Supporting Online Students

Supporting Students for Success in Online and Distance Learning, Third Edition, provides a comprehensive overview of student support both on and off campus. While online and distance learning are the world’s fastest growing areas of educational development, they have a fundamental weakness—their graduation rates, which can be lower than 20 percent. In this powerful new edition, Ormond Simpson builds on a rich history of research in distance and e-learning to show how retention rates can be improved through tested support methods, often at a net financial profit to the institutions involved. By comparing the evidence as well as the cost-effectiveness of various support tactics, this book describes how to promote student success and encourage skill-development from a number of different perspectives: definitions and purpose, theory and psychology, ethics, costs and benefits, activities, sources, media, proactive and reactive, assessment and feedback, staff development, writing support into course materials, research, quality assurance and institutional structures. This concise, practical guide is informal and jargon-free, yet its approach to evidence is rigorous, making it invaluable reading for all those interested in recruiting and teaching diverse students for successful online and distance learning.

Supporting Online Students shows how effective and efficiently delivered support services improve academic success and course retention for online learners. Drawing on a decade's worth of research, Anita Crawley describes the scope of services from admissions and registration to advising and student engagement. The book includes guidelines and standards, planning and implementation, innovative practices, and describes specialized services needed by particular online student groups. "Effective student support is the single most important factor in sustaining high-quality online learning programs. Anita Crawley presents the most effective guide to achieving that success. Her book is a blueprint for building thriving online programs through comprehensive student support." Ray Schroeder, director, Center for Online Learning, Research and Service, University of Illinois Springfield "As distance learning continues to grow, this book addresses the often neglected other side of the coin: online student services. This book provides a great introduction and overview of the research, literature, and innovative practices for planning, implementing, and evaluating support services for online learners." George Steele, director, eStudent Services, OhioLearns "Anita Crawley has crafted a splendid volume on a topic of increasing importance in contemporary higher education. Her book promises to be the foundational piece for those who work with students in an online environment. Her thinking and analysis are superb and undoubtedly will provide the basis upon which to develop online programs and services in the future." John H. Schuh, Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Emeritus, Iowa State University "Bringing together extensive examples of innovative practices, summaries of current research, and a wealth of experience in student services, Anita Crawley's comprehensive guide to supporting online students is a rich resource for institutions with existing, growing, or new online programs. Diane J. Goldsmith, former executive director, Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many educational institutions implemented social distancing interventions such as initiating closure, developing plans for employees to work remotely, and transitioning teaching and learning from face-to-face classrooms to online environments. The abrupt switch to online teaching and learning, for the most part, has been a massive change for administration, faculty, and students at traditional brick-and-mortar universities and colleges as concerns regarding the pedagogical soundness of this mode of delivery remain among some stakeholders. Not only that, but the switch has also revealed the inequities in the system when it comes to the types of students universities serve. It is important as institutions move forward with online instruction that consideration be made about all students and what policies and strategies need to be put into place to help support and meet the needs of all constituents now or when unprecedented situations arise. The only way this can be done is by documenting the experiences through the eyes of faculty who were at the frontline of providing instruction and advising services to students. The Handbook of Research on Inequities in Online Education During Global Crises brings to light the struggles faculty and students faced as they were required to switch to online education during the global COVID-19 health crisis. This crisis has revealed inequities in the educational system as well as the specific effects of inequities when it comes to learning online, and the chapters in this book provide information to help institutions be better prepared for online education or remote learning in the future. While highlighting topics such as new educational trends, remote instruction, diversity in education, and teaching and learning in a pandemic, this book is ideal for in-service and preservice teachers, administrators, teacher educators, practitioners, stakeholders, researchers, academicians, and students interested in the inequalities within the educational systems and the new policies and strategies put in place with online education to combat these issues and support the needs of all diverse student populations.

Recognized as the leading book on the subject, Supporting Students in Online, Open and Distance Learning considers the support of students either on or off-campus. Ever-greater numbers of students are studying as part of open, flexible, distance or online courses and, with the rise in numbers and expectations, so the need to offer these often-diverse students effective support is critical. Fully revised and expanded, this new edition reflects current concerns and developments in ODL. It includes increased coverage of tuition in different media, issues of student retention, structures and quality assurance, staff development, online support and computer conferencing. Practical and authoritative, the book tackles the full range of student support issues in ODL, including: *developing the most appropriate tuition techniques *social support *retention *delivering support at a distance and online *face-to-face support *learning-skills and staff development Supporting Students in Online, Open and Distance Learning is essential reading for all those with an interest in recruiting and teaching students in open and distance learning or e-learning situations. It will help lecturers, moderators and tutors to develop a range of skills with a focus on support, retention and student outcomes.

"Neither an academic tome nor a prescriptive 'how to' guide, The Theory and Practice of Online Learning is an illuminating collection of essays by practitioners and scholars active in the complex field of distance education. Distance education has evolved significantly in its 150 years of existence. For most of this time, it was an individual pursuit defined by infrequent postal communication. But recently, three more developmental generations have emerged, supported by television and radio, teleconferencing, and computer conferencing. The early 21st century has produced a fifth generation, based on autonomous agents and intelligent, database-assisted learning, that has been referred to as Web 2.0. The second edition of "The Theory and Practice of Online Learning" features updates in each chapter, plus four new chapters on current distance education issues such as connectivism and social software innovations."--BOOK JACKET.

Group Communication Pitfalls: Overcoming Barriers to an Effective Group Experience treats groups and the work involved in grouping as useful tools humans have developed for responding to pressures or demands faced by group members. This book assumes an orientation that expects and detects group pitfalls as they arise, providing students with the foundation for overcoming barriers to effective group experiences. By assuming this orientation, authors John O. Burtis and Paul D. Turman offer readers a map of the group pitfall terrain and demonstrate how people working well together can use the struggle against such pitfalls to improve their groups.

Online Distance Education: Towards a Research Agenda offers a systematic overview of the major issues, trends, and areas of priority in online distance education research. In each chapter, an international expert or team of experts provides an overview of one timely issue in online distance education, summarizing major research on the topic, discussing theoretical insights that guide the research, posing questions and directions for future research, and discussing the implications for distance education practice as a whole. Intended as a primary reference and guide for distance educators, researchers, and policymakers, Online Distance Education addresses aspects of distance education practice that have often been marginalized, including issues of cost and economics, concerns surrounding social justice, cultural bias, the need for faculty professional development, and the management and growth of learner communities. At once soundly empirical and thoughtfully reflective, yet also forward-looking and open to new approaches to online and distance teaching, this text is a solid resource for researchers in a rapidly expanding discipline.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated growth in online education across the world, forcing many to learn remotely. Presenting case studies from authors around the globe, this volume provides College and university personnel with research, theoretical foundations, and best practice to support and engage online learners.