Retention Management & Disability Accommodation Strategies in Online Social

Work EducationThe MSW@USC Experience

 

Presenters

Brad Adams, MA EVP, Post Enrollment Services - 2U, Inc.

R. Paul Maiden, PhD, LCSW Executive Vice Dean & Professor, USC

Leslie Wind, PhD, LCSWAssociate Dean, Academic Programs, USCClinical Associate Professor

The MSW@USC is a collaborative effort between the USC School of Social Work and 2U, Inc:

Goals for Session Outcomes

• Understand the USC-2U model

• Understand difference in supporting online versus traditional students

• Gain insight into interventions and analytics

• Gain First-Hand learning from actual student experiences

• Key questions to consider in online retention management

The MSW Program at USC: N=3,674

• 120 Full time faculty, 250+ part time and adjunct faculty

• Five Academic Centers

• University Park (1920): N=908

• Orange County Academic Center (1984): N=289

• Skirball Academic Center (2003): N=36

• San Diego Academic Center (2009): N=211

• Virtual Academic Center (2010)

• Cohort 1: N=80; Cohort 18: N=2230

World’s Preeminent Programs2009

2010

2011

2013

2014

2015

Live Classes

DynamicContent

SocialEngagement

Real-World Experience

Comprehensive Student

Support

The Five Pillars of the MSW@USC Student Experience

USC-2U Model: Shared Roles & Accountability

USCJoint

FundingContent

DevelopmentTechnology

PlatformStudent

Acquisition

Admissions &

Financial AidFaculty

Student & Faculty Support

Granting Degrees

USC Owns- Program (Content, Curriculum, etc)- Faculty - Admissions Criteria & Decisions- Accreditation- Degree Requirements/Granting

2,230Enrolled Students

49States Represented

72%Part-time Students

85%Women

1,646 Graduates

25%Majored in Psychology

The Virtual Academic Center Snapshot

The Online Student

• Student Success• Student/Faculty

Satisfaction• Retention• Great Field Experiences• Graduation• Employment

Our Goals Are Our Students Goals

Wrap-around SupportStudent Support Advisor

Field Placement Team

Academic Resources

Faculty

Student

Student Perspective

A unique combination of data analytics, relationship building, and resources to drive student outcomes and help each student reach their potential.

Extensive Time Constraints

Academic Preparedness

Career Motivation & Aspirations Work-Life Demands

Proactive Approach to Student Advising

Enroll Program Onboarding Register

Ongoing Coachin

gRetentio

n Graduate Alumni

Successful retention encompasses the entire student lifecycle

Engagement and Relationship-Building

Prior to Program start

• Welcome call

• Orientation session

• Initial advising assessment

• Writing Assessment

Semester One

• Targeted advising meetings

• Writing & Academic Support

Proactive Approach to Student Advising

• Early outreach• Continuous & purposeful contact prior to program start and during

semester one• Training and skill-building• Identification of student strengths• Identification of student’s motivation for completing the program• Celebration of successes• Referral to resources:

• Writing support• Peer tutoring• Brief counseling

Preventing Attrition

• Online education presents exciting new possibilities• Many of our accommodations have enabled an MSW

degree for students unable to attend a campus based program

Accessibility Interventions

Accessibility Examples

Closed CaptioningCaptioning for online coursework

https://s3.amazonaws.com/usc-msw/0Captions/cc_example1.html

Audio DescriptionsContextual/body language descriptors

https://s3.amazonaws.com/usc-msw/Audio+Description+videos/503/503_2.5.html

Other Examples of Accommodations

Note-takers Wheelchair accessibility at placement site Interpreter Live Captioning

• Writing support is available to all students – regular admits and conditional admits

• This starts with a three part writing assessment: APA, grammar, organization

• The writing assessment is mandatory for conditional admit students – overall undergrad GPA < 3.0

• A word about ‘mandatory’• Professional writing staff and 2nd year peer tutors

Writing Support Services

• Conditional admit students who completed the writing assessment and received ongoing writing support achieved a GPA of 3.0> by the end of the first semester.

• Conditional admit lifted! (4 semesters of mid and final grades

• Regular admit students who took advantage of writing support achieved higher GPAs than those who did not.

• Conditional admit students who did not complete the writing assessment did not achieve the minimum grade necessary to remain in the MSW program.

Student achievements with writing support:

Class Attendance Report Last Activity Report

Class attendance is recorded and SSA’s can reach out to students who

aren’t attending classes.

SSA’s can easily see which students are logging into the LMS and reach

out before problems arise.

Using Analytics to Support Interventions4

Case Study - LeannStudent Situation: In Leann’s 1st semester her brother passed away unexpectedly. Earlier on, she shared with her advisor that her brother was her main source of support so this was especially devastating for her.

Intervention:• Advisor had strong rapport with Leann and was there for her. • Advisor offered a referral to counseling services and, with the

student’s consent, completed a warm transfer to the counseling team.• Advisor & Student Support Director worked with Executive Vice Dean

& staff to determine additional supports that could be offered to the student.

• Advisor provided ongoing support via weekly phone meetings throughout the remainder of the term.

Outcome: Leann completed her first semester and elected to take a leave of absence to allow her time to cope with her grief. She remains committed to returning to the program.

Case Study - MartinStudent Situation: Martin is enrolled in the program part-time and works 30 hours per week. At the start of the term, he expressed concerns about being successful in the research course. Martin’s professor reported in week 8 that he was in danger of failing.

Intervention:• Advisor helped Martin to meet with his professor to determine his

standing in the course and a path for performance improvement. • Advisor referred Martin for peer tutoring services.• Advisor assisted Martin with locating a study group and exam

preparation sessions available in the Virtual Academic Center.Outcome: Martin accessed peer tutoring and attended several study and exam preparation sessions. He also met with his Professor and was able to resubmit one of his assignments in order to improve his grade. He successfully passed the course.

Case Study - LisaStudent Situation: Lisa, a mother of 3 young children, completed her BA 10 years ago and has not written an academic paper since. She feels overwhelmed by the volume of required reading and has fallen behind.

Intervention: • Advisor encouraged Lisa to communicate with her Professors and

role-played what that conversation might look like.• Advisor used notes about strengths and social supports to make

suggestions for possible solutions.• Advisor partnered with Lisa to create a schedule for completion of

reading and coursework.Outcome: Lisa was able to implement the plan she created with her Advisor and pass both of her classes with B grades. She is currently performing and is in her third semester at USC.

Outcomes - Satisfaction

USC & 2U use these scores systematically to identify opportunities/needs for improvement on an ongoing basis. Survey scores are compiled at the end of each semester and are used to create action plans in partnership with USC leadership. We ask their overall impression of the program, student support, placement, curriculum and technology, incorporated into a standard end of semester survey.

Q1 2012

Q2 2012

Q3 2012

Q4 2012

Q1 2013

Q2 2013

Q3 2013

Q4 2013

Q1 2014

Q2 2014

Q3 2014

Q4 2014

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

All Program - Avg Student Net Promoter Score

Q1 2012

Q2 2012

Q3 2012

Q4 2012

Q1 2013

Q2 2013

Q3 2013

Q4 2013

Q1 2014

Q2 2014

Q3 2014

Q4 2014

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

All Program - Avg Faculty Net Promoter Score

Outcomes – 2nd Semester Sequential Registration

2010 2011 2012 2013 20140%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Outcomes – Employment

83%

7%

4%

5%

1%

Employed FT in SWWorking FT - non SWNon Traditional SWNot Seeking (Addl School, Family, etc)Other

• 9 month post graduation outcomes• Over 1600 graduates to date• National presence and impact

11%

89%

Unemployed and Seeking Employed

• USC-2U Integration = 1 team• Holistic Student Focus • Information Drives Results• Integrated Support/Academic Advising• Strong Relationships• Coaching• Targeted Interventions

Keys to Success

Q&A

THANK YOU!