By Anita Crawley
Distance Learning Counselor
Mongtomery College
20020 Observation Drive
Germantown, Md. 20876
anita.crawley@montgomerycollege.edu
Posted: January, 2004 Student Affairs Online, vol. 5 no. 1 - Winter 2004
If change is a key word for education in the
21st century, then, for counselors, nowhere is change more evident than in the
way we use technology to assist students. Not too many years ago we
communicated with students either by letter, by phone, or in person. The
Registrar's office was the keeper of student records. As counselors and
advisors, we depended on physical records to do degree audits, graduation
checks, transfer planning and career counseling. Today, because of
student information systems, many of us have this and much more information
readily available from our computer desktops. And that's just the beginning.
For both students and advisors, the World Wide Web has become a virtual library
of student service information available twenty four hours a day, seven days a
week. Email provides opportunities for online advising, and the web provides
opportunities for students to engage in many activities that previously took
place primarily within the confines of counseling and advising offices, or
perhaps in classrooms or hallways. Clearly these technological tools have
changed the way many of us perform our primary job functions and have
significantly affected how students matriculate through our institutions.
Students have remote access to significant
information that assists them in moving through college. Colleges and
universities are scrambling to provide online access to college applications,
course registration, textbook purchase, student records, financial aid
application, college catalog, course schedules, and a multitude of other
information about the college. College web pages provide information for
prospective and currently enrolled students. Student portals provide
password protected single point of entry sites where enrolled students can view
grades, transcripts, personal information, bills, current course registration,
co-curricular activities and more.
Changes in the delivery of student services
accompany changes in the delivery of instruction. Traditional bricks and mortar
education is no longer the exclusive delivery system. Students can choose
from various forms of distance education; the newest and fastest growing
distance-learning format is online, web-based learning. Students are
enrolling in entirely online programs or combining online courses with
on-campus courses. Those who take courses at a distance expect that they
will be able to receive student services using the same remote technology,
generally the web that they use to take their courses.
How will we fulfill the expectations of these
students and others who would prefer the convenience of applying, registering,
paying bills and participating in many other services online? The Western
Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications (WCET) is a national leader in
helping states and institutions improve education through the effective use of
technology. In 1999, WCET (2004) developed a Guide
to Developing Online Student Services, which describes successful
approaches and provides models for remote delivery of services such as academic
advising, career services, orientation, admissions and more. In 2003,
WCET (2004) completed work on another project, Beyond the
Administrative Core: Creating Web Based Services for Online Students.
The Administrative Core refers to admissions, registration, student accounts,
student records, financial aid, schedule of classes, and the college
catalog. Additional suites of services, illustrated in this graphic, are the communications, academic services,
personal services and student communities’ suites. The final report,
posted on the WCET website, provides detailed descriptions and resources to
assist institutions in the implementation of remotely delivered student
services.
Sally Johnstone (2002), WCET Director,
defines stages that many institutions go through in the process of developing
online student services. Stage 1 services are static web pages providing information
about on campus services. Stage 2 services add interactive forms,
self-assessment tools and the capability to communicate through email with
service providers. Stage 3 incorporates personalized services such as
student access to their records. Stage 4 adds student web portals that
are used to individualize each student's experience and develop a relationship
with the institution. Stage 5 incorporates the use of artificial
intelligence functionality to the above stages. This progression leads to students
becoming increasingly connected to the institution as they interact in a more
individualized way with online resources.
Although research about the use and benefit
of online student services is in its infancy, Student Affairs has a history
that confirms the value of proactively intervening throughout a student's time
in college. As cited in Ludwig-Hardman and Dunlop's (2003) article, Tinto,
in his model of student persistence, suggests that students need to be
connected to the institution both academically and socially. Students are
anxious to use web-based resources. College web pages are providing a
variety of interactive services such as online advising (sometimes through live
chat rooms) and interactive tools for academic support, educational and career
planning. Websites provide self-assessments in the areas of career
decision-making, learning styles, study skills, personality type, and readiness
for online learning to name just a few. Online services enhance on-campus
services by attracting students who may not have previously taken advantage of
these resources.
The value of providing remote resources to
help students is becoming increasingly clear. MarylandOnline in the Gap
Analysis of Online Student Services (Sener & Baer, 2002) surveyed both
administrators and students to assess the capabilities of Maryland colleges and
universities to deliver online student services; to discover where gaps exist
between current and optimal capabilities in delivering online student services;
and to make recommendations for desired actions to close any gaps. Among
other findings, this study showed that a sizable majority of online students
report feeling that they belong to a learning community, suggesting that online
learning and student support services foster a sense of belonging to the
institution.
Taking this idea further, Kretovics (2002)
suggests that, particularly for online students, developing virtual communities
is important to help them feel connected and a part of the institution. In his
view, developing community is an area of expertise for Student Affairs
professionals who should assume a leadership role in the area of support of
online students. Some institutions provide online listservs outside the
online classroom where students can meet, support one another, exchange
information and participate in co- curricular activities.
As Student Affairs moves into this relatively
new arena of providing remote services to students, we can identify many issues
for discussion. For example, how will the roles of counselors and
advisors change as web based resources become more available? As students
use more self-assessment online tools, how will they interpret and utilize the
information? Since the web is unregulated, how can we assure that our
students are using quality resources? Given that colleges and
universities are using online resources to engage and educate students, we will
best serve our students by fully exploring these issues.
Below are a few examples of websites that
illustrate what some institutions are doing to provide online student
services.
Small sample of colleges that are going
beyond the Administrative Core to provide online services to students.
Columbia Universities Health Question and
Answers Internet Service Go Ask Alice http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/index.html
Georgia Perimeter College Online Orientation
http://www.gpc.edu/orientation
Long Beach City College Online Counseling
http://onlinecounseling.lbcc.edu/counselinghome/counselinghome.cfm
Montgomery College Advisors Desktop and
Online Student Success Center http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/Departments/studevgt/Advising.htm
https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/Departments/studevgt/onlinsts/
St. Petersburg College CyberAdvisor
http://www.spcollege.edu/ecampus/cyberadvisor/
University at Buffalo Student Portal demos
http://www.buffalo.edu/aboutmyub/
Virginia Tech Career Services
http://www.career.vt.edu/carplann/decision.html
A larger sample of colleges and an
overview of opportunities and challenges of providing online student services
can be found on the WCET Resources pages:
Academic Advising
http://www.wcet.info/projects/laap/resources/ac_ad.asp
Career Planning
http://www.wcet.info/projects/laap/resources/career_planning.asp
Financial Aid
http://www.wcet.info/projects/laap/resources/fin_aid.asp
Library Services
http://www.wcet.info/projects/laap/resources/library.asp
Orientation
http://www.wcet.info/projects/laap/resources/orientation.asp
Personal Counseling
http://www.wcet.info/projects/laap/resources/counseling.asp
Tutoring
http://www.wcet.info/projects/laap/resources/tutoring.asp
Disabilities Services
http://www.wcet.info/projects/laap/resources/st_w_disablts.asp
Small Sample of self assessment tools,
some college based, some not, but all available via the Internet.
Canada's School to Work Career Paths Online
http://10steps.careerpathsonline.com/guide/
Carlton University Procrastination Research
Group
http://www.carleton.ca/~tpychyl/index.html
Illinois Community Colleges Online OASIS
Online Assessment System for Internet Students
http://www.ilcco.net/oasis/
North Carolina State University The Career
Key
http://www.careerkey.org/english/
SkillsScan
http://www.skillscan.net/skillscan/intro/Cap/SkillDevelopment/SDSummary.cfm
TypeFocus
http://typefocus.com
University of St. Thomas Study Guides and
Strategies
(http://www.iss.stthomas.edu/studyguides/)This link is no longer active.
Virginia Tech Counseling Center, several
interactive self assessments & a couple of videos
http://www.ucc.vt.edu/
References
Johnstone, S. M. (2002). Really Serving
Students at a Distance. Syllabus Magazine: Technology for Higher
Education. April 2002. Retrieved January 6, 2004 from http://www.syllabus.com/article.asp?id=6244
Kretovics, M. (2003). The Role of Student
Affairs in Distance Education: Cyber-Services or Virtual Communities. Online
Journal of Distance Learning Administration. Volume 6, Number 3. Retrieved
January 6, 2004 from http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/fall63/kretovics63.html
Ludwig-Hardman, S. & Dunlap, J.C. (2003).
Learner Support Services for Online Students: Scaffolding for Success. International
Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. Volume 4, Number 1.
Retrieved January 6, 2004 from http://www.irrodl.org/content/v4.1/dunlap.html
Sener, J. & Baer, B. (2002). A Gap
Analysis of Online Student Services: Report on Administrator and Student
Surveys. Retrieved January 6, 2004 from http://www.marylandonline.org/about/sponsored_research/gap_analysis
Western Cooperative for Educational
Communications (2004). Retrieved January 6, 2004 from http://www.wcet.info
Other
Resources
Cox, H (2001). Online Student Services Assessment
Tool http://irt.austincc.edu/presentations/2003/aacc/McRaeOnlineStudentServices.pdf
Dirr, P. J. (1999). Putting Principles into
Practice: Promoting Effective Support Services for Students in Distance
Learning Programs. Retrieved January 6, 2004 from http://www.wcet.info/projects/studentservices/Survey%20Report.pdf
Levy, S. ((2003). Six Factors to Consider
when Planning Online Distance Learning Programs in Higher Education. Online
Journal of Distance Learning Administration. Volume 6, Number 1. Retrieved
January 6, 2004 from http://www.westga.edu/%7Edistance/ojdla/spring61/levy61.htm
Technology in Advising Preliminary Report. (2002) NACADA
Technology in Advising Commission. Retrieved January 6, 2004 from http://www.psu.edu/dus/ncta/survey1.htm