Online Student Success
Findings and Recommendations
April 29, 2009
Research
 Areas of Emphasis
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Student Learning
Faculty Instruction
Technology
Student Services
 Variety of Research (almost 2 year span)
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Students Input
Faculty Input
College Data
Online Research
Virtual Online Site Visits
2
Research Responses
Students:
Activity
Assessment Week - Survey
Focus Groups
Student Survey
Date
Spring 2007
Fall 2008
Spring 2009
Responses
432
38
416
886 Responses
Faculty:
Activity
Survey
Focus Groups
Survey
Informal Discussion Group
(Prep and Planning Week)
Date
Spring 2008
Fall 2008
Spring 2009
Spring 2009
Responses
56
21
49
30
156 Responses
3
Research – Addt’l Comments
WebCT/ANGEL

Migration to ANGEL
 Prior Spring 2008 – WebCT
 Spring 2008 – Piloted 10 Courses in ANGEL
 Summer/Fall ‘08 - All Courses Migrated

May have affected some of results but numbers still significant to make
final recommendations
Team members: Input from areas involved in online learning
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Each Academic Division
Deans
Online Learning
Student Services
Center for Learning and Teaching
Administrators and Staff from Institutional Effectiveness (as needed)
4
Findings
1. Myth: Online is Easier Many students enroll in online
classes based on the myth that they are easier and less timeconsuming than on-campus classes.
Faculty



Faculty Focus Groups (FL ’08 ):
o 3 groups-impacts 100% students
Survey: FL’08: #1 obstacle
Survey SP’08: #2 obstacle
Student
Other
 Student Focus Groups( FL ’08 ):
o 2 groups-impacts 100% students
o 1 group-impacts 100% students,
o 1 group-impacts 50% students,
o 1 group-impacts 50% students
 Student Survey ( SP ’09): #4 most
commented advice for future students
2. Time Management: Many students lack effective time
management skills needed for success in online courses.
Faculty
•
•
Faculty Focus Groups (FL ’08 ):
2 groups –impacts100% students
Faculty Survey (FL ’08 ): 20%
(Angel)/SP08 2% (WebCT)
Student
• Student Focus Groups( FL ’08 ):
2 groups–impact s95% students
• Student Survey (SP ’07):
3.6-3.7 out of 5 (bottom 50% of items )
• Student Survey ( SP ’09):
7th highest comment
Other
• Merlot Report (FL ‘08): Students #5 Retention factor
5
Findings
3. Procrastination: Student procrastination contributes to poor
achievement in online courses.
Faculty
Student
Other
 Student Focus Groups( FL ’08 ): 3 groupsimpacts 70-80% students
 Student Survey ( SP ’09): #7 obstacle
 Merlot Report - Students Responses
(FL ‘08): Independent
Learning/Responsibility - #4
Retention factor
4. Computer Proficiency: Faculty identified lack of student
computer knowledge/proficiency as a barrier for many online
students. 58% of students surveyed reported they would utilize
training in basic computer skills.
Faculty
Student
 Faculty Focus Groups (FL ’08 ):
2 groups impacts 33% - 50% students
2 groups impacts 33% - 50% students
 Faculty Survey FL’08: #1 course prerequisite; 93%
stated it as a prerequisite need
 Faculty Survey SP’08: 95% stated it as a
prerequisite need
 Faculty Discussion (SP ’09) : Area of Concern
 Student Survey ( SP ’09): #9 most
commented advice for future students, 58%
said basic computer skills training would be
helpful
Other
6
Findings
5. Student Prep/Orientation: Many online students are unprepared and/or
uninformed with regard to learning, computer, and life skills needed for success in
online courses. Students and faculty identified an orientation for online students
as a need.
Faculty
 Faculty Focus Groups (FL ’08 ):
2 groups impacts 75% - 90% students
 Faculty Survey FL’08: #1 improvement
 Faculty Survey SP’08: #1 improvement
Student
Other
 Student Focus Groups( FL ’08 ):
2 groups-impacts 75% students
 Student Survey (SP ’09): Up to 74% said
Student Prep /Orientation would be helpful,
among top 10 areas to tell future students
6. Achievement Rates: Success rate of online students for the 2004 to
Spring 2007 period was 58.8%. It was 59.2% in Fall 2007 and 59.5% in Fall 2008.
While this is an increase, traditional classes have increased at a slightly faster
pace. Therefore, the percent of non-achievers during the base period had a 5.4%
difference. This increased to 6% for the Fall ’07 and Fall ’08 Semesters.
Faculty
Student
Other
Data from Institutional Effectiveness
7
Findings
7. OCCC Withdrawals:
In Fall 2008, 857 (25.3%) online students withdrew. For the same period
26.5% of traditional campus students withdrew. It was a total of 24.4% for all
non-online students (Traditional Campus, Off Campus, Cooperative Alliance,
Web Enhanced, Telecourse, Computer Assisted).
Faculty
Student
Other
Data provided by Institutional Effectiveness.
8. Dropout Rates: In a survey conducted by Education Dynamics in
November 2008, 40% of the students who dropped out failed to seek
assistance before abandoning programs. In addition, the top five reasons for
dropping out were
41% Financial
32% Life Events
23% Health Issues
21% Lack of Faculty Interaction
21% Lack of Motivation
In addition, 47% dropped out before completing one online course. 53% wanted
more online student support services and web-based academic advising.
Faculty
Student
Other
Survey conducted by Education
Dynamics-Released January 2009
8
Findings
9. Course Success: In Fall 2008, in terms students retained, online students
were comparable to traditional students. However, in terms of course
achievement, online students were significantly less successful in a greater
percentage of their courses.
Faculty
Student
Other
Data provided by Institutional Effectiveness.
10. Communication: Many students desire more interaction, feedback, and
communication with the instructor and/or with other students in online courses.
Many faculty believe that more proactivity from students would improve their
success. Faculty and students have differing views about reciprocal
communication issues (timelines, etiquette, channels)
Faculty
 Faculty Focus Groups (FL ’08 ):
2 groups-impacts 75-100% students
 Faculty Survey (FL ’08 ): #2 Obstacle
 Faculty Survey (SP ’08 ): #4 Obstacle
 Faculty Discussion (SP ’09) : Area of Concern
Student
Other
 Student Focus Groups( FL ’08 ):
3 groups-impacts 100% students,
4 groups-impacts 75-100% students
 Student Survey ( SP ’09): #10 most commented
under major obstacles
 Student Survey ( SP ’09): #4 most commented
advice for future students
 Merlot Report – Faculty Responses
(FL ‘08): #3 Retention factor
 Merlot Report-Students Responses
(FL ‘08): Discussion/ Interaction - #9
Retention factor
9
Findings
11. Timely Faculty Response: Some faculty do not provide response
time expectations (including communication and grading) and/or adhere
to established response time expectations.
Faculty
Student
Other
 Student Focus Groups( FL ’08 ):
4 groups-impacts 75-100% students
2 groups-impacts 75% students
 Student Survey ( SP ’09): #3 obstacle
 Student Survey ( SP ’07): Area of concern
12. Tutoring: Students in online classes are not receiving adequate
tutoring and lab assistance.
Faculty
Student
 Faculty Focus Groups (FL ’08 ):
1 group-impacts 100% students
 Faculty Survey (FL ’08 ): Area of Concern
 Faculty Discussion (SP ’09) : Area of Concern
 Student Focus Groups( FL ’08 ):
1 group-impacts 100% students
 Student Survey ( SP ’09): #10 under “money
no object”
 Student Survey ( SP ’07): lowest rated in
accessibility of services/products by students
Other
 Merlot Report- Faculty Responses (FL
‘08): - Outside Assistance #8 Retention
factor
10
Findings
13. Tech Support: Tech support for both students and faculty lacks
(1)timely and effective response, and (2) availability for extended hours
including nights and weekends.
Faculty
 Faculty Focus Groups (FL ’08 ):
2 groups–impacts 100% students
 Faculty Survey (FL ’08 ): #3 needed
improvement
Student
• Student Focus Groups( FL ’08 ):
2 groups–impacts 95% students
• Student Survey ( SP ’09):
7th highest comment
• Student Survey (SP ’07): worst 50% of items
Other
• Merlot Report – Student Responses
(FL ‘08): #5 Retention factor
14. Student Computer Issues: Students reported hardware,
software, and Internet problems. Software installation and updates are a
common problem, as is slow internet service.
Faculty
Student
Other
• Student Focus Groups( FL ’08 ):
2 groups-impacts 95% students,
1 group-impacts 75% students,
• Student Survey ( SP ’09): #4 obstacle
11
Findings
15. OCCC Technology: Faculty raised issues with the reliability of the
ANGEL server and inadequate Datatel integration; issues included
delayed login for late-enrolling students, system overload at peak times
(Sunday evening), need for an interface between ANGEL and Datatel to
allow direct importation of final grades
Faculty
Student
 Faculty Focus Groups (FL ’08 ):
2 groups - impacts 100% students
 Faculty Survey FL’08: #1 area not working in ANGEL
 Faculty Discussion (SP ’09) : Area of Concern
Other
 Merlot Report Faculty Responses (FL ‘08):
Reliability of Server - #9 Retention factor
16. Course Development: Some existing ANGEL software limitations
and administrative practices hinder faculty course development .
Faculty
Student
Other
• Faculty Focus Groups (FL ’08 ):
1 group-impacts 100% students
1 group-impacts 40-50% students
• Faculty Survey FL’08:
#4 area not working in ANGEL-Master Courses
• Other Areas of Concern
• Faculty Discussion (SP ’09): Most commented item
12
Findings
17. Course Standards: Some Angel courses do not adhere to the
OCCC established standards for online courses.
Faculty
Student
 Faculty Focus Groups (FL ’08 ):
2 groups-impacts 100% students
1 groups-impacts 100% students
 Faculty Survey FL’08: Area of Concern
 Faculty Discussion (SP ’09) : Area of Concern
Other
 Student Focus Groups( FL ’08 ):
2 groups-impacts 80-100% students
3 groups-impacts 90% students
1 group-impacts 75% students
2 groups-impacts 60%
1 group-impacts 100% students
 Student Survey ( SP ’09): Area of Concern
Merlot Report Faculty Responses (FL ‘08):
• Clearly-stated requirements - #2 retention
factor
 User-Friendly format - #10 retention factor
Merlot Report Student Responses (FL ‘08):
 Clearly-stated requirements - #3 retention
factor
 Course Design - #6 retention factor
18. Instructor Training: Faculty and students identified the need for
continuous instructor training in the use of technology, ANGEL, and
online instruction.
Faculty
 Faculty Focus Groups (FL ’08 ):
3 groups impacts 95%-100% students
 Faculty Survey FL’08: 40% of faculty expressed
need for additional training
 Faculty Survey SP’08: Area of Concern
Student
Other
 Student Focus Groups( FL ’08 ):
4 groups-impacts students 75%,
3 groups-impacts 90% students
 Student Survey (SP ’09): Area of
Concern
 Faculty Discussion (SP ’09) : Area of Concern
13
Summary of Findings
Student
Learning
Faculty
Instruction
Technology
Student
Services
1 Myth: Online Easier
Myth: Online Easier
2 Time Management
Time Management
3 Procrastination
Procrastination
4 Computer Proficiency
Computer Proficiency
5 Student Prep/Orientation
Student Prep/Orientation
6 Achievement Rates
Achievement Rates
Achievement Rates
7 OCCC Withdrawals
OCCC Withdrawals
8 Dropout Rates
Dropout Rates
Dropout Rates
9 Course Success
Course Success
Course Success
9 Communication
Communication
10
Timely Faculty Response
11 Tutoring
Tutoring
Tutoring
12
Tech Support
13 Student Computer Issues
Student Computer Issues Student Computer Issues
14
OCCC Technology
15
Course Development
16
Course Standards
17
Instructor Training
Tech Support
Course Development
14
Recommendations
1. Orientation: Implement a required orientation for students
considering enrolling in an online course including Angel training, computer
literacy fundamentals, technology requirements, time management skills,
online learning skills, and course expectations.
Findings
1,2,3,4,5,6,
7, 8,9,10,
13,14
Measurements
• Creation of an Online Orientation in both online and
campus formats.
• Number of students who take online orientation.
Potential Resources
AtD Online Team’s Website
www.occc.edu/aphilipp/online/
VirtualVisits.htm
OU’s College of Nursing
University System of GA: SORT
Inver Hills Community College
2. Preparatory Training: Provide additional training as deemed
necessary by the Orientation experience. (This could include CS 1103, online
tutorials, or workshops.)
Findings
Measurements
2,3,4,7,8,
9,12,13,16
• Identification of needs and creation of appropriate
training.
• Number of students who complete preparatory training.
Potential Resources
IT Division
SAMS, Online Tutorials
AtD Online Team’s Website
www.occc.edu/aphilipp/online
University of Texas: Austin
15
Recommendations
3. Tutoring and Lab Assistance: Improve tutoring and lab assistance
services in existing labs and other areas of campus for online students to include,
but not limited to, adding tutors, lab staff, and supplemental instructors to Angel
and other sections and giving them Angel or other appropriate training. Broaden
accessibility of these services for online students by including communication
channels such as phone, email, chat, and other emerging technologies.
Findings
4, 6,
7,8,9,10,
12,14
Measurements
• Number of online sections with an assigned and trained course
mentor (tutors, lab staff, supplemental instructors, etc.).
• Number of labs using communication channels and other
emerging technologies to assist online students
• Number of students accessing tutor assistance.
Potential Resources
AtD Online Team’s Website
www.occc.edu/aphilipp/online/
virtualvisits.htm
Florida Community College
4. Withdrawals: Monitor and analyze the reasons for online student
withdrawals. Implementation could be an online survey triggered by student
withdrawal from a class.
Findings
6,7,8,9
Measurements
• Creation of a survey triggered by student withdrawal.
• Results will be analyzed each semester and presented to the
Online Learning Committee for recommendations
Potential Resources
AtD Online Team’s Website
www.occc.edu/aphilipp/online
16
Recommendations
5. Faculty/Staff Training: Provide required initial and
continuous training in the use of technology, Angel, and online
instruction that is scheduled on a regular basis for faculty, lab staff,
tutors, supplemental instructors, and others who help students. Topics
for online instruction portion would include, but not be limited to, course
expectations, communication techniques, learning styles, OCCC online
course standards, and response time for assignments and grading.
Findings
Measurements
8,9,10,11,1
2,16,17,18
• Number of new adjunct and full-time faculty who participate
in the initial training.
• Number of adjunct and full-time faculty who participate in
continuous training
• Number of staff who participate in training.
• Participant satisfaction with training content and schedule.
Potential Resources
AtD Online Team’s Website
www.occc.edu/aphilipp/online
Rice University
Penn State
Inver Hills Community College
Magna Webinars : Current CLT
inventory includes :
Managing Expectations and Handling
Difficult Students Online
Digital Media: The Latest Trends,
Technology, and Standards
17
Recommendations
6. Online Portal: Create a web portal (web page) for online learning, including but
not limited to, links to Angel, the online bookstore, Mine Online, Tech Support,
Financial Aid, Advisement, Online Orientation, ECHO, Smarthinking, student
testimonials, lab centers, Library, and Bursar. (Consider providing the portal link as
online.occc.edu and the Angel link as angel.occc.edu.)
Findings
8, 9, 10,
11,12,16,
17,18
Measurements
Potential Resources
•Creation of an online portal web page.
•Number of hits including hits for each link on the page.
•Quick feedback survey link on the web page.(one or two questions)
AtD Online Team’s Website
www.occc.edu/aphilipp/online
Rio Salado
St. Petersburg E-Campus
7. Tech Support: Provide seamless, timely and effective tech support for online
students and faculty. (Eventually tech support should be 24/7.) This support should
resolve issues involving Angel, log-in, Datatel, and other areas. Tech Support should
be a one-stop shop where user makes a contact, receiver works with OCCC staff to
resolve problems, and users are not passed from office to office.
Findings
13,15
Measurements
• Creation of “one-stop shop” tech support team
• Faculty, staff, and student satisfaction with problem resolution
• Number of tech support requests
Potential Resources
AtD Online Team’s Website
www.occc.edu/aphilipp/online
UMUC (Maryland)
San Diego Community College
UT Tele-campus
18
Recommendations
8. OCCC Hardware: Improve Angel server performance to reduce
downtime and problems at peak usage. Provide adequate Angel server
capacity to support online components in all classes.
Findings
Measurement
Potential Resources
• Angel server capacity meets demands as utilization increases.
• Diminishing Angel server downtime and problems at peak usage.
• User survey
15
9. Datatel Integration: Integrate Datatel with Angel to handle issues
including but not limited to the following: grade book integration between
Angel and Mine Online (Datatel), registration, deregistration of students not
completing pre-requisites, and delayed Angel log-in for late enrolling
students.
Findings
3,4,5,6,7,
8,9,11,15
Measurement
• Implementation of deregistration before the beginning of the
semester of students who do not complete prerequisites.
• Integration of ANGEL’s grade book with Datatel
• Decrease of login wait-times after late enrollment from 24-48
hours to 12 hours or to real-time.
Potential Resources
19
Recommendations
10. Online Learning-Standing Committee: Online Faculty Task Force
should be an official standing committee that meets monthly. Members would include
representatives from each division, an academic dean, and from the Online Learning
Office. Issues that currently need to be addressed include official OCCC online course
standards, orientation, online portal, faculty/staff training, Angel administrative practices
(Examples: Master courses, Learning Object Repositories, Angel components, and use
of Angel in campus sections), and course development/redesign compensation.
Findings
All
Findings
Measurements
• Creation of Online Learning Committee as an official, standing
college committee.
• Electronic minutes from monthly meeting which will include
progress on AtD recommendations.
• Online faculty survey/focus groups
Potential Resources
AtD Online Team’s Website
www.occc.edu/aphilipp/online
11. Periodic Review: Periodic review and updating of these recommendations
should be in consultation with the Online Learning Committee.
Findings
All
Findings
Measurements
• Reports to AtD meetings.
• Electronic minutes from monthly meeting of the Online Learning
Committee which will include progress on AtD recommendations.
Potential Resources
AtD Online Team’s Website
www.occc.edu/aphilipp/online
20
Summary of Recommendations
Student
Learning
1
Orientation
2
Preparatory Training
3
Tutoring and Lab
Assistance
4
Withdrawals
5
6
Faculty
Instruction
Technology
Student
Services
Orientation
Tutoring and Lab
Assistance
Withdrawals
Faculty/Staff Training
Faculty/Staff Training
Online Portal
Online Portal
7
Tech Support
8
OCCC Hardware
9
Datatel Integration
Tech Support
10
Online Learning Standing Committee
Online Learning Standing Committee
Online Learning Standing Committee
Online Learning Standing Committee
11
Periodic Review
Periodic Review
Periodic Review
Periodic Review
21
Summary
Recommendation:
Enhance the overall online learning
experience and increase student success in
online classes
Measurement:
Student success in online learning
22
Resources for Implementation Teams
23
Online Student Success Team
Chair
Anita Philipp
Arts and Humanities
Jon Inglett
Business
Anita Williams
Deans
Susan Van Schuyver
Information Technology
Mary Williams
Math
Ken Harrelson
Social Sciences
Peggy Jordan
Science
Sonya Williams
Student Services
E. J. Warren
Institutional Effectiveness Assistance
Joyce Morgan-Dees, Dr. Janet Perry, Stephen Crynes
Administrative Assistant
Jane Hinojosa
24