California Virtual Campus

How to Keep ‘Em Coming Back: The Social Element in Online Student Services
by Amelia Akers-Martín

Today, college students spend incredible amounts of energy in communication. We see them phoning, e-mailing and chatting. Bizarre ring tones interrupt our classes, attesting to vast social networks outside of college. But what about campus networks? We know that students benefit from college services, such as counseling or tutoring, but it is hard to get them to engage. A new generation of tech-savvy, multitasking students balk at waiting in line for an appointment or filling out a paper application. In response, colleges have started offering online support sites, hoping that a new website will generate the same level of interest as myspace.com. Needless to say, they usually fall short of that expectation. But the 24/7 nature of online sites does hold a lot of potential for college services. So what can we do to get students connected and keep them coming back to online student services?

Drop the deficit model

Student services staff often tell students to “Contact us when you need help,” or “See the documents on our website.” This model assumes the student has a deficit and will take initiative to fill the void. Most students aren’t motivated by this approach, and many “don’t know what they don’t know,” so they never seek help. Websites with static content (documents, forms, advice, study tips) can be uninspiring and may contribute to the isolation commuter and online students already feel. How connected can a person really feel to a page of words and pictures? Where are the people and the social interactions that make up this college community?

Embrace the collaboration model

Humans are social beings, and we learn through communication. Collaborative learning environments engage and motivate because they put the focus on the participants. In an online collaboration model of student services, the core activity is the communication that takes place among students and between students and the staff. Students are able to develop their knowledge together through discussion, while “experts” (the staff) moderate and keep the group on the right track. This model is based on the theory of constructivism. It empowers students, helping them to become independent learners and self-confident participants in our society.

So, how can a college service create this type of online learning community? The good news is that you don’t have to create a virtual campus in an internet site like Second Life (although some colleges actually have). Most colleges today already use some type of online course management system (CMS). Popular ones include Blackboard and Web CT. These systems include everything necessary to design a vibrant student services site.

Design the site

First, the college should give student services a “course shell” in the CMS and allow all students access to the “course,” which will actually become the online service. The overall goal is to develop a successful community, so the design of the site should create an environment that allows its formation. Successful online communities develop “shared goals, trust, and mutual support” (Shea, 2006, p. 37). These features are what will keep students coming back. Design elements that promote these features include easy communication methods, capable facilitators, opportunities for peer engagement, and guidelines that create a positive environment.
Communication Methods

The successful online service is easy to navigate and makes it easy for students to communicate with each other. Students need to be able to trust the site and believe that it will enhance their educational experience. Most CMS programs have easy navigation, but a service can customize the CMS by eliminating course-related navigation features, such as the standard buttons for grades and the syllabus. Services can include a mixture of asynchronous discussion boards and synchronous chats in order to accommodate different learning preferences. Discussion boards can be set up to cover different topics. For example, in a tutoring service, a discussion board can be created for each subject that is tutored. Chats can be scheduled so that students log in at specific times to chat in real-time with a tutor or study group. It is also important to include general “Q&A” discussion boards and chat rooms so that students can ask questions that may not pertain to any of the existing discussion boards.
Role of Facilitators

An online student services community needs a cohort of trained facilitators to moderate the discussion boards, participate in the real-time chats, and motivate the community. Facilitators can include faculty, staff, and student assistants or tutors. Studies have shown that specific behaviors of an online course instructor promote community formation (Shea, 2006; Kreijns, 2003). Following this model, facilitators in student services sites should be trained to recognize and implement these positive behaviors, which include “drawing in participants, creating an acceptable climate for learning, keeping students on track, and diagnosing student misperceptions” (Shea, 2006, p. 41). A successful online community has more of a chance to form when students trust that a facilitator is providing structure, support, and guidance, focusing the discussions, giving timely feedback to questions, and correcting any wrong information that may be posted by other students.
Peer Engagement and Recognition

The students themselves are at the core of a successful online student services site. Facilitators should remain as guides and let the students “own” the site and create the majority of content. Through interaction, students develop mutual support networks. Students that gravitate to the same discussion boards usually have shared goals and interests. For example, students in an online tutoring center’s physics discussion share the same goal of improving their grade in physics. These discussion boards can lead to informal study groups and peer learning. We can design online services to create opportunities for this interaction to take place. Examples include discussion boards that encourage informal study groups, open chat rooms for impromptu group study sessions, and document sharing areas for course handouts or college documents.

Researchers believe that “social interaction is the key to collaboration” (Kreijns, 2003, p.3). One or more “student café” discussion boards or chats should always be included in a site to nurture these affective aspects of human behavior. They give students the ability to get to know each other outside of specific discussions, and to learn about each other’s behavior and reliability through reading the threaded discussions over time (Kollock, 1996, p. 2). These elements allow students to develop trust and respect for each other, and can eventually develop a feeling of camaraderie among participants (Brown, 2001, p.9)

Social interaction can also motivate students to participate in the site. Students will keep coming back to a site where they make friends, get support, and feel their contributions are valued. Individuals often serve as catalysts to motivate others (White, 2002, p. 2). Particularly popular or knowledgeable students may attract others to the site. Also, some individuals are motivated by group recognition. The site design can capitalize on these features. For example, in a tutoring site, a facilitator can select the “top 5 student answers of the week” and list the students’ names and contributions. This would not only motivate the selected students, but would also encourage others to contribute the next week.

Guidelines
It may seem counterintuitive, but college students actually do want and need guidelines in an online site. Guidelines create a “joint vision” and ensure that students feel safe to ask questions and express diverse opinions. They also make sure inappropriate behavior merits some sort of sanctions (Charalambos, et al., 2004, p. 139). The key is to let the student community develop and change the guidelines themselves, as control ensures buy-in. To start the community, site facilitators can start out with a page in the CMS listing a brief set of guidelines following the student code of conduct at the institution. Students may not want to alter the original guidelines at all, but they should be told that the option is available, and facilitators should respect community decisions regarding changes. Site design features can include a discussion board for guidelines, and surveys or polls for voting on any changes. These guidelines create an environment where the key community building elements of “shared goals, trust, and mutual support” (Shea, 2006, p. 37) can shine.

Conclusion
We know that many college students never engage in student services like counseling, financial aid, career centers, and tutoring, despite the significant support these services can offer. Long lines for in-person appointments and static web content on the Internet can discourage even the most motivated students. Today’s increasing numbers of exclusively online students need ways to interact with peers and professional staff. The good news is that the Internet and course management systems hold great potential for filling these gaps. A college community is all about the people. Student services can thrive online when they take into consideration the basic human need to live and learn in communities. Following basic design principles, online student services can get students engaged, get them the help they need, and keep them coming back throughout their college careers.

References
Brown, R.E. (2001). The process of community-building in distance learning classes. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks. 5(2). Retrieved January 31, 2008, from http://www.aln.org/publications/jaln/v5n2/v5n2_brown.asp
Charalambos, V., Michalinos, Z., & Chamberlain, R. (2004). The design of online learning communities: Critical issues. Educational Media International. 41(2), 135-143.
Kollock, P. (1996). Design principles for online communities. Paper presented at the Harvard Conference on the Internet and Society. Retrieved February 10, 2008, from http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/kollock/papers/design.htm
Kreijns, K., Kirschner, P., & Jochems, W. (2003). Identifying the pitfalls for social interaction in computer-supported collaborative learning environments: A review of the research. Computers in Human Behavior. 19(3). Retrieved on February 10, 2008, from http://igitur-archive.library.uu.nl/fss/2006-1214 211040/kirschner_03_identifying_pitfalls_social_interaction_computer_supported.pdf
Shea, P. (2006). A study of students’ sense of community in online environments. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks. 10(1). Retrieved February 8, 2008, from http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/JALN/v10n1/pdf/v10n1_4shea.pdf
White, N. (2002). Networks, groups, and catalysts: The sweet spot for forming online communities. Paper presented at the Net Working 2002 Online Conference. Retrieved January 30, 2008, from http://www.fullcirc.com/community/networkscatalystscommunity.htm