Snapshot

Type of Interaction: Student-support services, Asynchronous
Type of Course: Online

Part 1 of this post focused on fostering online student success through faculty presence and briefly discussed the significance of student support outside faculty’s domain. Part 2 of this post will dive deeper into the significance of student development and support as it relates to student success in online and hybrid courses. First, we will discuss what exactly student success looks like.

Student success is a multi-faceted concept that involves students reaching their goals and potential to achieve the following outcomes (Cuseo, 2013):

• Student Retention (Persistence): The admission and retainment of students at an institution.
• Educational Attainment: The achievement of obtaining an educational degree.
• Academic Achievement: High levels of academic performance (satisfactory grades, Dean’s list, etc.).
• Student Advancement: The achievement of educational goals that are designed to prepare them for occupational workforce after college.
• Holistic Development: The growth of an individual as a “whole person” — intellectual development, emotional development, social development, ethical development, physical development, and spiritual development.

The admission and retainment of students at an institution

Cuseo’s areas of success are what student success—both general student success and online student success—is centered around. Academic achievement and educational attainment are the typical goals thought of when considering student success, but higher education is working toward assisting student success in a more holistic scope in order to help students become active and productive members of society (Nash & Murray, 2009; Schuh, Jones, & Torres, 2016; Rogoff, 2003).

How do we support academic and educational student success outcomes for online and hybrid courses?

There are a few practices that student development/support staff can engage in to assist with the academic side of student success. These practices must be intentional, thoughtful, and repeated over time so that the student has increased chances of academic achievement and educational attainment. If more students succeed academically and educationally, institutions will see a rise in student persistence and retention rates.

Methods to support students academically include the following:

• Student Resources: Ensure that adequate online academic resources, such as tutoring or academic coaching, are available and easily accessed through the course.
• Early Alert Interventions: Provide early alert intervention for students. Many studies have found that if students are struggling in a course, or if they are not completing the requirement of the course, early conversations and notifications should be had between students, support staff, and faculty. Courses can also be designed to easily alert faculty and support staff of when a student is not meeting the course’s requirements.
• Virtual Office Hours: Offer virtual office hours to distance learning students. Faculty or support staff office hours—available online through Zoom, email, or other electronic communications—can provide students a structured space to ask questions, receive feedback, and experience faculty presence in the course.

How do we support other aspects of student success in online and hybrid courses?

Over the past decade, studies have shown that in order to enhance the student experience and increase retention rates, equal focus on academic achievement and non-academic elements of student life are needed (Cuseo, 2013; Nunn, 2014; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005; Smith, 2003).

Methods to support students holistically include the following:

• Student Resources: Offer online student resources—such as virtual counseling, career advising, job opportunities, and student involvement—helps students obtain access to needed guidance and connections that are crucial to the student experience and help further student success. Note: Many of these resources are currently in development at Texas State University. However, the importance of collaboration to obtain these resources is still needed.
• Understanding Mental Health: Understand mental health at some capacity. Anyone in higher education has the potential to be a student’s “safe place” and confidant. With mental health issues on the rise, there is a high chance that a higher education professional will come across a student who may need assistance with mental health challenges—even an online student. Faculty and support staff can assist students in this regard by undergoing basic mental health training while also being knowledgeable of the online mental health resources available to students. Mental health, awareness, and other similar trainings are available to staff and faculty at Texas State University. Check out the HR Workshop Webpage for more information. Faculty and staff should also be aware of the online resources that online students can use if they need any mental health assistance. Check out TAO and the Counseling Center Webpage for more information.
• Be an Open Ear: Listen. Students may not know many people at their institution—even less so if they are online students—and they may not feel comfortable speaking with faculty about the issues that they are facing—that’s when students tend to turn to student development/support staff. Taking a few minutes to discuss students’ concerns and listen to their issues has proven to be an effective way to help students achieve success. Not every student can come to your office, but these types of interactions with online students can take place in a virtual chat meeting, over the phone, or even via email if needed. Students may not get the answers they were hoping for, but if they feel listened to and advocated for, they are more likely to continue on in the course and at the institution. (Komarraju, Musulkin, Bhattacharya, 2010).

Conclusion

In order to foster student success in online and hybrid courses, faculty and staff must work to provide easy access to online resources (tutoring, counseling, student involvement, office hours, etc.) while ensuring that care is provided to students through active listening, understanding mental health, and having critical discussions with students regarding their success. A holistic approach to student success is not a new practice, but we as higher education professionals must work to better our services to meet the many needs of our students. If we do so, we will not only see higher grades, higher retention rates, and higher completion rates, but also more active citizens and leaders ready to make a difference in the world we live in.

References

Cuseo, J. (2014). Student success: Definition, outcomes, principles and practices, Esource for college transitions. University of South Carolina: National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience & Students in Transition. Retrieved from https://www2.indstate.edu/studentsuccess/pdf/Defining%20Student%20Success.pdf

Komarraju, M., Musulkin, S., Bhattacharya, G. (2010) Role of student-faculty interactions in developing college students’ academic self-concept, motivation, and achievement. Journal of College Student Development, 51(3), 332-342. doi: 10.1353/csd.0.0137

Nash, R.J., & Murray, M.C. (2009). Helping college students find purpose: The campus guide to meaning-making. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Nunn, L. M. (2014). Defining student success: The role of school and culture. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.

Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How college affects students, volume 2: A third decade of research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Schuh, J.H., Jones, S.R., Torres, V. (2016). Student success. In S.J Schuh, S.R. Jones, & V. Torres (Eds.), Student services: A handbook for the profession (pp. 236-251). San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.

Smith, R. (2003). Changing institutional culture for first-year students and those who teach them. About Campus, 8, 3-8.

Rogoff, B. (2003). The cultural nature of human development. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.