© 2012 CAPELLA UNIVERSITY © 2012 CAPELLA UNIVERSITY

TWENTY YEARS OF ENHANCINGONLINE STUDENT SUCCESS

Amy Buechler-Steubing & Siri Sorensen

Capella University – Learning Assistance Center

College Reading and Learning Association Annual ConferenceBoston, MA

November 2013

© 2012 CAPELLA UNIVERSITY

2CAPELLA AT A GLANCE

• Physically located in Downtown Minneapolis

• Located online at www.capella.edu

• 34,503 Learners and 39,371 Alumni in all 50 states and 61 countries (as of September 30, 2013)

• Doctorate (30%), Master’s (42%), Bachelor’s (25%), and Certificate (3%)

• Average age is 40 (range of 19 to 89!)

• 74% female, 26% male

• 95% part-time, 5% full-time

• 54% of color, 46% white, non-Hispanic

• 14% affiliated with the military

• Accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA)

© 2012 CAPELLA UNIVERSITY

3LEARNING ASSISTANCE CENTER

Staffing model:

• 3 full-time staff• 23 part-time

student staff (Tutors/SI Leaders)

• Utilize online tutoring vendor (Smarthinking)

© 2012 CAPELLA UNIVERSITY

4AGENDA

1. Reflect: What has changed at our institution?

2. Celebrate achievements: Share your observations.

3. Consider new opportunities: Create a road map.

4. New ideas: What does the future hold?

© 2012 CAPELLA UNIVERSITY

5LOOKING BACK…20 YEARS

Campus services and website

Tutoring services

Supplemental Instruction program

Creating instructional materials focused on working adults

Incorporate media and interactive elements into orientation and courses across programs

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6Website evolution 2006-2013

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7HOW HAS YOUR PROGRAM EVOLVED?

What improvements or changes have you made to your program in the last 20 years?

Were these changes initiated by you or external factors?

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8How did we get to where we are today?

Asking questions

Building relationships

Creativity with resources

Not being afraid to try something new

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9

Advisors and Enrollment Counselors

Course development

Web/media design

Writing Program

University Orientation Seminar

Academic Affairs (Library, Teaching & Learning, Dissertation Support, Disability Services, Military Support)

School Leadership

Faculty

EFFECTIVE PARTNERSHIPS

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10

Course developmentOpportunity to scaffold in learning assistance resources/support

Establish effective course design best practices for integrating tutoring services

Develop models for providing synchronous writing support connected to specific courses

Learning Resources Steering Committee (LRSC)

Offers a scalable approach to increase staff and student awareness of resources, provide academic success resource training, and capture resource feedback which informs future resource development and improvements.

Team of over 20 resource ambassadors extend learning resource training and information to over 250 staff on a regular basis

EFFECTIVE PARTNERSHIPS

© 2012 CAPELLA UNIVERSITY

11ADVANCING STUDENT SUPPORT

Scaffolding support into coursesTutoring and writing support

Action plans for skill development

Online campus and web presence – one of the key places we interact with students

Offering synchronous support – supplemental instruction program for online courses

Expanded “Learning Assistance Center office hours” not just 8-5

© 2012 CAPELLA UNIVERSITY

12Our website today

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13CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO

Learning Assistance Curriculum framework

Learner success competencies

Design principles and processes

Assessment, resource, and interventions aligned across the student lifecycle

Interactive modules – provides personalized results and a guided experience

Evaluation of online content and curriculum – quality checks

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14Interactive module examples

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15MAXIMIZE RESOURCES

Use campus Web site (iGuide) to deliver and promote support services and self-paced resources

Partner with Faculty Development to create self-paced training for instructors

Establish and implement design principles and processes to ensure development of high-quality resources

© 2012 CAPELLA UNIVERSITY

16MAXIMIZE RESOURCES

Provide over 600 pages of competency-based self-paced instruction and multimedia for students, staff, and faculty

Offer competency-based learning assistance resources covering topics such as time management, reading strategies, critical thinking skills, research strategies, and statistics

© 2012 CAPELLA UNIVERSITY

17DEVELOPING A ROAD MAP

© 2012 CAPELLA UNIVERSITY

18WHAT’S ON OUR ROAD MAP?

Advancing competency-based learning assistance model

Flex PathSupporting learners in our self-paced program option

Writing support enhancementsSynchronous writing labs

Online writing resources

Tutoring support designed into courses

Partnership with Career Center and Library

• 21st Century/Employability skills

© 2012 CAPELLA UNIVERSITY

19

DialogueThanks for attending!

© 2012 CAPELLA UNIVERSITY

20CONTACT INFORMATION

Amy Buechler-Steubing

amy.buechler-steubing@capella.edu

1-888-227-3552, x5640.

Siri Sorensen

siri.sorensen@capella.edu

1-888-227-3552, x5761