Open SUNY Fellow Chat Recap
Volume 1 Issue 1 October 25, 2017
Reducing Student Isolation: The Development of a Campus Life Model to Improve Retention Rates of Students in Online Degree Programs A SUNY IITG Project: http://commons.suny.edu/iitg/ Chat Abstract: Both traditional and nontraditional online students are more likely to drop out of their programs than their classroom counterparts. The most common reason cited for dropping out is a feeling of isolation. To reduce isolation, campuses must use strategies that increase the connections online students have with their peers and institution. Not only should campuses deliver engaging academic content, it is time for them to consider co-curricular opportunities in a virtual environment that are of value to traditional and nontraditional students. Is it possible that online college experiences can be developed that mirror campus-based experiences? Do students seek these experiences, and if so, what kind of experiences do they seek? Such questions and their answers are important if we want to increase retention rates of online students. While the research literature has focused on student engagement in terms of observational learning behaviors (i.e., reading emails, reading discussion posts) and application learning behaviors (posting to forums), discussion on ways to connect online students to campus life has gained little attention. This chat focuses on how SUNY Canton launched an effort to create community and connectedness in a virtual environment by developing relevant campus experiences for online learners that strive to educate the whole student and decrease isolation. Preliminary results and experiences from the effort are shared.
Chat Speakers: Molly A. Mott, Ph.D. Associate Provost and Dean of Academic Support Services and Instructional Technologies Over 20 years experience as distance learning educator and administrator; responsible for developing campus online learning policies and procedures; presentations at local, state, national, and international conferences. Courtney Battista Bish Vice President for Student Affairs & Dean of Students at SUNY Canton With extensive experience in student affairs, Ms. Bish has been integral in addressing the needs of SUNY Canton’s fully online students and engaging them in campus life.
Chat archive: Slides: http://bit.ly/2zOTdjK Recording: https://youtu.be/N-wlb5CoPEs SUNY Canton Virtual Campus: http://www.canton.edu/ol/ ________________________________________________ 1
The Open SUNY Fellow Chat series is a program offered monthly with the aim of featuring Open SUNY Fellows from our Community of Online Practitioners and their work to support our mission of networking, interaction, and excellence in online teaching and learning practices. We are continuously accepting proposals. If you would like to share something you know with the Open SUNY Community, please submit a Fellow Chat proposal: http://commons.suny.edu/cote/call-for-proposals-cote-community-speaker-series/.
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