Building a Foundation for Success Through Student Services for Online Learners

Abstract

Retaining students in distance education programs requires institutions to field a strategically aligned, cross-unit team able to provide streamlined and effective services to online learners throughout the student's academic life (from applicant to alumni). If any team member drops the ball during interaction with the online student, the student becomes frustrated or distracted, and student retention is jeopardized. In today's highly competitive marketplace, students have a "universe of opportunities" for obtaining an education and advancing their careers. Attracting and retaining students is crucial to traditional institutions like Duquesne University in order to remain competitive in the online education marketplace. The university's recent commitment to formalizing graduate courses online has brought strategic planning, oversight, resources, and support to students. The Online Campus director initiated an examination of the services necessary for online students to be successful learners. As Duquesne found out, retaining online students goes beyond offering resident-equivalent services to online learners; it requires a holistic and networked approach that leverages existing technologies and an institutional commitment to its online learners, or what the authors have designed as the COMFORT model.

A Preliminary Examination of Doctoral Student Retention Factors in Private Online Workspaces

“…Existing research has demonstrated that isolation can be problematic for online students. Online students often feel isolated since they are not meeting in person at brick-and-mortar environments (Ali & Kohun, 2007;Hoffman, 2014;Newberry & DeLuca, 2013). Prior research also indicated that interconnectedness and interactions with others are critical components of dissertation completion (Baker et al, 2013;Lovitts, 2001;Rovai, 2002;Sull, 2013;Vekkaila et al, 2016).…”

“…Research shows that when doctoral students have access to faculty and the faculty spend time with the students, it contributes to student' success (Bagaka's, Badillo, Bransteter, & Rispinto 2015;Hoffman, 2014). It is advantageous for students to develop relationships with faculty because, through that association, it is likely they will receive more support and resources, enabling degree completion (Newberry & DeLuca, 2013). Mitigat-ing potential distance barriers and cultivating a means of collaboration between online doctoral students and faculty can be essential for doctoral students' success.…”

“…Students are aware of the need to develop networks, but feelings of isolation make it challenging to foster connections (Baker et al, 2013). Multiple studies indicate that interaction between online doctoral students and faculty is important (Akarasriworn & Ku, 2013;Bagaka's et al, 2015;Borup, West, & Graham, 2012;Foronda & Lippincott, 2014;Hoffman, 2014;Newberry & DeLuca, 2013;Santora Mason, & Sheahan, 2013). Communities of learning provide an opportunity for individuals to collaborate, pursue academic goals, and receive academic support (Yuan & Kim, 2014).…”

Online Master's Students Perceptions of Institutional Supports and Resources: Initial Survey Results

“…The survey was created after reviewing the literature and other existing instruments (i.e., Dare, Zapata, & Thomas, 2005;Lee, Choi, & Kim, 2013;Newberry & DeLuca, 2014;Rovai, 2003). We used portions of Rovai's Composite Persistence Model as the conceptual framework for the design of the survey and most of Dare, Zapata, and Thomas's (2005) survey questions and format for the development of our survey questions.…”

Balancing pedagogy, student readiness and accessibility: A case study in collaborative online course development

“…2003; Newberry & DeLuca, 2014). The micro perspective also includes issues surrounding instructor preparedness, such as online pedagogy (Goodyear, Salmon, Spector, Steeples, & Tickner, 2001;Rovai, 2004;Schrum, 2000), facilitation and online presence (Keengwe & Kidd, 2010;Travis & Rutherford, 2012Young, 2006), and addressing faculty resistance to teaching online (Mitchell, Parlamis, & Clairborne, In press).…”