This document discusses orienting students to online learning and the importance of emphasizing learning. It begins by identifying attributes needed for 21st century learning and broadening the concept of "college ready" to include digital literacies. It then describes one community college's efforts to improve student success and readiness for online learning through assessments, orientations, and faculty training. These initiatives aim to better prepare students for the increasing prevalence of online courses and digital environments in higher education.

1. ORIENTING STUDENTS TO
LEARNING ONLINE:
WHY THE EMPHASIS UPON LEARNING MATTERS
Ghazala Hashmi, PhD
Coordinator, Quality Enhancement Plan
Meg Foster, MA
Assistant Coordinator, Quality Enhancement Plan
J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College
Richmond, Virginia
SmarterServices Summer Webinar Series  July 24, 2013

2. Overview of the Session
• Identifying the attributes vital for effective learning within the
21st century
• Broadening our concepts of ―College Ready‖ within these
new and emerging contexts of higher education
• Expanding our institutional approaches to student
preparation with concepts built upon targeted assessments
• Implementing these findings directly within support resources
for students and faculty
• Proposing some next steps
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3. Goals of the Session
To evaluate the ways in which student readiness must
include – for all students – some degree of readiness for
the new digital literacies of this century
To share one institution’s efforts in the area of improving
student success within online learning
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4. Background: JSRCC’s Quality
Enhancement Plan (QEP)
Success in
Distance
Learning
Student
Readiness
Student
Orientation
Faculty
Training
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5. ATraditional, Operational Definition of
―College Ready‖
The level of preparation a student needs in order to enroll and
succeed—without remediation—in a credit-bearing, general education
course at a postsecondary institution that offers a baccalaureate
degree or transfer to a baccalaureate program.
―Succeed‖ is defined as completing entry level courses at a level of
understanding and proficiency that makes it possible for the student to
consider taking the next course in the sequence or the next level of
course in the subject area.
– David Conley
―Toward a Comprehensive View of College Readiness‖ (2007)
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6. An Initial Definition of Readiness for
Online Learning
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Access to Technology
Technical Competency
Ability to Manipulate and Manage
Digital Environments
Most institutions
began with the
traditional
concept of
COLLEGE
READY and then
predicated
“student
readiness for
online learning”
upon essentially
three additional
factors:

7. What most institutions anticipated . . .
College
Ready
Technology
Skills
Success in
Online
Learning
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8. The realities we faced . . .
Online courses are too often characterized by
• Low persistence rates
• Fewer successful students
Broader student and institutional impacts
• Delays in college completion
• Student attrition from courses or from college
altogether
• Increase in college costs for students
• Broader implications within the ―time to degree‖ costs
• Faculty engagement and preparation for online
instruction
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9. National Online Enrollments, as a
Percentage of Total Enrollments,
Continues to Increase
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―Changing Course: Ten Years of Tracking Online
Education in the United States,‖
Babson Survey Research Group (2013)

10. The annual increase in the numbers of students taking
at least one online course has not yet plateaued
0 2,000,000 4,000,000 6,000,000 8,000,000
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Increase Over
Previous Year
Students Taking at
Least 1 Online Course
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―Changing Course: Ten Years of Tracking Online
Education in the United States,‖
Babson Survey Research Group (2013)

11. JSRCC Data for Online Enrollments
(2011-2012) Reflects National Trends
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
40000
Downtown Suburban Rural Online
Enrollments
Headcount
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12. Online Enrollments Impacted Community
Colleges Earlier and in Greater Numbers
According to a 2003 National Center for Education
Statistics report, the largest share of distance education
enrollments (48%) was in community colleges.
Community Colleges, in particular, have had to respond
sooner and more deliberately to student demand for online
learning opportunities
Even in the midst of the recession, distance education
enrollments in community colleges increased 22%, up from
11% the previous year. (Miller, 2010)
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13. As educators, what should our responses
be?
• Slow down the expansions of online learning?
• Divide student populations into categories for these
different learning contexts, or create gatekeeping policies
for student enrollment within online courses?
• Develop our understanding of and approaches to an
adequate, appropriate preparation of all students for the
new learning and teaching environments that we now
face?
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14. Expanding the Essential Definitions of
―College Ready‖ to Embrace Readiness
for Online Learning
In the contemporary higher education
environment, academic success for ALL students is
frequently predicated upon the critical skills that are
necessary for success within digital learning environments.
Even students who never set a ―virtual foot‖ within
the digital landscape are still called upon to navigate
through digital learning. In reality, increasing numbers of
students are completing some – if not most – of their
academic work online.
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15. What are we doing to prepare and support our
increasing numbers of online learners?
Online learning calls upon sets of skills that are often not
factored into the traditional evaluations of ―college ready‖:
• Discipline for independent learning
• Ability to navigate new and complex digital
environments
• Personal attributes that support and sustain
academic efforts
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16. Essential Literacies of the 21st Century
Our very language itself is challenged as it attempts to keep
apace with the evolving dimensions of the materials and the
information with which we interact, and that we try to interpret
and integrate into our lives:
• New Media Literacy
• Information Literacy
• Digital Literacy
• Technology Literacies
These literacies are essential for all of our learners – not
just our online learners
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17. The example of Virginia’s recent legislative responses
highlights the essential reality of redefining ―College
Ready‖
In April 2012, Governor Bob McDonnell signed into law
a bill requiring Virginia high school students to
complete at least one virtual course to graduate with a
standard or advanced diploma; the law goes into effect
for the freshman class of 2013-2014.
The measure’s argument suggests that students with
online learning experiences are better prepared for the
―job market of the 21st century.‖
Other states have adopted similar measures or are
evaluating the need to adopt these measures.
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18. Institutional Challenges
• How do we effectively prepare students for the
new learning environments?
• How do we assess these new levels of college
readiness?
• How do we orient and/or remediate for digital
learning skills?
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19. Poll Question
What types of orientation activities are your
institutions providing for online learners?
Self-directed Modules
Facilitated, Online Sessions
Face-to-Face Orientations to Technology
No Distinct Orientations for Online Learners
Other
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20. Comevo
online orientation software (comevo.com)
• Meet students where
they are
• Online convenience
• Engaging content
• Student Success Tool
• Access to content
• Quiz, Test, Portal
• Useful campus-wide

21. APPLICATIONS WITHIN ONE
VIRGINIA COMMUNITY
COLLEGE INSTITUTION
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22. Measuring Students’ Preparation for Learning
Online & Preparing Students to Learn Online
Two steps taken by J. Sargeant Reynolds Community
College:
1) Integration of SmarterMeasure – a web-based
assessment tool – to evaluate students’ readiness skills
for online learning
2) Development and implementation of an Orientation to
Learning Online module that is facilitated and delivered
through Blackboard, provides essential instruction for
new online students, and models the core elements of
quality course design
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23. SmarterMeasure: An Introduction
The SmarterMeasure assessment helps students determine their
readiness to succeed in an online learning environment.
Personal Attributes
Life Factors
Learning Styles
Reading Recall
Technology Competency & Knowledge
Typing Skills
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24. SmarterMeasure Student Report
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25. SmarterMeasure and its Results for
JSRCC Students
Assessments of SmarterMeasure data
helped the institution to identify two central
areas of weakness among its student
population:
Life Factors: Availability of
Time, Place, Reason, Resources & Skills
Personal Attributes: Time Management, Personal
Responsibility, Willingness to Seek Assistance
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26. have about a 56% chance of succeeding in
Distance Learning classes.
Conversely, students who do not struggle
with ―Life Factors‖ or who display high
scores within Personal Attributes,
have about a 75% chance of succeeding in
Distance Learning classes
SmarterMeasure Findings
Students who struggle with ―Life Factors‖ or
who display low scores within the Personal
Attributes assessment,
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27. What SmarterMeasure Emphasizes for
JSRCC Students
Non-cognitive skills are the essential ingredients for student
success:
Personal Attributes
• study skills
• metacognitive strategies
• self-regulated learning
• time management
• goal-setting
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28. In addition to Personal
Attributes, the ability to
manage LIFE FACTORS has
a significant positive effect
upon student success and
persistence.
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29. BUILDING UPON SMARTERMEASURE
ASSESSMENTS TO
CREATE A SOLID ORIENTATION TO
LEARNING ONLINE
Summer 2011 to the Present
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30. Development of
CDL 001: Orientation to Learning Online
 Evaluated SmarterMeasure findings and other college assessments
 Created a team to develop the orientation. Team was comprised of
volunteers who connected three vital areas: Academic
Affairs, Student Affairs, and Information Technology.
 Critical to success was including faculty and staff who brought their
expertise/perspective as online teachers and students.
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31. CDL 001: An Overview
• The orientation session takes approximately 4-6 total hours to
complete.
• It simulates the experience of being in an actual online class.
• The session is facilitated by trained faculty/staff member.
• It is housed in Blackboard.
• Six Learning Units, with activities, are designed to be completed within
4 to 5 days
• Assignments include 3 discussion board posts, 3 quizzes, 1 library
research assignment, and a final self-reflection essay.
• Students also complete SmarterMeasure and submit their individual
report to the facilitator.
• An exit survey captures students’ responses to the Orientation.
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32. The Learning Units of CDL001
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33. Success and Persistence Rates of
CDL001 Completers
Summer 2011 – Fall 2012 completers and their Success
Rates in Online Learning:
 1123 students registered to take CDL 001
 These students have enrolled in 4592 distance
courses between Fall 2011 and Fall 2012.
 Persistence rate: 93.7% for CDL Completers vs.
87.9% for Non-Completers
 Successful completion (A,B, or C) rate: 83% for CDL
Completers vs. 69% for Non-Completers
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34. Poll Question
If your institution has also integrated SmarterMeasure for
its students, how are the assessment results being used?
To advise students considering online courses
As an assignment within certain courses
For placement approval in online classes
As a self-assessment for students
Other
My institution is not using SmarterMeasure
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35. Proposals for Next Steps
Partnerships between secondary and post-secondary
institutions to develop support and orientation activities for
online learning
Increased training of faculty and teachers to meet the
growing needs for both online learning and the new
demands of emerging literacy expectations
Direct applications of assessment results towards the
creation of products that effectively support and prepare
students for the challenges of accessing information and
learning in the digital landscapes
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36. References
Babson Survey Research Group. (2013). Changing course: ten years of
tracking online education in the United States. Retrieved from
http://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/changingcourse.pdf
Conley, David T. (2007) Toward a comprehensive view of college
readiness. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from
www.nebhe.org/wp-content/uploads/Conley.ppt
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37. Thank you for your participation
Ghazala Hashmi
ghashmi@reynolds.edu
Meg Foster
mbfoster@reynolds.edu
J Sargeant Reynolds Community College | Richmond, Virginia
804.523.5515
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