ask about general program experiences, student supports and services, work/life balance, etc. We then collaboratively make programmatic changes based on this feedback. Student Surveys 1 Pre-Program Survey We send new students a 20-question survey asking about their academic skills, comfort level with technology, expected strengths and barriers, etc. Based on their responses, we send each student an individualized response that highlights recommended supports and resources. 2 3