omde670 thesis paper

Running head: DISTANCE LEARNER NEEDS 1

Distance learner needs and the status of academic advising at a distance

Stephanie Martin

University of Maryland University College


Abstract

Student support takes on many different meanings depending on who you ask. If you ask an

educator you may get a definition like Oehlkers and Gibson give in their article on support, “the

resources that the learner can access to carry out the learning process” (Oehlkers & Gibson,

2001, p. 266). But if you ask an administrator they may give you a definition that encompasses

everything that does not have to do with the development of teaching material or classroom

material. Whatever the definition may be the types of support that are given to the on campus

student as compared to the distance learner is quite different or if it isn’t it should be. In

research that has been done in the past decade it has been found that attrition rates when it

pertains to distance and open enrollments is directly affected by the types of services that are

made available to the students. The big debate is do distance learners have different needs then

the on campus learner and if so how do we address them.


Introduction

In recent years and due to the economic down turn the masses are turning to education as a way

to be promoted in their current job or to find a better job, this has created a boost in enrollments

for many institutions. Online higher education is experienced growth due to the rising costs of

tuition and a persistent recession, as well as it provides flexibility for students to work while

studying. With so many institutions for students to choose from distance education programs

compete to enroll and retain students. Providing effective student-centered services, such as

academic advising is key to an institution’s success in these endeavors. Academic advisors help

students make progress toward their objectives as efficiently as possible. Some institutions have

put little thought into how their student supports effects their online students or the students

chose when it comes to their institution; they believe that what works for their students on

campus would work for their online students. This is not always the case, especially for

academic advising, library services and writing centers. These types of services take a different

approach when you put distance in between them and the student; this difference needs to be

addressed by institutions.

The topic of student support at a distance has recently come into light but still many institutions

do not perceive a need to make these types of services, such as academic advising available at a

distance (Rumble, 2000). Many institutions have already added a library service and a writing

center to their support services that can be accessed 24/7 by students who take online courses and

many also offer this same type of service for their IT department so that the student can battle

any type of problem that comes up with their use of the technology at any time. But why has

academic advising been left out of the student support offering for distance students? LaPadula

define support not as a list but rather “the assistance and guidance that students are offered above


and beyond the learning materials” (LaPadula, 2003, p. 119). If this definition is correct then

academic advising is one of the important factors in a student’s success and must be addressed

by institutions. Many institutions are cutting the academic advising area in their academic

programs due to the economics of offering them and the fact that they don’t always see the

necessity of these services (Hulsmann, 2004). This has created a unique opportunity for

academic advisors to develop cost effective ways to reach out to their students and show that the

need for support is there. Institutions must take the proper steps to ensure that academic advisors

are ready for this challenge and to ensure they are properly trained. New techniques need to be

developed in accessing the needs and challenges that distance learners have and then developing

a plan to address them.

Literature Review

Thus far the review has been of a collective group who have identified the problem but are also

looking for solutions. I have found one articles that is a recap of a program that was

implemented at three different universities, the outcomes and the lessons learned. I would like to

find many more articles like that one in order to compare best practices.

When evaluating the articles I have been looking at the following questions:

What kind of advising does the academic advisor offer face to face and how does this

differ for the DE student? What specific needs does the DE student have an how can

these be addressed in the academic advisor training?

What training is needed for the advisor to better assist the DE student?

How should the training be developed so that it isn’t a burden to the institution?

Key lessons learned in institutions that have implemented these changes?

Importance of Learner Support

Stephanie Martin, 03/31/11,

Revamped section and added the section from the methodology in to this area.


The first author that I use to show the importance of learner support is Brindley (1995), this

particular paper that I chose outlines how these services can be the key to success or failure in

ODL. Brindley points out that many institutions use their student services as a temporary insert

rather than a permanent fixture in their institution because many institutions believe that when

they are in a financial difficulty, this should be the service that they cut first (Brindley, 1995).

Brindley points out many steps that should be considered in dealing with the distance learning,

all of them geared toward cutting down the isolation they feel; all of which could be addressed

by having an academic advisor available to students (Brindley, 1995). Another author, Rekkadal

(2004) tries to show the difference between F2F and ODL students through the true definition of

distance learning. Rekkedal outlines the importance of using the foundations of the EU Socrates

Minerva Project in developing student support services in distance learning (Rekkadal, 2004).

Rekkadal uses the drop out models by Tinto and Baytelsmit to show that in order to assist ODL

students the advisor should concentrate on the social-academic atmosphere (Rekkadal, 2004).

Dunn (2005) states that students rank academic advising as the most important service but that

they really are not aware of the full range of services that their institution offers and this is where

student support services are lacking (Dunn, 2005). Dunn reports on the findings of a project

conducted by Grant MacEwan College based on determining the best practices for providing

counseling and advising services to the ODL students. Grant MacEwan College realized as their

online distance course offerings grew it also outgrew the F2F student support services that were

never adapted to the ODL student (Dunn, 2005). Simpson (2004) goes on to outline the issues

that can be created when students are left to choose their own courses based on just the course

description that is given in a standard catalog by the institution (Simpson, 2004). Simpson

believes that students should contact an advisor to ensure that course selection not only is in their


Took out sections of the writing because of redundancy throughout this whole section


best interest but that the course also applies to their degree. Simpson states that in the annual

survey of withdrawn students that course choice assistance comes in second as the reason for

withdrawal. He also gives many reasons for why institutions do not choose to have advisors

available to students for this purpose with two of the top being cost and training (Simpson,

2004).

Outlining the Problems

Thorpe (2004) sets out to first identify the definition of learner support and then how it affects

the student (Thorpe, 2004). Thorpe outlines the key issues in a learner support system and how

problems can go unidentified because of the lack of follow up, understanding and delivery.

Thorpe also points out that an institution must take the time to learn who their students are and

what motivates them (Thorpe, 2004). Thorpe states that the key to researching the reasons for

success or failure can be the quality of the questionnaire that should be used to survey students

periodically. Institutions must do research on the lack of advising to students before they know

the specific questions to ask their students in their survey (Thorpe, 2004). This leads to the

findings of Maples, Harris, & Greco (2010) who outline the importance of academic advising to

not only first year students but to students throughout their academic life. They attribute the

challenges that advisors have to overcome to the ever-changing environment of education; not

only the distribution of courses have changed but the make up of the students as well (Maples,

Harris, & Greco, 2010). This has created a complexity to advising that hasn’t yet been addressed

by many institutions. Maples, et al. point out the challenges that faced them as they tried to

implement change in their advising program. This process was brought in due to no evaluation

process in place at the time, which is usually the case with advisors. There is no assessment so

unless a complaint is registered no feedback is given (Maples, et al., 2010). From the stance of


Added subtitle and took out over abundance of material in this area that needed to be added in the actual paper


surveying the students we move on to Granger & Benke (1998) who point out quickly, that all

too often there is no thought put into how the current support system serves the institutions ODL

students. Granger & Benke point out that the institution must find out who their students are in

order to properly support them. Not having a specific person designated to support students can

be another error for institutions. Making the academic support position part of someone else’s

collateral duties can lead to an employee who is truly to busy to support the student.

Ways to Overcome the Gap

Tait (2000) uses the studies of Paul (1990), Rumble (1992), Brindley (1995), and Stewart (1993)

to be applied to the planning for the development and management of not only student support in

open and distance learning but also to develop a framework of ideas for use in several different

types of institutions (Tait, 2000). Tait starts by outlining how if support is to truly serve the

ODL student it must be threefold: cognitive, effective, and systemic. Tait explains that

institutions should not try to use a “one plan fits all” when building their support system; all

institutions have a different make up and the support should reflect that (Tait, 2000). Next

Brigham (2001) shows how Regents College, now Excelsior College, saw the need to convert

their student support to online to further support students and the steps they took to make this

transition happen. The first steps in their crossover were to outline their mission, see how

converting would affect it and the problems that could arise (Brigham, 2001). Regents College

started converting academic advising first by implementing lotus notes email service internally

so that they could first master it from within before going live with their students. The lotus

notes email was setup as a central account so students could be taken care of in a timelier

manner. Due to this centralization of work the students are serviced more quickly. The outcome

of this transformation has been a positive one with student satisfaction increased by 18.7%


Rewrite


Added dates


according to an online survey that was conducted (Brigham, 2001). Next we move onto Steele

(2006) who outlines five work profiles that allow academic advisors through the use of

technology grow and advance in order to better serve their distance students (Steele, 2006).

Steele points out that any given institution has invested up to 50% of their budgets into their IT

department, with a good portion of the money being spent on the delivery platform. Still many

institutions are not using their learning management systems (LMS) to facilitate advising but

should be putting this platform to better use. Frost (1991) brings in the theory that it is important

to know your ODL students and what their social background is. Each student who comes in as

a freshman has a different demographic makeup, so for advisors to treat all students equal is an

injustice. Academic advising must be collaboration between many different departments within

the institution (Frost, 1991).

Exploring the Lessons Learned

We start with Nalewaja Van Voorhis & Falkner (2004) who write of the success and challenges

that the University of Minnesota went through when they decided to transform their student

services. They outline the common ruts that student support can fall into when institutions have

the thought process of “we have always done it that way.” Nalewaja Van Voorhis & Falkner

point out that it is imperative to have a support “champion” who is in charge of monitoring the

changing environment and policy changes. Tait (2004) outlines how student services can either

make or break an ODL program. Luna and Medina (2007) learned through an email survey sent

to enrolled student in a master program, how students feel about their current e-advising. The

students are enrolled in a college of education in a rural area that services the southwest with 36

ODL “campuses” that service some 6,500 students in any given term (Luna & Medina, 2004).

Nichols (2010) goes on to document the findings of a study by the Centre for Distance Learning


Rewrote and took out parts of this whole section


Rewrite


at Laidlaw over two semesters comparing the retention statistics for first time students; one

semester was without and the other with retention intervention (Nichols, 2010). The study would

compare the semester 1, 2008 before the new changes and the semester 1, 2009 after the changes

(Nichols, 2010). The findings would be used to prove to the school board, who was not behind

the changes, that they did need to take place.

Methodology

In recent years the courses offered at a distance has increased enormously for many institutions;

this could be in part due to the need to reach students outside their immediate area. In offering

the courses to these students, among the ones in their area, institutions will also need to offer

them similar student support services that are being offered on campus but developed with the

distance student in mind. Student support is defined as “the assistance and guidance that

students are offered above and beyond the learning materials” (LaPadula, 2003, p.119). Some of

these services such as payment and administration services can be automated without much

impact to the student or the institution but for services like academic advising a special type of

training must be implemented in order to facilitate the service to the distance students.

Academic advisors need time to get to know there students personalities, their like and dislikes

as it pertains to the students academic needs and what their goal is for school. In order to make

this type of connection the advisor needs to meet with the student and get to know them through

a series of questions. With DE students this usually is not an option so the advisor must come up

with new ways to acquaint themselves with their students. Most academic advisors in the field

were trained in a face to face environment and may be inadequate trained when it comes to

communicating at a distance and this may leave the DE student feeling abandoned not only by

the advisor but also by the institution. The institution and the advisors must take the initiative to


acquire the skills that they are lacking in order to service the DE students in the same manner

that they do their face-to-face students.

Data has been gathered thus far from several different scholarly articles that pertain to the subject

of student services at a distance and how the distance education differs from the face-to-face

student. Most of the articles that were reviewed so far make a strong case as to the needs of the

distance education student and the differences that they have encountered compared to the face-

to-face student. The same articles have outlined what student services are and that the most

important student service is the academic advising but very few have given ways as to how to

bridge the gap when it comes to advising at a distance.

When looking at the articles the main focus is on the subject matter of distance education

students with relation to student services, mainly academic advising and the retention involved

due to either the lack or the addition of this service. The academic articles will be used to see

what the differences are between the face-to-face student and the distance education learner.

Once the differences are established the next research will involved how these differences can be

overcome to make the distance learner more successful and improve retention through the

support of an academic advisor.

Since the need to hear from students first hand is important a survey was created for feedback on

their experiences with being a distance education learner and the interaction they had with an

advisor; the questions that were asked and responses are included in appendix A.

The survey was sent to students at a large institution that offers courses to students who attend

several different schools in the area due to lack of professors for the surrounding area for any one

of the institutions so students who attended this university during the time of the survey may not

be pursuing a degree with this particular institution.


Survey Questions and Summary of Results from Academic Advising at a Distance Survey Fall

2011 - 61 Respondents

1. Please provide gender and age

Ages 18-24 Ages 25-35 Ages 36-45 Ages 46 & over

6 22 18 15

Males Females

29 32

2. What types of university/college do you or did you attend

2-year small

college

2-year large college 4-year small

college

4-year large college

11 4 16 30

3. How would you rate the ease of contact with an advisor

4. How could we improve the contact

5. How many online courses have you taken

6. Do you take only F2F, DE or a combination of courses

7. Do you know who your advisor is and how to contact them

8. Do you feel it is easy to contact as advisor as a distance education student

9. What would you change about the advising at a distance

10. At what point in your academic life did you find out about the advisory services

Using the answers to these questions the research was geared to see how institutions are either

confronting the problems or ignoring the problems.


The Importance of Learner Support

Students who take their courses at a distance demand the same type of support as students who

take their courses on campus. Institutions however, feel that not all support needs to be made

available to students at a distance and that support doesn’t affect their success in the programs or

their choice of school. According to researchers such as Rekkedal, LaPadula, Simpson and

Brindley this isn’t true and support does affect the distance learner quite dramatically, and in

many cases causes them to drop out or fail if not provided to them.

Rekkedal is the first who tries to outline student support as it relates to retention. In his writings

he offers diagrams as to each path a student may take based on the type of support or even the

chosen support system. He then builds on these same diagrams with research that shows ways

that facilitators and institutions can use this type of information to build their student support

system. I found most fascinating the definition that he gives for “what student support means”

(p. 86). Most authors try to define what student support is and what it encompasses but not what

it actually means (Rekkedal, 2004). Rekkedal defines student support as, “all those elements

capable of responding to a known learner or group of learners, before, during and after the

learning processing” (Rekkedal, 2004). With this definition in mind the academic advisor

seems to be the most important part of the student support because they are charged with

ensuring a student gets started down the right path, stays on the right path and finishes the race.

Rekkedal relates student support to the service industry, the institution has a product that the

student wants and it is the advisors job to ensure they achieve their wants (Rekkedal, 2004).

Rekkedal has already outlined the importance of the academic advisor in the life of the DE

student but we are still trying to find the best way to go about getting that service to the students.

The distance learner is at a disadvantage when compared to the campus based students in the fact


that campus based students can walk into an office at anytime and receive student support from

an academic advisor or help from the writing center. LaPadula feels that the lack of these types

of services for distance learners has created an even greater isolation then they might already be

feeling from being away from other learners due to not meeting inside a classroom (LaPadula,

2003).

Research has found that a student’s decision to drop out of a course or program is based on a

wide range of reasons but most have circled back to student support (Brindley, Walti, &

Zawacki-Richter, 2004). The roles that the distance learner plays vary from caregiver, co-

worker, supervisor, spouse, youth leader and now full-time students; because of this the distance

learner feels many different burdens when it comes to their learning. The types of pressures

described previously are only a few things that make the distance learner different than the on

campus learner full-time learner; another is the lack of schedule and social opportunities. Many

of your distance learners may be older adults and second chance students who are returning to

their academics after many years away from school; offering these students’ help with writing

and library services at a distance may not be enough, they need further support from the

institution that will assist them in being successful when it comes to taking their courses at a

distance. Studies reported in Brindley (1995) research shows that students in online distance

learning (ODL) have a higher attrition rate but no much research has gone into finding out

exactly why; many believe because it is to hard to gage why a student leaves a program. Many

institutions spend much time revamping learning material rather than giving attention to their

attrition rates. Others believe it is the student services and have taken a defensive stance against

attrition by offering services such as academic advising (Brindley, 1995).

Brindley points out many steps that should be considered in dealing with the distance learner, all


of them geared toward cutting down the isolation they feel (Brindley, 1995). All of these issues

that have been pointed out could be addressed by having an academic advisor available to

distance learners.

Another area that can cause the distance learner to become frustrated is the choice of classes to

fulfill their degree. On campus students usually see their advisor each term to go over the

courses that are still needed and the schedule of courses that are being offered for that particular

term. Distance learners are usually left on their own to choose the courses that they need to

fulfill their degree requirements based on the course offerings for that term. In most institutions a

distance learner isn’t assigned an advisor but rather must seek them out when needed. Simpson

feels that students who are left to pick their own classes may get discourage when the course

does not work out for them or find it does not fit into their degree plan (Simpson, 2004).

Simpson also finds that students will not always seek out assistant even if it is available or even

follow the path that is given to them unless it is reiterated before each term (Simpson, 2004).

Student course selection can have an extreme effect on their decision to continue studying with

an institution or drop out because they become frustrated with the outcome of the course

(Simpson, 2004). This is why an advisor must be available to them at a distance.

The Lack of Support and the Effect

While a large majority of institutions across the US have reported that students can at least apply

to become students and enroll in classes online, there is not a majority of institutions that have an

asynchronous advising available. Many students are taking advantage of distance learning

opportunity and quite often never visit the campus (Steele, 2006). This puts the advisor at a

disadvantage because they may not have a way of reaching out to this student because there is no

system set up in their institution due to the institution not feeling there is a need.


While it is first nature to want to jump into some type of technology to reach your students, if not

chosen correctly and implemented right, it could become a disaster for the organization.

Distance education courses with many schools has moved toward using technology, the

institution knew they must move to technology to reach the masses but didn’t properly train their

staff and faculty to use the technology before they implemented it. This creates disconnect with

students who enrolled in the distance education courses, and this is what could happen with

student services if the plan to implement them were not well thought out (Brindley, Walti,

Zawacki-Richter, 2004).

Granger and Benke (1998) point out that putting a service into action without falling knowing

how it will work or how it will affect your students can be disastrous. Taking into account that

Thorpe (2004) states “institutions must do research on their students to find out what they want

from them”, I created a survey to see what students wanted from an academic advisor when they

are learning at a distance (Thorpe, 2004). According to the findings of the academic advisor

survey that was conducted for the research; students want their interaction at a distance to be

more personal, more often and not ready made for all students. Students are not all created

equally so for institutions to use standard email responses for all students creates an even greater

gap then what is already present; the gap being the distance. Thorpe (2004) also points out the

key issues in a learner support system and how problems can go unidentified because of the lack

of follow up, understanding, and delivery (Thorpe, 2004). Institutions must take the time to

learn who their students are and what motivates them. Thorpe states that the key to researching

the reasons for success or failure can be the quality of the questionnaire. Institutions must do

research on the lack of advising to students before they know the specific questions to ask their

students in their survey (Thorpe, 2004).


Advisors traditionally have an office on campus where they wait for students to come in for

advice on their next move toward completing a degree. Students surveyed also point out that not

enough pro-active advising is taking place; students want to be contacted in the beginning of

their program and then periodically throughout; rather than have to seek their advisor out when

they have a problem. So as Simpson (2004) states we can no longer set back and wait for

students to come to us. The fact that the advisor is still waiting in their office for the student to

contact them when they are looking for assistance may not be that the advisor does not want to

help the distance learner but rather they do not know how to reach the distance learner. An

academic advisor is trained to assist the on campus student who is taking courses on site and they

may not know how to assist their distance learners appropriately. Maybe the academic advisor

has already tried to assist their DE students but failed due to the lack of proper training for

assisting distance learners. Training is needed so advisors learn how to reach their distance

learners, to know how to read their needs through email or phone conversations and most

important how to implement specific services to their distance learners.

While it has been pointed out that email can be effective at reaching students, some institutions

fear that advisors don’t have the writing etiquette needed to converse with students about delicate

matters through email. It is also harder for advisors to pick up on queues or feelings of

disconnect through technology. Another form of contact could be telephone advising but this

can be a challenge due to work schedules, cost to the student or institution, and time zone

differences. While students like to hear a live voice rather than receive a letter because it makes

them feel more connected, this isn’t always available because of barriers described previously.

Having a website that addressing academic advising that it has interactive material available

where students can explore options on their own before contacting an advisor can be difficult at


times. The problem that can arise from this is if the interactive material isn’t up to date and the

student accesses the wrong information, once they contact the advisor they will receive

contradicting information from the advisor. This can cause the student to become frustrated with

the process and possibly the advisor; the advisor may have then lost what connection they made

with the student previously.

Dunn (2005) explored how Grant MacEwan College was servicing their distance education

students with the combination of advising and counseling services; Dunn felt these should be two

different areas rather than one. Counseling is usually a more in depth procedure that is bond by a

professional code of ethics and can extend for longer periods of a students academic life. While

advising deals with admission and program choices; while the advisor may deal with many more

students the encounters are brief and not as in depth (Dunn, 2005).

While the Grant MacEwan College found that the students who had been in contact with their

advisor through email felt it was as good as the advising they received in a face to face

atmosphere, they also realized there was a “digital divide” for distance learners. Not all students

had access to a private email account to communicate securely with their advisor. Many students

felt the advising should take place in the same mode as their distance classes for ease of use

(Dunn, 2005). Another issue found during the research was the problem with confidentiality

through electronic communication, such as email. Counseling across borders can create not only

ethical problems but also possibly legal ones. Yes one more issue found by the study was the

increased cost that had come with the counseling and advising for distance learners. The college

stated that they didn’t promote the distance services because of the extra cost on the institution

and the student (Dunn, 2005).

While some institutions admit that a change to student services may be needed to accommodate


the distance learner they still have not chosen to make the transition to advising at a distance as

of yet. They believe because distance education students are more independent mature adults

and more driven then younger students right out of high school they will seek the necessary

services they desire without the institution taking them to the student. It is this thought that

caused O’Donnell and Daniel (1979) to create one of the earliest models for student development

in distance education. They argued that not even adult students had the skills necessary to “plan

their lives, career and education, set realistic goals and study effectively” (p. 1).

Another area of concern is the advisor knowing their students; academic advising is difficult at a

distance not only because of the demographic but also because of the cost involved to get to

know their students and make contact. It takes time to get to know each student, this takes

addition time by the advisor and this isn’t always an option when budgets are being cut in the

area of advising. Simpson outlines some cost effective ways that advisors could learn about their

students through surveys and reviews of classes that could possibly support students further

(Simpson, 2004). An advisor must know their students in order to effectively counsel them on

the right path for their personality or career choice, if budget are cut then the advisor needs to

find a way to do this more cost effectively.

Ways to Bridge the Gap

With the gap in the offering of services, advisors must take the first step to bridge their portion of

the gap. As Simpson points out in his research, students involved in distance education courses

don’t usually seek out the services that they need, they rather wait for the services to come to

them or get discourage and leave the program (Simpson, 2004).

With this in mind academic advisors must bridge the gap by creating new ways to reach these

students and may find they need to do this on their own. Academic advisors should invent new


programs like what are being offered in many institutions where they visit online classrooms to

be available for students during the term.

Changes like the one that took place with the OUUK program have caused academic advisor to

change the way they do their jobs. Advisors must step outside of the box to help students since

the traditional foundations of advising are no longer in place. Advisors must use what the

institutions has available to them through other programs, like automated enrollment systems

that the institution already uses for registration. Advisors would use the enrollment systems to

access the student’s enrollment profile to see the types of courses that the student has enrolled in

and how well they did in particular classes; this type of investigating would allow the advisor to

know their student better when assisting them. Advisors can use this information to assist

students with class choices and whether students should take a full load and other important

information that they may not have the opportunity to know about the student due to not having a

direct connection with the student. These automated systems, while not developed for student

support, can be used to assist the advisors to better acquaint themselves with student needs

(Steele, 2006). This type of research would also eliminate the cost that can be involved in

communicating with a student at a distance.

There are many new technologies out there being developed that could assist advisors with

student support, like course response systems (CRS) and collaborative learning environments

(CLE) that can track students responses in courses allowing advisors to see what type of

participation they put into particular classes (Steele, 2006). But with these types of systems the

institution would have to approved the spending to add these services to their already over

budgeted spending.

In the OUUK they felt that students might listen to other students more than they would the


advisor or administrators so they have developed surveys on courses to receive feedback from

current students on courses that they have taken in the past. The results of the surveys were

made available to prospective students so that they can be used to assist with class selection. The

feedback will give more information than the course description does in the catalog and will

reflect a more personal approach rather than a standard one as to what the course entails the

advisors can also use this material to match courses more closely with their students but once

again the advisor must know their students (Simpson, 2004).

Some students may feel a disconnect when advising is at a distance so again advisors must adapt

and seek an appropriate technology to reach these students; like using Skype with video rather

than an email or IM. This type of connection can be more cost efficient than a phone call and

will still allow the student to feel connected to their advisor. In the new information age student

support is becoming automated and Anderson feels that for institutions to succeed in the

information age they must follow the trend and automate their services. Many researchers in the

field believe that this takes away from the personal touch of student support such as advising.

Anderson argues that the automation can take place and still keep it personal by using avatars

that use real voices or animation in IM environments (Anderson, 2004). Many institutions have

already automated some advisor functions such as degree plans that students can access online

through their student portal, applying for graduation, and viewing their transcripts. Where does

the student turn when they are confused and need to speak with someone about the direction their

academic life is taking or maybe their confused about their course selections; this type of service

still needs to come from a human.

With many of these services going automated advisors must be proactive and evaluate their

student support to coincide with the automated services. Advisor may need to work through the


automation taking notes on particular areas they may find confusing to students and then develop

supporting documents that can be sent out to students when the problem arises. Much of

advising is being proactive with the students but sometimes they may need to use this proactive

approach when it comes to the tools that the student will need to use and be successful

(Anderson, 2004).

Another concept that Anderson introduces is the use of more online collaborated student areas

(Anderson, 2004). Not where students can collaborate on homework assignment but rather they

can collaborate on their academic lives. Student chat forums have become a popular place for

distance education students to meet and discuss their feelings about their learning experience or

maybe just find support from students that have the same experiences as they do. Many

institutions have developed clubs that distance learners can join; some are grouped by study area,

by demographic areas or by gender or ethnic background. Advisors should be proactive in

linking their students with support group such as these by introducing their students to the

availability of such groups. As much of the research has told us students may not seek out the

services they need but will use them if introduced to them by a trusted advisor (Anderson, 2004).

Many times when advisors embark on a new project they will need the assistance of other

divisions in the organization to make the project successful for students; these include the IT,

BA, HR and Financial departments in many cases. A good starting point for a project proposal is

for analysis on student’s needs and how they were addressed; this can take place through

statistical data. Statistics can range from the number of emails and phone calls received to the

nature of what was discussed in each month. This information can then be turned into tutorials,

fact and question sheets with the help of the above groups. These statistics can also be helpful in

showing administration the need for additional information or services for the students when


requesting additional funds (Van Voorhis & Faulkner, 2004).

Because students demand a qualified, competent, decision maker to assist them in their academic

goals and needs training must reflect this. These statistics can also be used to revamp old

training programs to better service the students and develop advisors to better handle distance

learners support needs (Van Voorhis & Faulkner, 2004).

Maples, Harris, and Greco used empirical data results from a survey, about their advisor, that

was given to students when they registered for classes. Using this research the 360-degree

approach to feedback was developed, advisors can receive feedback from several critical persons

that play a part in their advising styles; supervisors, peers, students and subordinates. Changes

can then be made not based on a model of set criteria like in the past but rather the ever changing

environment of learning that takes place at a distance (Maples, Harris, & Greco, 2010).

The institution can use the student survey portion as feedback and see the areas that need

improvement so that changes can be made to advising patterns to adapt to the changing

environment of distance education. This also allows institutions to factors in the challenges that

may have taken place through the academic year when it comes to assessing the advisors. This

type of tool can develop advisors further to assist students in being successful in their program,

satisfaction in the services offered and retention with the institution.

Lessons Learned

The OUUK is a fine example of how advising has worked to make them successful at sustaining

the test of time for their Open University program. When entering the university a student is

assigned an advisor that will stay with them throughout their course of student with the

university; this allows the student and the advisor to create a bond that will allow the student to

feel that they have a connection with the university. Once the advisor is assigned their students


they would make initial contact so the student knew that they were available to them. (Rumble,

2000)

In recent years the OUUK has felt that maybe they need to cut this service out and make the

student support a call center due to budget cut backs. Research was completed to argue the

continuity of the old program based on the findings that support is most needed when students

enter the university, learners with support are likely delay completing their program or drop out,

and students with support have higher course completion numbers. Still this wasn’t enough in

this economic down turn to keep such a great program in place. (Rumble, 2000)

A survey conducted by two professionals from Northern Arizona University was presented to

students enrolled in a master level education program and were located throughout the state in

rural areas anywhere from 50 – 560 miles away from the campus. When students enroll in the

program they are assigned an e-advisor due to the distance education nature of the program. The

advisors were still available for traditional office visits and telephone conversations but most

interaction would take place via email. Students reported through this survey that they were

happy with the accessibility of their e-advisor. Questions asked pertained to gender, distance,

and assignment but the important questions pertained to topics discussed with advisor, type of

experience they had with advisors, and recommendations for improvements. (Luna & Medina,

2007)

Students in this poll were satisfied with these services because they met their needs in several

ways. Even though they were assigned e-advisors they were left with the options to call or visit

the advisor when they needed personal interaction rather than a technical non-personal

interaction. (Luna & Medina, 2007)

This type of advisor setup seems a feasible alternative for an on campus advising but the costs


have not been assessed or addressed in this survey. In a personal opinion this type of advising

seems cost effective in a sense but would be in relation as to how many are already employed

and if additional advisors would be needed to implement this process. Like any other student

service in an institution cost is the driving factor as to how many and what types of services will

be offered by the institution.

A study conducted in 2010 that investigated the addition of two academic support coordinators at

Laidlaw College. In 2008 Laidlaw added two academic support coordinators to assist students

studying at a distance but this did not help retention so they needed to reevaluate the roles of the

academic support coordinators. In 2009 they added four key changes to the academic support

role: student support survey, study at Laidlaw College orientation, general messages of support,

and personal contact based on the survey results (Nichols, 2010). In addition to these changes

there would also be no more late registrations; which can cause undue stress on students to catch

up in a course because they come into it late.

The study was conducted mainly on the basis that the school board of regents did not support the

changes. The board felt that the added services created a cost that di not need to be endured

since these services would not make much of a difference on the attrition rate.

Nichols findings suggested that more than 4% of the completion rate of continuing students was

attributed to the new support put into place. While a completion rate of 24.7% in 2008 for new

students jumped to a completion rate of 57%; support did indeed seem to make the difference

with new students (Nichols, 2010).

Summary

This work is designed to develop a plan for every type of institution to see that distance learners

do differ from the campus based ones. The types of services offered to the distance learners


must also be offered differently; accordingly, institutions cannot provide everyone with the same

services. Due to these unique needs student services need to be changed to adhere to these needs

that have been show to be different, between the face-to-face and distance learner. Since it has

been found that most students rely on their academic advisors for direction, a change must take

place with the advisors in order to deliver the same services to distance learners as the campus

based students receive. If the institutions are not proactive then the advisors themselves need to

be and this may take some new training and initiative on the part of both the institutions and the

advisor.


References

Anderson, T. (2004). Student services in a networked world. In J. E. Brindley, C. Walti, & O. Zawacki-Richter (Eds.), Learner support in open, distance and online learning environments (pp. 95-108). Oldenburg: Bibliotheks- und Informationssystemder Universität Oldenburg.

Brigham, D. (2001). Converting student support services to online delivery. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 1(2), 1-16.

Brindley, J. E. (1995). Learner services: Theory and practice, Distansutbildning i itveckling, Rapport nr. 11 (pp. 23-34). Umea, Sweden: University of Umea.

Brindley, J.E., Walti, C., & Zawacki-Richter, O. (2004). The current context of learner support in

open, distance and online learning: An introduction. In J. E. Brindley, C. Walti, & O. Zawacki-Richter (Eds.), Learner support in open, distance and online learning environments (pp. 9-27). Oldenburg: Bibliotheks- und Informationssystemder Universität Oldenburg.

Dunn, S. T. M. (2005). A place of transition: directors’ experiences of providing counseling and advising to distance students. Journal of Distance Education, 20(2), 40-57.

Frost, S. H., Association for the Study of Higher, E. n., ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education, W. C., & George Washington Univ., W. t. (1991). Academic Advising for Student Success: A System of Shared Responsibility. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No. 3, 1991. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Granger, D., & Benke, M. (1998). Supporting learners at a distance from inquiry through completion. In C. C. Gibson (Ed.), Distance learners in higher education (pp. 127-137). Madison, WI: Atwood Publishing.

Hülsmann, T. (2004). The two-pronged attack on learner support: Costs and the centrifugal forces of convergence. In J. E. Brindley, C. Walti, & O. Zawacki-Richter (Eds.), Learner support in open, distance and online learning environments (pp. 241-250). Oldenburg: Bibliotheks- und Informationssystem der Universität Oldenburg.

LaPadula, M. (2003). A comprehensive look at online student support services. American Journal of Distance Education, 17(2), 119-128.

Luna, G. & Medina, C. (2007). Promising practices and Challenges: E-advising special education rural graduate students. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 26(4), 20-26.

Maples, G., Harris, B., & Greco, A. M. (2010). Using a 360-degree appraisal approach to re-design advising programs. Contemporary Issues in Education Research, 3(1), 1-7.

Nalewaja Van Voorhis, S., & Falkner, T.M.R. (2004). Transformation of student services: The

http://www.box.net/shared/mp79n8f2jq

http://www.box.net/shared/mp79n8f2jq

http://www.box.net/shared/8q4efbv2gt


process and challenge of change. In J. E. Brindley, C. Walti, & O. Nichols, M. (2010) Student perceptions of support services and the influence of targeted

interventions on retention in distance education. Distance Educaiton, 31(1), 93-113.

Zawacki-Richter (Eds.), Learner support in open, distance and online learning environments (pp. 231-240). Oldenburg: Bibliotheks- und Informationssystem der Universität Oldenburg.

O’Donnell, P., & Daniel, J. (1979). Student development in distance education or packages, people, plans, placement: Pointers to progress. Paper presented at the Open University Conference on the Education of Adults at a Distance, Milton Keynes, U.K.

Oehlkers, R.A., & Gibson, C. C. (2001). Learner support experienced by RNS in a collaborative distance RN to BSN program. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 32(6), 266-273.

Rekkedal, T. (2004). Internet based e-learning, pedagogy and support systems. In J. E. Brindley, C. Walti, & O. Zawacki-Richter (Eds.), Learner support in open, distance and online learning environments (pp. 71-93). Oldenburg: Bibliotheks- und Informationssystem der Universität Oldenburg.

Rumble, G. (2000). Student support in distance education in the 21st century: learning from service management. Distance Education, 21(2), 216-235.

Shea, P., & Armitage, S. (2003). Beyond the administrative core: Creating web-based student services for online learners. Resources. Guidelines. WCET - the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications. Retrieved from http://www.wcet.info/ services/studentservices/beyond/index.asp

Simpson, O. (2004). Retention and course choice in distance learning. In U. Bernath & A. Szücs

(Eds.), Proceedings of the 3rd EDEN Research Workshop Oldenburg, March 4-6, 2004, (pp. 381-387). Oldenburg: Bibliotheks- und Informationssystem der Universität Oldenburg.

Smith, L. (2003). Assessing student needs in an online graduate program. In U. Bernath & E. Rubin (Eds.), Reflections on teaching and learning in an online master program - A case study (pp. 255- 265). Oldenburg: Bibliotheks- und Informationssystem der Universität Oldenburg.

Steele, G. (2006). Five possible future work profiles for full-time academic advisors. NACADA Journal, 26(2), 48-64.

Tait, A. (2004). On institutional models and concepts of student support services: The case of the Open University UK. In J. E. Brindley, C. Walti, & O. Zawacki-Richter (Eds.), Learner support in open, distance and online learning environments (pp. 283-293). Oldenburg: Bibliotheks- und Informationssystem der Universität Oldenburg.

http://www.box.net/shared/4968dmz7iy

http://www.box.net/shared/4968dmz7iy


Thorpe, Mary (2004). Evaluating the quality of learner support. In: Brindley, Jane E.; Walti, Christine and Zawacki-Richter, Olaf eds. Learner support in open, distance and online learning environments. Studien und Berichte der Arbeitsstelle Fernstudienforschung der Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, 9. Oldenburgh, Germany: Bibliotheks und Informationssystem der Universität Oldenburg, pp. 251–258.


Appendix A: Survey Questions and Summary of Results from Academic Advising at a Distance

Survey Fall 2011 - 28 Respondents

11. Please provide gender and age

Ages 18-24 Ages 25-35 Ages 36-45 Ages 46 & over

5 10 8 5

Males Females

11 15

12. What types of university/college do you or did you attend

2-year small

college

2-year large college 4-year small

college

4-year large college

3 2 8 15

13. How would you rate the ease of contact with an advisor

14. How could we improve the contact

15. How many online courses have you taken

16. Do you take only F2F, DE or a combination of courses

17. Do you know who your advisor is and how to contact them

18. Do you feel it is easy to contact as advisor as a distance education student

19. What would you change about the advising at a distance

20. At what point in your academic life did you find out about the advisory services

omde670 thesis paper

Documents