Packing Slip

item	Online, Distance Learning Instructor Guidelines to Improve Student Retention
contact	Shelley Rodrigo (Mesa Community College) rrodrigo@mail.mc.maricopa.edu 1 of 32 packages by Shelley Rodrigo
credits	Susan K. Miller
college(s)	Mesa Community College
discipline(s)	Online, Distance Learning
summary	These guidelines are to try and improve student retention in online, distance learning courses. They are to be considered are above and beyond traditional pedagogical and design guidelines.
details	More Critical Guidelines • Make sure that your course includes all of the materials alluded to in the student checklist. • Keep the schedule repeated/cyclical throughout the course. • Communicate frequently with the class through a variety of media. • Provide prompt feedback to assignments and responses to inquiries. • Construct a lot of interaction between students in the course. • Contact the students via the telephone. It is more beneficial to contact them supporting the completion of an assignment rather than just checking in. • Help the student to make connections with other students in the course. • Practice using technologies before critical assignments are due. • Practice social communications in technologically mediated environments. • Have a required activity early in the term with a low point value to ensure participation. • Make assignments interesting, important, and useful to the student. • Use the simplest tool that will purpose needed. • Hold flexible office hours. Guidelines to Develop Over Time • Continue technology and pedagogical training • Consider including three self assessments: computer skills, distance education suitability, and learning style. • Help the student to make institutional identification and connection. • Have students research the difference of online learning with face-to-face learning • Have student analyze their own learning practices and device was to adapt them to the online setting • Seek out a different student each day to contact. • Give each student a “welcome to this course” call. • Require students to call your voicemail and leave an introductory message. • Build a network/groups of students who are responsible for calling one another to remind about deadlines, tests, etc. Note! As a professional courtesy to the owner of this package, if you use some aspect of this package or have some thoughts about it, please share your feedback via the comments form below.
web links	http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/other/distance/docs/student_checklist.pdf This is an example of a student checklist. Many institution's have general "distance education" pages for their students that include self asseessment tools, strategies for success, and checklists.
comments [1 comment(s)]	Most recent comment about this package: On Tue Jul 26, 2005 at 1:53AM Laura Arzola <laura.arzola@hccs.edu> said: I am looking for materials on retaining online students, on making the course more accessible and "real" to them. The information here is helpful.// Here is the web address where I found this information: http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/mlx/slip.php?item=1372// Thank You
shareback [0 shareback(s)]	A "Shareback" cites the places on the web that mention, reference, or use this MLX package, and "shares" that information back here (more about shareback...) Sharebacks can be generated automatically by weblog tools.
extra	Last modified: Sep-11-2004 Date created: Sep-11-2004 Visitor count: 3493 Dublin Core Metadata record

item id: 1372

Maricopa Learning eXchange
http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/mlx/slip.php?item=1372

Maricopa Community Colleges

www.maricopa.edu