To help students from acceptance to graduation, the University of Bridgeport designed program-specific resource centers to present extensive on-campus support that is tailored to the online experience. Using Canvas LMS, we manage and update this streamlined resource to improve the student experience without exceeding the bandwidth of our three-person team.
In 2015, the University of Bridgeport identified a need for online students to have access to academic and administrative support similar to their brick and mortar counterparts. With the addition of a new department, Global Learning Initiatives, tasked with growing and improving online learning, the role of academic advising in retention was at the forefront of the discussion.
Using Canvas, our Learning Management System, we designed an online student resource center that allows us to meet the needs of our students throughout the student lifecycle, in one centralized and easy to manage location. This collaboration improves the student advising experience across various disciplines including health sciences, business and education, without adding to the overall workload of or department.
In this session we will discuss:
- Resources online students need and what they look for
- How our LMS allows us to gain more access and insight into our existing students
- How our online student outreach has evolved into an online community
- The application of academic advising theory in our practice
We will provide an online tour of our Student Resource Center as well as provide details on the information students have found most useful.