Student Affairs On-Line The on-line magazine about technology and Student Affairs Gary D. Malaney - Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst Editor Stuart Brown - StudentAffairs.com Executive Editor

Join our mailing list!    First Name        Last Name        School        Email            ©2007    StudentAffairs.com    All Rights Reserved	From Bricks to Bytes: Building an Online Activities Environment Jody Conway, Ph.D. Assistant Director Center for Online Learning (COL) Saint Leo University Jody.Conway@saintleo.edu Barry Hubbard, M.Ed. Program Advisor for Online Student Involvement Center for Online Learning (COL) Saint Leo University Barry.Hubbard@saintleo.edu Posted: July 26, 2003     Student Affairs Online, vol. 4 no. 3 - Summer 2003 Higher education is being increasingly influenced by technology. The expectations and usage trends of students, faculty, staff, and community members demand fluent technological offerings from institutions. From online admissions forms and virtual tours to mediating online education environments, the role technology plays in student affairs is rapidly expanding. A number of articles have addressed the ways in which web sites should be designed, strategies to automate certain services, and the advantages of portals; however, a dialogue regarding the possibilities of student activities and involvement online has yet to be addressed en masse. In an attempt to broaden the discussion of online services in student affairs to include activities and involvement, Saint Leo University's Center for Online Learning (COL) offers the journey by the institution to create an exclusively online involvement platform. Conversations about online student services often include areas such as registration, advising, financial aid, tuition payments, and admissions. Research and attention to develop sound practices in those areas have yielded positive results. Student activities and involvement opportunities, however, have not benefited from the same consideration and development. Student Development theory strives to engage students in interaction and experiences that will enhance, educate, and expand their diverse ideas and personal relationships, while challenging them within their current environments. This concept is illustrated on "on-ground" campuses though administrative and faculty programming efforts, academic and personal advisement structures, and multiple interactive forums through which individual and interpersonal interaction can transpire. Providing effective student services results in an increased learning experience and student satisfaction level (Astin, 1999; Kuh, 1993; Sanford, 1962; Terenzini, Pascarella, & Blimling, 1999). Students attending "brick" campuses long embraced the complete college experience including leadership development, intramurals, academic organizations, and social clubs. So, why cannot these services be designed to function in an online environment? Saint Leo University's Center for Online Learning (COL) offers associates and bachelors degrees exclusively online to a primarily adult learner population. This dynamic presented COL with a unique opportunity to explore and deliver online student involvement opportunities to a population not perceived to be in need of such comprehensive co-curricular experiences. When COL was established in late 1998, the essential student services required for students to obtain a degree were provided. However, it became apparent that these services were limited and not enough for a value-based institution. Saint Leo always strives to offer more than just a degree to its students. Students at Saint Leo are taught the 114-year-old institution's six values: personal development, respect, integrity, stewardship, community service and excellence. These values are intertwined into the curriculum at the University's traditional campus, Regional Centers, and the Center for Online Learning, where over 7,500 students across the world take part in online education. Saint Leo wanted to ensure that its values would be intertwined not only in the curriculum but also within the student community, both online and "on-ground." Over the past two years, COL has made great strides to provide our student body with an array of interactive areas, both asynchronous and synchronous, where discussion, interaction, and involvement with instructors, staff, and peers can occur in an online environment. In 2001, the university hired a professional staff member to develop mechanisms that would provide online students with a sense of community and connection outside of the classroom. A year later, additional staff members were added in the areas of technology and design/development and the beginnings of an involvement platform emerged, which would come to be known as iRoar (involvement through redefined online activities and resources, which was inspired by Saint Leo's mascot, the lion). The impetus for iRoar was to create a platform that did more than support and serve students basic academic needs. Rather, it would create the "heart" of their online collegial experience. Throughout the research and development of iRoar, COL could find no other online program that proposed, much less provided, such a comprehensive online involvement environment (OIE). COL believed that while face-to-face interaction was non-existent in a virtual medium, the concept of co-curricular and developmental activities were still an essential and a valued component of student satisfaction. Additionally, commercial portals did not provide the desired dynamic or structure to fulfill Saint Leo's vision, which resulted in the decision to construct an in-house OIE. The cost of a "home-grown" interface was substantially lower than the price to outsource. Beyond technological needs, COL had to also consider needs of the primary population being served: adult learners. Research indicates that adult learners bring with them societal experience, greater awareness of responsibility, high motivation, and a fear of failure (Senter & Senter, 1998; Spitzer, 2000; Kasworm, 2003 ). Even more so than their traditionally aged counterparts is an expectation of our institution to provide structure, clear processes, and career-relevant opportunities. The development and implementation of a needs assessment ensued to determine what kind of activities students would utilize. The majority of students provided favorable responses to the services proposed, while some of the initial ideas for involvement opportunities were modified based on student feedback. The assessment tool showed that students strongly supported the development of professional career-oriented student associations, webinars (seminars held via the Internet), lectures, art related activities, social clubs, a student board of advisors, and professional or not-for-credit opportunities to advance their careers. The combination of literature, on-ground functional area practices, and student need culminated in iRoar's launch in January of 2003. The interface provides students with a forum to exchange ideas, ask questions, give and receive feedback, participate in organizations, receive tutoring assistance, and develop their sense of identity as a Saint Leo student. Currently, iRoar provides students with the following: Info Center: containing information and University announcements; a student, faculty, and staff recognition area; personalized calendar; popular news media outlets; and a searchable directory Resources: containing support services such as the Cybrary (Cyber-Library), tutoring center, graduation, study tips, alumni relations, and orientation class modules Academics: containing links to the classroom and registration sites, a course sequence guide, and a list of classes in which the student is currently enrolled Values and Expectations: containing the University values statements, student handbook, code of conduct, and judicial procedure Lounge: containing a variety of chat room and message boards forums, such as social, academic, sports, and volunteerism Activities: containing a games room, sports center, and a venue for students to create socially or professionally related organizations, including a student board of advisors that functions and parallels a business or non-profit board model, permitting students to gain leadership experience, develop management skills, and acquire transferable board experience. The expansion of services and involvement opportunities in the immediate future include the addition of personal web pages, a student art gallery, and wellness center. This platform assists students by providing a sense of empowerment and connectivity to the university. iRoar has been averaging above 2,500 visitors and 45,000 hits each month since the launch in January of this year and those numbers continue to grow (Deepmatrix, 2003). For many students, the iRoar site is still very new and students are responding in ways that are similar to traditional, first-time students. They are starting to explore the various involvement opportunities, such as student organizations, Advisory Boards, and academic functions, as well as engaging in new interactions with other students. The University is pleased with iRoar's growth thus far and is optimistic about future development and use. Furthermore, a student satisfaction survey was conducted in late April of 2003 to ascertain a comprehensive satisfaction level of COL's various areas. Sections related to COL's involvement opportunities were included. In the five short months that iRoar has been live, students rated the interface to be an above average, useful tool that assists in the building of community, establishing a connection to the University, and centralizing information. Ratings are anticipated to increase as students become more familiar with the site and as more areas are brought online. Further assessment of both satisfaction and effectiveness through surveys and empirical research is planned. While the intention of the i-Roar design was primarily to serve the needs of exclusively online students, it is apparent through research and networking/presenting at national conferences, such as NASPA and ACPA, that other "on-ground" and flex-programs (both on-ground and on-line programs) could benefit from this initial research and platform design. Future research is necessary to gain a clearer understanding of what type of OIE will be successful at other institutions. The need for student development-based online services is evident for both online and on-ground institutions. The student affairs profession is grounded in a theory-based philosophy and the commitment to development the student as a whole. Ensuring that this philosophy is extended and implemented in online learning programs is not only the obvious "next step" but an important professional-cornerstone consideration. Working to provide sound developmental student services and involvement opportunities in a cyber-based medium poses new challenges. Simply applying on-ground student service and activity methods to the online environment could produce unknown outcomes. Little or no research has been done to determine the transferability of traditional campus services to a cyber campus and the effectiveness of such initiatives for on-ground and online students. Student affairs professionals must analyze and test current theories to determine applicability, any short comings, and/or a necessity to create new or modified standards and approaches for the online learning field. References Astin, A. W. (1999). Involvement in learning revisited: Lessons we have learned. Journal of College Student Development, 40(5), 587-598. Deepmatrix (2003). iRoar site statistics. Retrieved on June 19, 2003 from http://stats9. datapipe.com. Kasworm, C. (2003). Adult meaning making in the undergraduate classroom. Adult Education Quarterly, 52(2), 77-98. Kuh, G. (1993). In their own words: What students learn outside the classroom. American Research Journal, 30, 227-304. Sanford, N. (1962). Developmental status of the entering freshman. In N. Sanford (Ed.), The American College, 253-282. New York: Wiley. Senter, M. S. & Senter, Jr., R. (1998). A comparative student of traditional and nontraditional students' identities and needs. NASPA Journal, 35(4), 270-280. Spitzer, T. M (2000). Predictors of college success: A comparison of traditional and nontraditional age students. NASPA Journal., 38(1), 82-98. Terenzini, P., Pascarella, E, & Blimling, G. (1999). Students' out-of-class experiences and their influence on learning and cognitive development: A literature review. Journal of College Student Development, 40(5), 610-621. Printer Friendly Version