Great Plains IDEA is a premier post-secondary education alliance. This fully online alliance has placed strong emphasis on student retention and success. Through adapting educational technology, the alliance has created an interactive and engaging online orientation. This presentation will focus on the data-driven development and implementation of the orientation.
Online education is in high demand, but it does not come without challenges. Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance (IDEA) is a premier post-secondary education alliance with nineteen member universities from across the country. The alliance offers eighteen online undergraduate and graduate degree programs in human sciences and agriculture. As retention rates for online courses continue to be lower than face-to-face courses, this fully online alliance has placed strong emphasis on student retention and success. Specifically, data collected through student experience surveys has propelled the alliance to implement an orientation to address student concerns; such as the nuances of the alliance and anxieties about online education. Through adapting educational technology, the alliance has created an interactive and engaging orientation. This presentation will focus primarily on the data-driven development and implementation of the Great Plains IDEA orientation. The presenter will provide an overview of the purpose, goals, and modality of the orientation, as well as a demonstration.