1. Giving Diverse & Underserved Students a Leg up on Student Success
Nicole Scott, Ed.D.

4. The issue
Students in online remedial and introductory courses were not passing at an acceptable rate 01
This was affecting persistence to subsequent semester 02
We knew, anecdotally, that this had an impact on student confidence 03

6. Demographics of Online Population
70% Female
46% African-American
<1% Hispanic
35 = Average age
72% Female
55% African- American
2015
2016

8. Academic Coaching First implemented (by course) in Spring 2015
Launched with four courses
Started with two academic coaches

9. Academic Coach Liaison to faculty Personal support
Academic Coach contacts student one week prior to start of online course and introduces his/her role:
Liaison to faculty
Resource to university support offices*
Personal support
Tracking student’s course progress
*For online tutoring, reference librarians, career services, & distance education

11. Online tutoring
Sends awareness s regarding online tutoring
Recommends tutoring to students who are ambivalent about course work
Reminds all students that drop-off essay review is available for their courses

12. Efficacy of Online tutoring Course Passing Rates by Cohort
Pass rate for students with Tutor.com usage was 14.2% higher
Gains were highest among students with a GPA of 2.0 or lower and for those with fewer credits earned (0-75)

13. Efficacy of Online tutoring
Students with higher Tutor.com hourly usage were more likely to pass their course than those with lower usage.

14. Efficacy of Online tutoring
Course Passing Rates by Gender & Ethnicity
Student Cohort
Used Tutor.com
Did Not Use Tutor.com
Percentage Point Change
Female
72%
59%
+13%
Male
84%
65%
+19%
African-American
64%
46%
+18%
Hispanic
85%
68%
+17%
Across the board, passing rates were higher for students with Tutor.com
usage than for students who did not use the online tutoring service.

15. Academic Coaching Process
Week One Coach checks in on students in their assigned courses
Contacts students who have early alerts
Week Two Repeats process
Time management
Prioritization
Study skills
Life balance
Online communication
Every Week Sends Helpful Tips to all students

16. Reaches out to students to offer resources and encouragement
Early alerts
Tracks early alerts such as: - Not logged in - Missing assignments - Assignments 70% and below
Reaches out to students to offer resources and encouragement

17. - + Initial Observations
The majority of conversations with students were about external factors - +
Overall, there was a low level of technology knowledge
Students were overwhelmed by the LMS
Coaches spent much of their time encouraging students
Students were grateful for the support of online tutoring

18. Institutional Support
Initial Observations
Institutional Support
Feminist Perspective
Critical Race Theory
Coaches needed to have an understanding of student experience beyond the classroom
Consistent with findings of Bettinger and Baker ( 2013)
Students needed to know that their experiences before and during their course work were valid
Echoes Tinto’s ( 1973) Theoretical Model of Dropout

19. Overall course pass rates increased by
Results from
Overall course pass rates increased by
Female
44%
African-American %
Hispanic
75% 5%
Overall persistence to subsequent semester 
44%

20. Overall course pass rates increased by
Results from
Overall course pass rates increased by
Female
49%
African-American %
Hispanic
54% 6%
Overall persistence to subsequent semester 
44%
+ Added higher level 100 and 200 courses and did not replicate same results.

21. Contact Information
Nicole Scott, Ed.D.
Associate Vice President of Student Success
Indiana Tech

22. References
Bettinger, E., & Baker, R. (2013). The effects of student coaching: An evaluation of a randomized experiment in student advising. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 36(1), 3–19. Scott, A. ( 2017). Effectiveness of academic coaching and early intervention on under-served online learner populations at a private not- for-profit, midwestern university: a mixed methods study. Tinto, V., & Cullen, J. (1973). Dropout in higher education: A review and theoretical synthesis of recent research. Washington, DC: Office of Education. Retrieved from ERIC database. (ED078802)