Browsing by Subject "Virtual office hours"
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
- Results Per Page
- Sort Options
Item Implementation of a learner support system in online education : a case study(2019-05-13) McKelroy, Emily Susanne; Resta, Paul E.; Hughes, Joan E.; Riegle-Crumb, Catherine; Alvarado, Cassandre G.Learner support systems that provide academic and non-academic supports, which are planned and strategically integrated into the online learning experience have been shown to have a positive impact on student’s persistence and satisfaction in online environments. Insufficient research exists on how these systems are implemented, how support is provided, and how students perceive the support they receive, especially for adult learners. To address this gap in research, this descriptive case study analyzed the implementation of a learner support system in an online program in which three-quarters of the students are nontraditional. Through the use of qualitative methods, the study describes the experiences and perceptions of faculty, the academic advisor, and students who administered or received support through the system. This study contributes needed research to the field of education by exploring student support as a method of improving student persistence in online education. This study found that learner support systems require oversight and management to ensure that they remain a working system. It was uncovered that the originally envisioned support system ultimately broke down as support became compartmentalized to those providing support resulting in gaps in a learner support system that was envisioned to encircle students with assistance when needed. However, despite this breakdown, the results showed that learner support can help students feel encouraged and satisfied with their online experience. The majority of students found the support they received was helpful and that alerts about their academic standing motivated to continue in their course. This research study also illuminated support strategies the faculty and the academic advisor used to optimize student interaction and persistence. The academic advisor, as a one-stop resource for providing nonacademic support, increased students’ feelings of connectedness. This study also found that regular support interactions and timely responses from course faculty helped students’ feel supported and reduced their perception of being isolated. This study also uncovered the faculty and advisors’ perceptions and challenges in providing support to students. Lastly, the study identified the types of support that students found most helpful to their learning in an online environment. The students found timely responses to their requests for assistance as most important to their learning and preferred easy methods to communicate with their professors. The support preferences between traditional and nontraditional students were also investigated