In this presentation, we will explore specific course level modules and activities (including a video created in collaboration with past online learners, and learner introduction and reflection videos) that function as opportunities for learners to be actively involved in designing their own learner support services.
The scholarship is clear: in response to the growing number of online students, institutions must provide learners with support services that enhance the learning experience, individual success, as well as overall retention rates (Newberry & DeLuca, 2014). With this in mind, many institutions have responded with varying measures of support. What is clear is that there is a specific directive for institutions, particularly instructors, to provide policies, procedures, and services that meet the needs of online learners. This particular directive, while necessary, positions instructors and institutions as the sole participants in the learner support services arena. However, there is an integral participant missing in what can be a fruitful collaborative and learner driven process (in that learners have to actively engage with the resources throughout the course and determine individualized strategies for success. In this presentation, we propose that involving the learners themselves in the creation and use of custom course level support resources is a worthwhile enterprise that allows learners to take ownership of their learning experience and support services.
In this presentation, we will explore specific course level modules and activities that function as opportunities for learners to be actively involved in designing their own learner support services. Specifically, we will explore the design, use, and impact of a course orientation module, an online learning video created in collaboration with past online learners, and learner introduction and reflection videos (at the beginning of the course, and at the end of the course. A positive aspect of these types of modules and activities is that students self report the utility of the resources at various intervals throughout the semester, thus providing instructors with invaluable feedback that can be used to further enhance learner support services.
Intentionally, this presentation moves away from reiterating the need for institutional and course learner support services. Instead, participants can expect to receive information that they can tailor for specific courses and program. This is an important shift because it reframes learner support as a shared enterprise in which both instructors and learners can engage in to craft quality resources and increase learner ownership in the online education learning experience.