The document discusses strategies for improving student success in online programs through effective faculty members. It outlines four key strategies: 1) Educating and certifying faculty in online teaching methods; 2) Providing students with support materials to set them up for success; 3) Leveraging assessments to evaluate student and faculty performance; 4) Conducting periodic evaluations of faculty to provide feedback and opportunities for improvement. Implementing these strategies can help ensure faculty members are effective in promoting student success in online learning environments.

2. We…know…The formula for improved student success in online programs Do you want to know what it is? Why do you want to know what it is? A vast majority of students do not persist in online programs – yet online programs are the way of the future… After months of research, we have the formula for improved student success in online programs!

3. Student Success Online = Effective Faculty Members Effective Faculty Members = Student Success Online

4. Burning 3500 calories = Losing One Pound So, if you create a 3500-calorie deficit through diet, exercise, or a combination of both, you will burn enough stored body fat to lose one pound of weight.

5. Wearing a Seatbelt = Less Injury from Accidents So if you drive with your seatbelt on, you are less likely to be injured in the event of an accident.

6. Effective Faculty Members = Student Success Online So if you make sure your faculty members are effective, you are going to increase your student success rate online.

7. Basic Formulas… --Why don’t we follow them? They are misleading – they sound simple, but are actually complex We’ve known them forever - we take them for granted We need to be reminded… or inspired Need some strategies to support the formula: Some New Some you know, but expand on You already know this well…Getting you to think about it again

8. Introductions • Carrie Spagnola–Doyle, MBA • Catrina Poe, DBA • Stacey Barrett, MAEd co-authors of

9. Student Success Online = Effective Faculty Members Ways to make your faculty members more effective… Certifying Faculty in Online Teaching We cannot expect that students will simply know how to learn online or that faculty will know how to teach in this environment. Training for both is essential” (Palloff & Pratt, 2001, p. 3). Creating Student Support Materials The online class must present a sense of class, school, and university (Lieblein, p. 163). Leveraging Assessment How do you know your students know? Evaluating Faculty When evaluating the effectiveness of an online course, two distinct components are under review: the content (curriculum) provided within the online course and the instructor's facilitation of the learning experience (Mandernach, 2005). Closing Discussion

10. Certifying your faculty = effective faculty members Instructor Certification: Many successful schools put a HUGE emphasis on the training of online faculty. “ Schools that are continually stressing that the Instructor is the fulcrum on which the success of the course leans, are the schools that will win the war” --Dave Daniels <President of Pearson Learning Solutions> Many are considering certifications to ensure common competencies Faculty meet competencies for online teaching Both large and small

11. Content to certify your faculty Certification courses impart the right knowledge and skills, empowering instructors to become effective online educators. Instructors can master the pedagogical, instructional, and technological principles relevant to online learning. Introduction to Online Learning Instructor Technology Preparation Instructional Design for Online Learning Promoting Student Success in the Online Environment Assessing Knowledge and Skills in the Online Environment Beyond the Online Classroom Practicum Virtual Internship

12. Blue ribbon panel Why a panel? Cross pollination of ideas Credibility A review of potential profiles of a blue ribbon panel 1- Online instructor, mentor, and expert in online communities and student diversity 2- Postsecondary online professor, mentor, and corporate trainer 3- Award-winning online educator and certified peer reviewer for QualityMatters.org 4- Postsecondary online learning instructor and researcher 5- Director of Educational Technology for XXX 6- K-20 online professor 7- iNACOL Research Committee

13. Borrow Online teaching standards examples iNACOL: • National standards of quality for online courses • International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) 51 Competencies for online instructors: • benchmarks for excellence in online instruction Theodore C. Smith, Axia College, Western International University (published in the Journal of Educators Online, Vol. 2.2) SREB’s standards for quality online teaching: • Guidelines for professional development of online teachers • Southern Regional Education Board (SREB)

14. Creating student materials to support effective faculty Prepare your students for success! What we are seeing: Student Success Classes more common than ever before research has proven leads to: student retention, higher GPAs, better technology integration, more involvement Orientation classes set expectations, let the students test drive going to school Online learning modules help students to get acclimated Learning across the curriculum Student success objectives intertwined throughout first year If employing a faculty member, use a seasoned one with a good track record

15. Power Up topics…. Motivation Time Management Self-knowledge, including learning styles The online classroom and community Working in the online classroom Communicating online Critical thinking and online research Computer concerns Creating a personalized study environment Maintaining online success These are topics we felt were important in a student success or orientation course.

16. Leveraging assessment to support effective faculty Assessments are enormously important in education – for the student, the instructor, and the school Accrediting bodies looking closely at a school's assessment materials “ Ensuring that assessments are practical, interesting, and truly aligned with the learning objectives helps students be successful. Successful students persist in their education.” (Pearson Learning Solutions Director of Assessment and Evaluation, Power Up Author)

17. And speaking of assessment… What is the best option for assessment strategy when trying to ensure effective faculty members? Option A: Have full-time faculty write the materials in-house. Option B: Hire members of the institution’s adjunct faculty to do it. Option C: Have an outside Assessment Specialist/Instructional Designer review the course materials, and create original assessments.

18. And the answer is… Option A is often not the best choice because it is not the best use of full-time faculty; bottom line… too time-consuming . Option B is often not the best choice because adjunct faculty are mostly subject matter experts without the appropriate training to create instructionally sound assessments. Option C is a winner because you let the instructors focus on what they do best. You create a check and balance system. Instructors have a valid formative and summative assessment strategy set up for them by someone with the expertise and time to write quality assessments.

19. Leveraging assessment: The 2 largest take-aways 1. Write the assessments at a higher cognitive level that will force students to really think about the content of the course. 2. Make sure the assessments are written in the format easiest for students and faculty to work with and leverage technology.

20. Worth mentioning….. Grading rubrics support effective faculty members What are rubrics? Rubrics are grading criteria for authentic assessments (no autograding!). They provide both a tool and a method for communicating exactly what is expected of a student. Rubrics save students and faculty time When a teacher provides a rubric at the time an assignment is given, students immediately know what is expected of them. They spend more of their time and energy on the tasks at hand and less on trying to figure out what the teacher wants. Rubrics make grading more clear, consistent, and equitable (less grade discrepancy). Rubrics raise the quality of work students produce.

21. Evaluating faculty = effective faculty members If we always do what we have always done we will always be what we have always been… Feedback leads to improvement. Often administrators are used to making visits to traditional classrooms, but are unsure of how this can be done online. You can implement online evaluations! How do you do that? Why do you do that?

22. Implementing Evaluation Set expectations – what is it you want the faculty member to accomplish? required participation feedback by a certain date level/type of feedback content of messages Level of participation *Important: not whether the students liked the faculty member, but was there an opportunity for learning? Next, create a template to assess – much like one we may use for our jobs. Create a body of evaluators – you, stellar faculty members, full time employees Provide guidance and training to evaluators Implement the evaluation program Make it stick… regular evaluations (yearly, quarterly)

23. Why Evaluate? Provides an opportunity to coach for better outcomes Signals commitment and caring on behalf of the institution – about both student and faculty success Satisfies accreditation requirements Ultimately is a tool for creating better learning environments

24. In Conclusion….The Four Strategies We Discussed Today To Ensure Effective Faculty…were Education, preparation, and faculty training and certification Students prepared for the realities of online learning Leveraging assessment Periodic evaluation to provide feedback for improvement

25. Pre-Conference Survey results… How to keep students engaged online How do you measure success? latest trends and shifts retention strategies I am developing a course based on Power Up! So I am particularly interested in this Strategies to mitigate the effects of gainful employment regulation results from in use in the admissions process What are other schools doing for programs?

26. New ideas in online education What is the next wave of online education? first we had snail mail; then we had television and radio; then we had satellite; then we had fax machines; then we had the internet….what is next? Hybrid online – asynchronized and synchronized learning? Full time faculty More

27. Brain Trust – YOUR IDEAS!!!

28. References Allen, I., & Seaman, J. (2008). Staying the Course: Online Education in the United States, 2008. Sloan Consortium Angelino, L.M. & D. Natvig (2009) A Conceptual Model for Engagement of the Online Learner. The Journal of Educators Online 6 (1) Lieblein, p. 163 McVay, M (2000) Developing a Web-based Distance Student Orientation to Enhance Student Success in an Online Bachelor's Degree Completion Program. Dissertation Presented to the Ed.D. Program in Instructional Technology and Distance Education: Nova Southeastern University Mandernach,J; Donnelli,E.; Dailey, A.; Schulte, M.(2005, Fall). A Faculty Evaluation Model for Online Instructors: Mentoring and Evaluation in the Online Classroom. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration. Volume VIII. McVay Lynch, M (2001) Effective Student Preparation for Online Learning. The Technology Source Archives at the University of North Carolina. Palloff & Pratt, 2001, Tallent-Runnels, M., Thomas, J., Lan, W., Cooper, S., Ahern, T., et al. (2006). Teaching courses online: A review of research. Review of Educational Research , 76 (1), 93-135. Tobin, T. (2004). Best Practices for Administrative Evaluation of Online Faculty. DLA 2004 proceedings, Jekyll Island, Georgia, May 23-26, 2004. Wojciechowski, A. & Palmer L. B (2005) Individual Student Characteristics: Can Any Be Predictors of Success In Online Classes? Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, VIII( II)