An Onboarding Strategy for New Online Learners Michael Ciocco William McCool Rowan University Division of Global Learning & Partnerships March 24 th 2016 Drexel E- Learning Conference 2016, Philadelphia, PA
Introduction Problem Statement History of Online Student Training Courses @ Rowan The New Onboarding Strategy Administrative Structure Course Design BeneRits Future Plans
Problem Statement Students NEED training prior to their Rirst online learning experience at Rowan Do they need to understand the expectations and policies for online classes at Rowan? Yes Do they need comprehensive LMS training? Maybe Should the training be mandatory? Yes Goals Immerse students in an online environment Inform student as to what to expect for their Rirst online course Allow students to test their personal technology prior to their Rirst online course Give faculty & advisors the ability to follow up with their students Enforce mandatory completion of training
History 2007 2012 2015 (Spring) Length* 6 hrs 3 hrs 1 hr Access With 1 st class 90 days prior to 1 st class With registra6on of 1 st class Focus LMS Training Expecta6ons, Policies, and LMS Training Registra<on Manual Automated by external process Expecta6ons & Policies (LMS training op6onal) Automated & enforced by SIS Comple<on Not enforced Not enforced Enforced by SIS & policies * Average time to complete the course as reported by students
Issues Promotion/Advertising Enforcing mandatory registration Compelling to students to complete the training Poor methods of regular communication Faculty complaints No reliable method of checking student progress Overall lack of automated management of the onboarding course system
New Onboarding Strategy Make New Online Student Training a real class Use standard class registration mechanisms and policies Require registration Require completion for a grade Develop automated processes to provision and manage training classes Provide tools so that faculty/advisors can help manage student onboarding
Registration Mechanisms Built as an ofricial course section in Rowan s SIS (Banner) Course: ONL00100 Rowan Online Immersion Credits: 0, Cost: $0, Prerequisites: None Grade: Pass or No Grade (NG) OfRicial length 1 semester Available in LMS up to 6 months prior to its associated term Advantages ONL00100 appears on ofricial student schedule Final grade appears on ofricial student transcripts Registration is automated (just like every other class section)
How this Works NEW Students Must register for ONL00100 at the same time as Rirst online course Start taking ONL00100 within 24hrs of registration Recommended to complete ONL00100 prior to Rirst online course Receive notirications about completion Must complete prior to end of the term, or receive a grade of NG Once you re DONE, you re DONE! Receiving a PASS (P) satisries the ONL00100 co- requisite for all future online courses
Under the Hood: Building Sections Concerns about using the SIS Course section generation and pre- req inclusion is a manual job! Custom SIS Automation ONL00100 is automatically added as co- requisite for any course with SESSION TYPE = online OR hybrid This is applied as the class section is built A check for any missing co- requisites is run nightly
Under the Hood: Grade Check Custom Grade Check/Post Automation A job runs nightly to check for ONL00100 completion System looks for completion of Final Quiz in LMS Active students who have not passed are checked Passing grades are posted back to SIS/Final Transcript If the section of ONL00100 ends, incomplete grades are posted as NG to student Transcripts Registration for future online courses requires re- registration for ONL00100 Faculty/Advisors may have access to student ROI records via student transcripts
Faculty Completion Check Tool
No Harsh Penalties NO grade holds NO registration holds No other penalties to impede academic progress NG on your transcript - Is this a penalty? Technically no does not affect GPA or classes BUT how to explain several NG grades to potential employers or grad schools?
Opt Out For students who completed the old training course (v2) OR For students who took an online course @ Rowan between Fall 2014 and Fall 2015 Opt Out Process Register for a section of ONL00100 Submit ticket to Opt Out Rowan Online updates records with Opt Out Tool Receive a P on transcript within 24 hrs
Why Immersion? Put students directly in the online learning environment Provide access to the systems and tools as they are used in online courses Allow students to acclimate to course structure Introduce students to support services
Design: Logistics Condensed setup focused on expectations and policies 1 hour to complete Modules: 5 Required, 2 Optional Content: Video, voice- over PowerPoint, instructional pages, web links, sample submissions Examples of every type of tool in the LMS Assessment: Complete 5 question quiz at end of each required module Quizzes required for progress
Home Page Snap Shot
Module Page Snap Shot
Design: Required Modules 1. Technology and Support Tips for navigating LMS, How to get support, Tech requirements, Student Services & Tools 2. LMS Overview (brief) 3. Expectations for Online Learners With a focus on student success 4. Policies With a focus for online learners, including accommodations with persons with special needs 5. Final Acknowledgment/Exit Survey
Design: Optional Modules LMS Tools (Optional) Media Gallery (Lectures) Assignment Example Discussion Example Conferences Collaborations Chat Evaluations
Program Launch Spring 2016 initial onboarding stage 10 Sections of ONL00100 Cap per section: 350 (+/- ) Total enrollees: ~3,860 Passing Rate: ~ 70% (as of this presentation) Opt Out Rate: ~ 18% Summer 2016 5 sections of ONL00100 Cap per section: 250 Total enrollees: ~ 940
Benefits Recruiting Students can try ONL00100 with no risk or costs Retention Failure to complete ONL00100 can be an early warning sign that a student s success in online classes is in jeopardy Reduced Support Requests Overall, better informed students has lead to a reduction in support requests Accreditation Reliable support structures are in place with reporting
Known Issues The Magellan- Type Problem Students seek to circumvent the process Can re- register term over term w/o completing a section of ONL00100 Possible Fix Pre- requisite violation reports and follow up communication plan
Future Plans System Improvements Pre- requisite violation reports Content Improvements Implement in- video quizzes Introduce content comprehension components Reinforce that students understand important concepts and expectations Focus Group (after 1 year) Annual review of ONL00100 Faculty can voice concerns & provide suggestions Review student Exit Survey feedback
About the Presenters Michael Ciocco Director of Rowan Online ciocco@rowan.edu William McCool Instructional Designer Rowan Online Department mccool@rowan.edu Learn more about Rowan Online Visit rowanonline.com Special thanks to Michael Sunderhauf, Instructional Designer Division of Global Learning & Partnerships Rowan University