Hondros College of Nursing implemented an at-risk tracking worksheet to facilitate weekly collaboration between faculty teaching online courses and on-ground academic advisors. This process results in the regular communication of essential student information while maintaining compliance with institutional rules surrounding FERPA. This collaborative initiative led to student retention improvements.
Hondros College of Nursing offers residential programs of study that include online coursework taught by instructors who are not physically present on a campus. These circumstances make it difficult for online faculty members to address the frequent lack of student participation in course activities without assistance from campus personnel. To address this concern, several online faculty members collaborated with the Academic Support Advisors on each campus to institute a tool and process for tracking and communicating with at-risk students. This process requires online faculty members to deliver relevant information about at-risk students on a weekly basis to the Academic Support Advisors using the Online At-Risk Tracking Worksheet. The advisors then leverage their physical proximity to the students to engage in intrusive advising, and help students overcome their barriers to success in the online course. While the process has only been in place for four quarters, course retention has shown signs of improvement, and the faculty report improved student engagement in course activities.