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Student Success Orientation Course & Persistence of Online Students
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Transcript of Student Success Orientation Course & Persistence of Online Students
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN A MANDATORY STUDENT SUCCESS ORIENTATION COURSE AND PERSISTENCE OF ONLINE STUDENTS
DR. JEFF HALL PROFESSOR/LEAD FACULTY MORGAN JOHNSON DIRECTOR OF INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES
ICEBREAKER
Three Minute Brainstorm:
How is orientation different for online vs. traditional students?
PRESENTATION OUTLINE Jeff Hall:
About Ashford University
Rationale, purpose, structure, components, and future of orientation
Morgan Johnson:
Assessments in Orientation
Persistence Data
Prediction Models
Quality Assurance
ABOUT ASHFORD UNIVERSITY •Mount St. Clare College (1918) - Sisters of St. Francis in Clinton, Iowa •Acquired by Bridgepoint Education in 2005 and renamed Ashford University
•Large proprietary institution, enrollment > 80,000; HLC Accreditation •Traditional campus in Iowa; 98% of students online • Open Admissions
•FT faculty in Iowa, Denver, and San Diego
RATIONALE FOR ORIENTATION •Open admissions = Greater risk of attrition •Provide students a no-cost, risk-free opportunity to explore online learning and experience the Ashford University classroom •Allows students to self-reflect on their readiness for online learning
•Gives students time to decide whether Ashford is the right university for them
•Could affect persistence rates in two ways: 1. Students can opt-out and not enroll in first course: EXP 105. 2. Filter out students who are not ready/committed
PURPOSE OF ORIENTATION • Provide a warm welcome – First faculty contact
• Help students become comfortable with the concept of online
learning and navigation of the online classroom
• Foster a sense of community that facilitates academic success
• Provide instructive, individualized, and personal feedback
• Challenge students to think, reflect, learn, and grow
• Continually remind students that “Graduation Begins Today!”
STRUCTURE OF ORIENTATION •11 day online experience
•Limited to students in one college with <24 transfer credits
•Closely mimics structure of typical Ashford course
•Faculty driven (part-time faculty cohort) •Interaction with peers (40 student cap)
•Non-graded (Pass/Not Pass) – Requires subjectivity from faculty
•Emphasis: Readiness & Reflection
COMPONENTS OF ORIENTATION Continually evolving course - Incremental Changes October 2011 •Introduction Discussion Board •SmarterMeasure Readiness Assessment & Reflection •English Proficiency Assessment •Time Management Activity & Discussion •13 question quiz – 100% required •Academic Dishonesty reflection & submission to Turnitin
January 2012 – Present •Introduction Discussion Board •SmarterMeasure Readiness Assessment & Reflection •Ashford Library/Writing Center Discussion •10 question quiz – 80% required •Self-reflection describing challenges & knowledge gained in Orientation
FUTURE OF ORIENTATION June 2012 •Introduction •SmarterMeasure Readiness Assessment & Reflection •Writing Readiness Assessment created by SmarterMeasure •Time Management discussion moved to EXP 105 •Ashford Library/Writing Center Discussion •10 question quiz – 80% required •Self-reflection describing challenges & knowledge gained in Orientation •Roll out to additional colleges (Liberal Arts: July, 2012; Ed. & Bus. after) •Continual assessment and tweaking
Orientation Assessment
& Research
ENGLISH PROFICIENCY EXAM • What did it predict? Orientation course metrics are indicative of students’ current and future performance. English Proficiency score is predictive of both Orientation completion and first course (EXP 105) grade.
• Why did we get rid of it? Assessment vs. reflection tool, no immediate intervention. • What could we be doing with the results? Will be reintroducing a SmarterMeasure writing readiness assessment that provides reflective exercises and immediate feedback.
ENGLISH PROFICIENCY EXAM Students who pass orientation
course have higher average score in English
Proficiency test.
Students who successfully complete first course have higher average scores on English test. English test score explains 2% of the total
variation of EXP105 grade points.
*Provided by BPE Data Analytics
SMARTERMEASURE: STUDENT READINESS
Student Readiness
Know which students are at
risk of not doing well at online
learning.
Know which students are a
good fit for online learning.
Have a dialogue with students about learning
online.
Provide resources to help online
students succeed.
SMARTERMEASURE IN ORIENTATION • A 124 item online skills test and attributes inventory that measures a student’s level of readiness for studying online • Key indicators:
•Individual Attributes – Motivation, Procrastination, Ask For Help •Learning Styles •Technical Skills & Competency •On-Screen Reading Rate & Recall •Typing Rate & Accuracy •Life Factors – Time, Place, Resources
SMARTERMEASURE AND ORIENTATION COURSE OUTCOME Students who do not complete orientation (Final grade = unknown) have different distribution in Personal Attributes and Life Factor scores.
*Provided by BPE Data Analytics
ORIENTATION RESULTS AND IMPACT ON PERSISTENCE • Orientation course metrics are indicative of students’ current and future performance:
English Proficiency score is predictive of both Orientation completion and EXP105 grade. Life Factors and Personal Attributes are most indicative of a student’s ability to progress through the Orientation course. Tech Competency, Reading, and Tech Knowledge are most correlated with EXP105 success. Life Factors and Personal Attributes are the only two measurements that correlate with EXP105 engagement.
FIRST COURSE COMPARISON Orientation cohort has a higher success rate than other cohorts.
*Provided by BPE Data Analytics
FIRST COURSE COMPARISON Orientation completers have higher grade point averages in EXP 105 and are more engaged (time spent online) than other students.
*Provided by BPE Data Analytics
PREDICTIVE MODELING
“REAL” Intervention:
Reading: Average number of times the student accesses digital course materials per day. Engagement: Average amount of minutes the student is accessing the online classroom per day. Assignments: Current course grade based on graded assignments. Logins: Number of days since the student last posted attendance by submitting a gradable assignment.
PREDICTIVE MODELING High Risk
Low Risk
Medium Risk
Target students that need additional support for academic success
Academic intervention has had most impact on students that fall into medium-risk
QUALITY CONTROL • A team of dedicated professionals support faculty in all courses, including Orientation
Instructional Specialist
Support Faculty
Facilitate Academic
Issues
Monitor Faculty
Performance
CONCLUSION • Does Orientation filter? Yes, given the evidence. • Does it better prepare students for success? Inconclusive thus far, but we’d like to think so!
Q&A