Benchmarking St. Petersburg Junior College:
A Report to Leadership
What Are the Appropriate Models for
Development and Redevelopment of
Student Support Services?
Submitted by Joyce Burkhart
Coordinator, Research, Evaluation and Dissemination
Project Eagle
February 28, 2001
Introduction
To
formulate an evaluation process of e-learning practices at St. Petersburg
Junior College (SPJC) for Project
Eagle, external evaluator Dr. Gordon "Spud" Van de Water,
Education Commission of the States, suggested that the college first identify
critical issues. Dr. James Olliver, Project Eagle director, with the help of
the Project Eagle Work Group, formulated six questions, which were then worked
into a project eagle evaluation plan by Dr. Van de Water and Joyce Burkhart,
Coordinator of Research, Evaluation and Dissemination.
The
decision was made to consider one question per quarter for the next 18 months,
taking the following steps:
- First,
examine best e-learning practices related to that question, both nationwide and
worldwide, using the Web as the primary source of information. The results of
this external evaluation would be published in an issue of Project Eagle's
monthly newsletter, Best Educational E-Practices (BEEP).
- Next, compile a list of all practices related to the
question currently in use at SPJC, using a variety of appropriate techniques
and strategies.
- Compare the best external practices with those offered at
SPJC.
- Benchmark SPJC and
submit a report to the college leadership on the college's performance in the
area under consideration.
- Finally, disseminate the results nationally, using the
Project Eagle Web site and other forms of information distribution.
This report represents Step 4, incorporating the results of Steps 1-3.
Background
The first question to be
evaluated was related to student support services for e-learners. In October
2000, research was completed to find external models of student support
services to e-learners. In November 2000, the results were published in Best
Educational E-Practices (BEEP), Issue 2, Student Support Services for Distance
Learners.* The services identified included these:
1. Basic student support services: admission, registration,
payment of fees, financial aid, textbook purchase, and library services.
2. Online directories and handbooks of services to distance
learners: comprehensive Web pages or sites that included links to all the necessary
support services a college or university offers.
3. Self-assessment tools for distance learning readiness,
designed to allow interested students to determine if distance learning is right
for them.
4. Online orientations to distance learning.
5. Hardware requirements for distance courses.
6. Counseling services.
7. Tutorial services.
8. Compendia of frequently asked questions for quick student
reference.
9. Other online support services of note, usually offered
by only a few institutions:
a. Career
services.
b. Bulletin
board (message and discussion) for sharing information.
c. Digital
student newspapers prepared exclusively for e-learners.
d. Student
union station (online links that replicate the services of a physical student
union).
e. Sample
placement tests.
f.
News articles about an institution's e-learning program.
g. Sample
online lessons to give students a feel for an e-learning environment.
From
November 2000 to the end of January 2001, steps were taken to evaluate the
level of e-student support services at SPJC. These steps included the
following:
1. Creation and administration of a student
survey of online instruction, with nine questions added that dealt specifically
with the support services offered to the online student.
2. An examination of all current student services of the
college's E-Campus, as compiled by the college's Cyber Advisor, Jason Krupp,
and/or administered by the E-Campus under program director Lynda Womer.
3. An informal dialogue between the Cyber Advisor and selected
e-learners.
4. An invitation to all faculty teaching online courses at
SPJC to submit any individual services they offer their e-students, as well as
any suggestions for improvement they might have to offer based on observation
and experience in an e-learning situation.
In
February 2001 external and internal services were compared, and the results
compiled in this report. An executive summary appears in Best
Educational E-Practices (BEEP), Issue 6, March 1, 2001.
*The phrases "distance learners" eventually changed to
"e-learners" and "e-students," as research showed increase
use of these terms to define the student population being examined.
Results
A
chart gives a simple comparison of the
student support services offered by other insitutions and those of SPJC. The
services can be broken down into the three categories that follow, with a
closer examination of each.
I. Best practices
reported in BEEP #2 offered both by other schools
and by SPJC
A.
Basics: admission, registration, fees, financial aid, textbooks and library.
These services were considered so basic to the operation of a successful
student support program for e-learners that examples from external sources were
not included in BEEP #2. At SPJC, these basics are in
place, with one exception.
1. Admission. The online admissions process is presently inactive. Conferlete
Carney, Vice-President of Information Services and Pat Rinard, Manager of
Computer Programming and Support, in their January 2001 Project Eagle status
report, explain:
"We did not
meet our goal of having the credit application live by the end of 2000. We did have the non-credit application up but disabled it
due to the high volume of REGIS [Registration Enhancement to Guide Improved
Services] traffic we experienced between December 18, 2000 and January 10, 2001. Since the last report, we have learned
that FACTS [Florida
Academic Counseling and Tracking for Students] will require more than a link between
their site and our own developed admissions application. Extensive development
will need to occur using tools providing by FACTS in order to meet our
obligations under the FACTS memorandum of understanding. This development will
occur in the next 3 months. Additionally, we will bring back up the non-credit
admissions application and finish the development work on the credit admissions
application. Development and testing on the credit application has been
delayed due to the resignation of the Java developer who initially started this
project. Essentially, students will have the option of applying to SPJC
electronically by going to our website or FACTS."
2. Registration. The college presently uses an online registration system called
the Webster
Online Student System. As part of its services, Webster allows
students to drop and add courses, change to audit, update their records, and
get help in the use of the system.
3. Fees. Tuition and fees may be
paid online as part of the Webster Online Student System.
4. Financial Aid. SPJC has a Web page with
general information about seeking
financial aid, as well as a location in the Webster
Online Student System that allows students to track their own
financial aid.
5.
Textbooks. Students may purchase textbooks online through the SPJC Follett bookstore.
6.
Library.
The SPJC M. M. Bennett libraries have a Web site, Library
Online, with extensive online services, some provided by the
State of Florida, that are available to
all students at the college. A unique feature especially useful for online
students are the Course Links,
lists of online sources of information tailored to particular courses offered
at the college.
B. Online directories and
handbooks of services.
One
of the most useful services other institutions offer to e-students is a Web
page that provides a directory of quick links to everything they might need.
There are several exemplary pages linked to BEEP
#2. One good example is done by the University of Minnesota's Independent and Distance
Learning Student Services and Policies. It is comprehensive, well-arranged,
attractive and user-friendly.
At
SPJC, a directory of services for e-learners has been constructed on the home
page of the E-Campus Web site. It provides quick links to the
e-course catalog, registration, cyber advisor, technical information,
frequently asked questions, and e-campus help.
C. Self-assessment for distance learning readiness.
A number of institutions offer online tools for interested students to
determine if e-learning is right for them. A very comprehensive external site
from the list compiled in BEEP #2 is at Sauk Valley Community College (IL). It includes links to
several self-assessment tools, as well as other useful information to determine
e-learning readiness. A much shorter but still valuable example is at Virginia
Tech.
Internally,
SPJC offers an e-learning
quiz of fifteen questions that helps potential e-students
determine their compatibility with this type of instruction.
D. Orientation to distance learning.
Many
institutions with extensive e-learning programs provide orientations for new
students. BEEP #2 links
to five such sites. Berkeley College (NY/NJ) offers a
multimedia orientation in both self-paced and auto-paced formats. A text-based
Web site with links to several pages related to orientation is at Penn
State's World Campus 101..
SPJC's
orientation takes the form of an E-Course
Student Guide, which includes links to the self-assessment test,
an online student checklist, tips for success, and online help of various
kinds.
E. Hardware requirements for distance
courses.
Knowing the equipment requirements for any type of e-learning is important for
students. Montgomery College (MD), for example,
presents that information for cable television, video conferencing, Web-based
Internet courses, computer conferencing, and network television courses. Other
good sites are listed in BEEP #2.
As
part of its Tech Info page, SPJC lists the technical
requirements for online and teleweb courses. In addition, the page introduces WebCT,
the online course software used by the college, and includes a link for getting
technical help.
F. Counseling services.
A good example of counseling services to e-students from BEEP
#2 is at Rio Salado College (AZ), which lists the
services available and offers them in both English and Spanish.
SPJC
has created a position of Cyber Advisor to meet the counseling needs of
e-learners. In that position Jason Krupp has created a page of counseling and advising resources for
E-Campus students. It includes a variety of links to other e-sources mentioned
in this report.
G. Tutorial services.
These
student support services cover online tutoring, often not just for e-learners,
but for all students attending an institution. As BEEP
#2 shows, English and math
are the subjects most frequently handled, but at least one school, Clackamas Community College (OR), includes additional
subjects like business and science online.
At
the time of this report, SPJC was testing the use of bulletin board software
that will allow planned tutorial services online for SPJC students. In
addition, the college has begun pilot-testing an outside online tutoring
service, Smarthinking.com,
for help in English and math.
H. Frequently asked
questions.
One
of the best practices of several colleges and universities surveyed was the
inclusion of a list of frequently asked questions. Of those mentioned in BEEP
#2, the one at Stephen F. Austin State University (TX),
has no fewer than three different lists of questions an e-learner might want answered.
SPJC's
E-Campus offers two choices with answers to frequently asked questions. One links to the E-Campus main page, and the
other to the Webster Online Student System.
I. Career services.**
A
few external sources provide career guidance for e-students, although these
same services can be used by all students. An example of a multi-service Web
site - from resume writing to getting a part-time job - is located at West
Virginia University.
SPJC's
Cyber Advisor's Web page includes a link for career planning that allows
students to explore careers and assess their own personalities and interests.
J.
Bulletin boards.**
A
few institutions have added a bulletin or message board that allows students to
post and discuss their e-learning concerns and the schools to put out notices
of general interest. At Brevard Community College (FL), one of
those mentioned in BEEP #2, a message board for student
concerns is linked to the college's Online Intervention Center.
SPJC
is in the process of testing its new E-Campus Interactive Web page, which will
allow students to find out what's new on campus, receive virtual counseling, get
involved in student activities and more. Its planned time for general use is
March 2001.
K. Sample placement
tests.**
Albuquerque Technical and Vocational Institute
(NM), was the only institution represented in BEEP
#2 that offered this unique student service.
At
SPJC, there is a Web page with all the necessary information about the college's placement test,
including sample questions in reading, sentence skills, arithmetic, algebra,
and college-level mathematics.
L. Sample online
lessons.**
At
the time of BEEP #2,
Rio Salado College (AZ) was the only
school with sample lessons drawn from its own online courses, including medical
terminology, computer information systems, English, nutrition, and Spanish.
The
Instructional Technology department at SPJC is in the process of putting
together a sample
online session for students interested in getting the flavor of
taking a WebCT course, since that software is used for the creation of
all the college's E-Campus courses. Anticipated completion time is late spring.
II. Best practices reported in BEEP
#2 offered by other institutions and not offered by SPJC
A. Digital student
newspaper.**
Several
schools regularly publish online newspapers distinct from any similar printed
publications. A comprehensive daily, The Digital Collegian, is produced by
students at Penn State.
B.
Student union station.**
Utah Valley State College offers its
students an unusual Web site that tries to duplicate the services of a physical
student union. It includes links to activities around town, a game room, chat
room, message board and clubs, as well as other student services of the kind
already mentioned in this report.
C. News articles about the distance learning program.**
Penn State devotes an entire Web page to
a compilation of news articles about its World Campus. It presents an instant
picture of the development of that university's e-learning program.
**These other online support services are representative of some
creative and unique ideas, but are of relatively minor importance. They are not
offered as frequently as those mentioned previously in this report.
III. Best practices offered by SPJC and not found at other schools
when researching student support services for BEEP
#2
A. Collegewide online survey of student
satisfaction with e-learning.
The
policy of collegewide student surveys of instruction has a long history at
SPJC. Variations of the survey exist for lecture, lab, and, in recent years, telecourse
instruction.
In
November 2000, in a move apparently unique to this institution, SPJC's
Instructional Technology Advisory Committee agreed to the use of a prototype student
survey of online instruction, similar to the surveys already in
use for other methods of course delivery. In addition to the usual questions
related to the quality of instruction, there were nine added to gauge the
effectiveness of course delivery in an online format:
19. Prior to my enrolling in this course, the support services (e.g., registration
and information) were satisfactory. (5.87)
20. The college provided adequate technical support for this course. (5.86)
21. Prior to taking this course, I was proficient in the technology skills required
to complete it. (6.24)
22. The technical challenges of this course were reasonable and manageable.
(6.26)
23. Internet resources provided in the course enhanced the learning experience.
(6.06)
24. There were sufficient opportunities for interaction with the instructor
and other students in this course. (5.99)
25. I felt as involved in this course as in a traditional classroom setting.
(5.44)
26. I would recommend this online course to other students. (5.90)
27. Based on my experience in this course, I would take another online course
at SPJC. (6.06)
The
survey was linked to the WebCT main page of all online courses, and students
were encouraged to participate during the last two weeks of the fall session.
Unduplicated headcount for online courses for the session was 1152 (Source:
SPJC Administrative Information Systems). Of those, 876 students completed the
survey.
Students
rated their satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 7, the latter being the highest.
The averages for each question are given above in parentheses after the
questions. The overall average for all questions was 5.96, and no rating was
lower than 5.44.
The
intention of E-Campus administrators was to look for identified areas of
weakness and work on ways to improve, even conducting more in-depth surveys if
necessary. Because of the relatively high level rate of satisfaction, further
surveys were deemed unnecessary. However, the 5.44 rating in question 25 has
led the college to explore ways to increase the feeling of involvement in
future online offerings.
B. Online student testimonials.
Jason
Krupp, SPJC Cyber Advisor, corresponds regularly with e-students via email.
While he deals with problems they encounter on a one-to-one basis, he has also
begun to compile the words of praise students have for their e-campus
experiences at the college. Linked to his Cyber Advisory Web page, they can be
found under the heading of what
students say.
C. Links to outside
agency support services.
From
any number SPJC Web sites, students can link to statewide and regional agencies
that offer support services beyond that which the college provides. Examples
include these:
1. Florida
Academic Counseling and Tracking For Students (FACTS). This
unique statewide network provides access to the computing resources of Florida's higher education
system. Operational now, it will eventually allow students to plan and
coordinate their academic careers online, no matter what colleges or
universities they have attended in the state
2. Florida
eChoices. This venerable source of career guidance information
for Florida students is now
available in an online format. It allows users to assess their own interests,
investigate occupations, and much more
3. Library Information Network for Community Colleges
(LINCC). Students at Florida's community colleges have access to one of the
nation's most developed online information resources, LINCC. It allows students
access to institutional library collections throughout the state, as well as
the use of a wide variety of academic databases, many full-text.
4. Florida
Distance Learning Library Initiative (FDDLI). This cooperative
statewide service for community college and public university students is based
at the University of South Florida, Tampa. Among other services,
it offers e-students an online reference and referral center, a statewide
courier service for quick delivery of interlibrary loans, and borrowing
privileges at any of Florida's 38 public postsecondary institutions.
5. Electronic
Campus, Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). This regional
"electronic marketplace" for e-courses, programs and services defines itself as
a one-stop point of entry for distance learning opportunities among the
participating institutions in the southeastern states. It includes a link to
the Board's "Principles of Good Practice."
D. Telecourse instructions.
Of
the institutions surveyed, SPJC provides very detailed information for
e-students taking telecourses. From a Web page titled "How
to Take a Telecourse," users can link to explanations of the
concept and process of telecourses, a profile of a telecourse student,
orientation, reviews, examination policies, withdrawal procedures, attendance
policies and more.
E. Student orientation CD.
A
very unusual service offered by the college is providing a free CD version of its required new
student orientation to SPJC's policies, procedures, rules and services. The
advantage for e-learners is that they no longer have to come to one of the
campuses to view the orientation. A completely online version of the same
orientation is scheduled for completion in late 2001.
F. Instructions for offsite
testing.
Tests
for online courses are typically taken online. However, telecourse tests and
college placement tests are held at SPJC sites. Students unable to come to an
SPJC site must identify a proctor, or someone authorized to conduct the test. The
test is mailed to the proctor, who administers it and submits it to SPJC. Details on proctoring and the appropriate form can be
found on an SPJC Web page designed for that purpose.
G. Individual instructor innovations.
The
internal evaluation process of student support services at SPJC included
querying all online instructors, as well as the college's instructional
technologists, about support services offered individually. Eleven faculty
members responded. Several commented on using the chat rooms, message boards,
and discussion areas that are part of the WebCT package. Others created
supplemental resource pages related to their own particular assignment. Some
added these innovative individual practices:
1. Use of students identified as former good students in the subject area who
work as student interns (assistants) for course credit of 1-3 hours. These students
hold virtual office hours and tutor others online both in chat rooms and on
an individual basis.
2. Extra credit assignments that encourage use of the Internet to find the answers
to questions that cannot be answered in the textbook.
3. Use of the telephone as a support when trying to get out information and
answers quickly and easily.
4. Effective use of group projects that leads to increased use of email and
chat capabilities.
5. Creation and administration of a course orientation tour to familiarize students
with the software followed by a course orientation quiz. The same instructor
also provides pages explaining the icons used in the course and a student guide
for ease of course navigation.
6. A flexible method of online delivery: email for essays and direct
student/teacher correspondence; discussion board for weekly postings of
assignments and discussion.
The
instructors also provided suggestions for improvement of student support
services to e-learners, and there was surprising consistency in what they
identified:
1. Improve main SPJC Web site navigation to make it more obvious where distance
learners need to go.
2. Integrate e-campus more seamlessly into the rest of the college
infrastructure.
3. Identify someone at the college who genuinely "seems to care about them -
who sees them as a person and not just a problem or an interruption... distance
students need more personal support than traditional students, not less."
Review and Recommendations
When
evaluated against the best practices found at other colleges and universities,
the support services SPJC offers its e-learners equaled and sometimes surpassed
most of them. The absence of a digital student newspaper, online student union
and collection of articles about the e-campus were not significant
shortcomings. They were, in fact, more than compensated for by the additional
services the college has created that were not readily identifiable at other
institutions with e-learning programs.
The
E-Campus Web site itself is exemplary. The E-Campus home page is attractive,
user-friendly, and comprehensive. The additional links from the Cyber Advisor's page notably enhance
e-student support services, as does the visibility of the individual himself.
At the time of this report, all the e-learning links examined were current in
their information, and new pages appeared regularly even as this evaluation
progressed. In fact, it was necessary to put a final cut-off date for inclusion
here, knowing that several additional pages were at the point of general
release.
If
there are areas that need improvement, the suggestions of the online instructors
identified two:
- A more personal touch for students, and not
just from the teachers. One asked for a "Go To Person." Another wondered,
"Where will the student go first?" A third suggested that what was needed was
"to develop a more personable spirit."
- Greater promotion of the E-Campus Web site and its services, not just when
e-students begin, but throughout their college careers. Instructors stated a
need to "improve main SPJC website navigation to make it much more obvious
where distance learners need to go." Another comment was that "E-Campus is not
seamlessly integrated into the rest of the college infrastructure and this
needs to change."
The
two suggestions seem closely related, and in both cases, the answers already
exist. To address the first need, the college already has a Cyber Advisor, and
the links from his Web page reflect the many areas of e-student services he
provides. Whether the question is one of technical, academic or moral support,
he is a fixed and reliable starting point to guide them to the right place for
answers.
The
second faculty suggestion indicates that, in spite of the quality and quantity
of service at the E-Campus Web site, there is a lack of awareness of its
existence, among students, e-instructors, and the college in general. At the
time of this report, even SPJC's own home page listed the site
simply as "Courses Online info," a somewhat misleading and incomplete heading.
It
seems, then, that the next step for the E-Campus is ongoing and highly visible
promotion of its services - to its own students, potential newcomers, all
faculty collegewide, (not just those teaching e-courses), and anyone involved
in Web page production at SPJC. The prominent link to the E-Campus home page
that appears on the WebCT course login page is excellent,
and perhaps an E-Campus icon should appear on all pages that link back to its
home page.
Overall,
in the content and extent of its student support services to e-students, SPJC
can already provide a model to the nation. Judging from the resources being
devoted to adding to and improving these services, it will continue to do so.
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