Web-Based Delivery Designing Online Curricula

Exploring Online Academic Coaching for Adult Students: A Collaborative, Multi-Institution Grant-Funded Project

Federal Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education Grant (FIPSE) Innovative Strategies in Community Colleges for Working Adults and Displaced Workers.

FIPSE Grant Period: 3 years -- 01/01/2010 - 12/31/2012 Institutional Partners: Manchester CC (CT); Middlesex CC (MA); Northwestern CT CC (CT); Passaic County CC (NJ)Initial Pilot: Began 9/1/2010

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2Additional funding Year Two from theDAVIS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

Develop same service for adults in baccalaureate granting institutionsAdded resources for help with transfer from Community Colleges

New Institutional PartnersCentral CT State UniversityUniversity of Hartford

AdultSuccessCoach.Org3PROJECT GOALS

Increase persistence via a virtual network of Coaches who help students articulate their academic, career and personal goals in an online Success Plan

Identify best practices in delivering coaching online

Provide virtual access to resources specifically designed to help adult learners understand the culture of post-secondary education

AdultSuccessCoach.Org4Replicating a Successful Collaborative Model

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Cost effective

Flexible coaching schedule allows evening & weekend sessions

More coaching time available for students

Shared resources

Pool of expertise for planning, training and troubleshooting

Support network for coachesCollaboration Advantages

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eTutoring Collaborations 2 Countries2 Provinces14 States5 Consortia4 Campus-Based Programs140+ CampusesConversations take place across our Meta-Consortium, sharing developments, resources, and best practices across 5 distinct learning communities.

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Different Institutional Implementations

Replicating online an existing face-to-face Academic Coaching service

Providing coaching as a component of an Adult Student Orientation course

Targeting students at risk through student support programs

Value-added component of registration in an online program

All out, cross-campus Marketing efforts

8ASC WEB SITE

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To9AdultSuccessCoach.Org

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The Success Plan

ADD real info in screen shots11

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Campus Specific Resources for each StudentGeneral Resources Across the Program

14 Program GoalsIncrease Persistence via Online Coaching

Help students create Success Plans, identifying academic and career goals; clarifying avenues to achieve goalsHelp adult learners navigate the world of Higher Education

: Increase persistence, by ensuring that adult learners have a clear pathway to success. Virtual access will be provided to trained Academic-Success Coaches who will help the learner prepare a Success Plan establishing both his or her educational and career goals and the pathway to achieve them (Tinto, 2004). Similar to the way eTutoring.org functions, each partner will provide, train, and supervise Academic-Success Coaches who will be scheduled for an agreed upon number of hours each week. Aggregating these coaches from the participating institutions over a single shared platform allows for greatly increased student access. These coaches will be trained to help students from any institution develop and realize their Success Plan. These Success Plans will be accessible at any time to the student, Academic-Success Coaches, faculty, and other support personnel such as advisors who are involved in the program at the institutional level. The coaches will also have access to links and resources for each of the institutions and will refer students to specific institutional services where necessary. In addition to working with students on their Success Plans, Academic-Success Coaches will help adult learners understand the culture they have entered. For example, they will make sure the learner understands how to read a college catalog and what sorts of resources, generally, colleges can offer to support them. A Success Plan might include the need to make an appointment with an advisor, after the coach has helped the student understand what to expect from an advisor and how to use the advising process fruitfully.

Focus on how the culture of post-secondary education, differ from previous experience with education and/or the world of work

15 Framework for coachingThe Model of Strategic Learning (WEINSTEIN, C.E.) SkillWillSelf Regulation ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT

Based on sound theory and research to ensure consistent service

SKILL WILLSELF-REGULATION

16 Essential componentGoal setting must come first!S.M.A.R.T. Goals

(Students must begin articulating their OWN goals in order for coaching sessions to cultivate committed actions vs. compliance.)

Coaching strategyOne process that generates committed action toward goal achievement:

G.R.O.W. (Alan Fine with Rebecca R. Merrill, You Already Know How to Be Great)

The best way to give advice is to find out what someone intends to do and then advise them to do it. Harry Truman

On-groundTLC 001-01) I would really appreciate having my own Academic Coach who could help me make a plan for raising my grade point average. I work best when I have someone to check in with periodically to stay on track. I would like to explore all of my options and have a personalized approach to reaching my academic goals. I do well when Im made aware of supports and services that will enhance my success. It would be nice to have someone who can teach me new strategies when I need extra help. I would prefer working one on one. Best choice: TLC 001-Academic Coaching (Option 1-In person)

19 On-lineTLC 001-C01) The description above is true for me too, but spending extra time on campus is extremely difficult. I have so many other responsibilities at home and at work that adding one more trip to meet with an Academic Coach in person would be too much. I would like to have the one on one support to do well in college and reach my goals. Best choice: TLC 001-Academic Coaching (Option 2-On-line Success Coaching)

Student populations that have found success with on-line coaching at CCSU:

Adult and Returning Students (The original target)Commuter StudentsPart-Time StudentsTransfer StudentsTraditional age students with adult-like responsibilities

On-ground vs On-line

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Lessons Learned

Replicating an existing on campus program was most effective

Acquire and Maintain Support from Leadership

Ownership and Alignment with Existing Programs

Provide Coaching as a Targeted Solution

Coaching must be clearly defined

Partner with Directors of programs with known retention challenges- where does this belong on campus?Adult Ed services at MiddlesexAdults in Transition at MCC- already getting support of a different kind/no plan for how to effectively integrate into the program.

Create buy in with Key Players on campus from the startAvoid competition

What is a coach?

Its not an advisor or a counselor.

A Coach is a guide that moves you forward to work on YOUR GoalsAbout Goal achievement, driven by the student and what his/her needs are.

Targeted solution for students on academic probationTargeted to returning adults as part of their programa targeted populationTrying to implement a program to all students is problemmatic.

23 Future ConsiderationsPairing Coaching with other on-line offeringsE-tutoring, on-line courses, online advising, on-line financial aid processesCoaching prior to start of a semesterOrientation, summer bridge programs, post advising of predicted high risk studentsWelcoming New InstitutionsCollege of Charleston

REACHING STUDENTS BEFORE THEY ARE ON CAMPUS24AdultSuccessCoach.Org

Heres What I Think

25Carolyn RogersDirector of Academic ServicesCT Distance Learning Consortium860.515.3727crogers@ctdlc.org

Meg LeakeDirector of The Learning CenterCentral Connecticut State University860-832-1901leake@ccsu.edu

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