Using Starfish to Support Student Success in Online Learning

Amy BeaudryProfessor of English and Academic Technology Facilitatorabeaudry@qcc.mass.edu

Pat SchmohlDean of Distance Learning and Professional Development pschmohl@qcc.mass.edu

Melissa WallsBiology Instructor and Online Liaisonmwalls@qcc.mass.edu

• what Quinsigamond Community College’s (QCC) online liaison service is;

• how QCC expanded its online liaison service from a pilot project to a service that supports all online classes;

• how QCC uses Starfish for this service;

• what the results of this service have been in terms of student and faculty satisfaction and online course pass rates, and;

• how to replicate this service on your own campus.

ObjectivesBy the end of this webinar, attendees will know the following:

Quinsigamond Community College:Who Are We? • serve a diverse population in Central Massachusetts

• main campus in the city of Worcester and 6 satellite campuses

• offer credit and noncredit courses to meet various student needs: workforce development, adult basic education, certificates and Associate degrees, transfer

• face-to-face, blended and online classes

• approximately 8,000 students (AY 2015-2016)

• 62% of our students are part time

• 40% work 30 or more hours a week

• 5 Associates degrees and 4 certificates can be completed online

• 15% of credits are online

General Overview of the Online Liaison Service: History and Goals of the Initial Project

• Create a service to 1) help online faculty members contact online students who do not respond to their outreach and 2) help struggling online students be more successful

• Hire an online liaison, someone familiar with Blackboard and Quinsigamond Community College’s advising system

• Pilot this service with faculty who teach two or more sections of the same online course

General Overview of the Online Liaison Service: What Does the Online Liaison Do?

• Reaches out to struggling online students by email or phone when faculty members raise an online liaison concern flag

• Adds comments in Starfish to let faculty members know about her interactions with these students or if she was unable to reach them

• Responds to online students who contact her directly

• Offers some Blackboard technical assistance, including helping students navigate their online courses

• Provides general time management and study skills

• Refers students to appropriate campus resources

General Overview of the Online Liaison Service: How Does the Service Work for Online Faculty?

Step 1 The online faculty member uses the appropriate Starfish flag to communicate with the student.

The faculty member moves on to step two if the student does not respond.

Step 2 The online faculty member uses the “Online Liaison Concern” flag in Starfish to communicate with the online liaison.

The online liaison calls or emails the student to convey the instructor’s concerns and to offer assistance. Then she adds a comment to the “online liaison concern” flag in Starfish to keep the instructor updated.

Note: to protect student privacy, we have deleted or changed students’ names in some of these messages.

Step 3

If the student contacts the online faculty member, this instructor should resolve the flag in Starfish or add a comment to keep the online liaison in the loop.

o Fall 2012• 25 online faculty members• 26 online course sections • 499 online students• The online liaison contacted

69 students

o Spring 2016• All online faculty members: 100• All online course sections: 209 • All online students: 2,060• The online liaison contacted or

was contacted by 99 students

Online Faculty

Member

Starfish flagto contact theOnline Liaison Online

Student

Online Faculty

Member

Online Form

to contactOnline Liaison

Online Student

Email, phone, text messages

to contact theOnline Liaison

Changes from Fall 2012-NowSupported by a Strategic Plan grant for five semesters

Faculty used an online form to contact the online liaison

Online students only heard from the online liaison if faculty identified them as struggling

The online liaison had office hours and/or a space on campus

No online liaison service training for faculty and no ongoing Blackboard training for students

Part of the regular College budget

Faculty use Starfish to contact the online liaison

All online students receive an email explanation of the online liaison service and contact information, so they can reach the liaison directly

The online liaison has a cell phone and meets with students on campus when needed

Regular professional development training for faculty related to this service and Starfish; Blackboard Tutoring Center for students

Online Pass Rates

Note: For this study, we define pass rates as C or higher.

Pre Online Liaison Service, 2005-2011

57%

Post Online Liaison Service, 2012-2015

63.5%

Faculty Feedback

Student FeedbackSurvey

Email

“I was literally on qcc.edu when I saw the missed call planning my Monday to make sure I stayed ahead of the course not knowing I was behind because I work over nights and wake up at 10:30pm to go to work. Not passing this course is not an option and I owe it to my wife and two year old daughter to pass this class to get my degree. Again Thank You so much for calling me today and this will not be an issue going forward, please know that I fully understand what is expected.”

“I thank you for all that you have done to help me in the process, honestly if you never contacted me offering help I would have never been here trying to fix the issues in the course. I probably wouldn't have even completed the course to be honest, I had no motivation at all or patience left. Once again thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to help me!”

Where Would We Like to Go from Here?

• Include blended classes in the online liaison service again

• Offer a similar service for face-to-face classes

• Continue to expand our Blackboard and Starfish training for students and professional development opportunities for faculty

How to Replicate the Online Liaison Service on Your Campus

• Ask online faculty for input about this kind of service

• Advertise for and hire an online liaison

• Have the online liaison collaborate with advising, tutoring, IT, and other offices to make decisions about assisting students

• Create an online liaison role in Starfish and link to online courses

• Publicize this service to online faculty and students

• Provide ongoing support for students, and ongoing support and professional development for faculty

Amy BeaudryProfessor of English and Academic Technology Facilitatorabeaudry@qcc.mass.edu

Pat SchmohlDean of Distance Learning and Professional Development pschmohl@qcc.mass.edu

Melissa WallsBiology Instructor and Online Liaisonmwalls@qcc.mass.edu