EADTU Staff Training Event | Support Services in Open & Distance Education

1. Annie Breton
Academic advisor
François Ouellette
Director of students services

2. TÉLUQ University
For more than 50 years, the only distance learning
university of the Quebec University network.
More than 430 online courses and 125 programs.
Around 20 000 students each years.
Unique learning model in the province of Quebec.
Would not study at the university level if not
for the presence of TELUQ university!
1 of 2 students
Source : ICOPE 2022

3. Non traditionnal students that succeed in their own
way
Distance learning and TELUQ University are not the easy path.
89% are workers (76% with more than 30h/week);
90% are part-time students;
55% have children;
63% are first generation students.
The notion of success is different. They do not all seek a degree.
(only 35% are admitted in a bachelor, a master or a doctoral degree)

4. OPERA
Persistence and Academic Success
Tool

5. Persistence and Academic Success Tool (OPERA)
Since 2017
Development context
2010-2015 Strategic plan : « Promote excellence in courses and programs as well as student
success»
Mandate given to the Academic Advisor team
How ?
Formation of a committee
Identification of 17 key milestones in a student’s journey
Identification of detection criteria

6. Titre

7. Technical perspective:
Identifying at-risk students
Intervening with them
Follow their progress
Keep record of interventions

8. Success perspective
New students
Welcome
Introduce the Academic Advisor team
Propose program progress
Share important information

9. First semester monitoring/ Declining cumulative GPA
Provide support
Aware of the impact of poor results on the academic journey
Remind of the support resources

10. Registration
Raise awareness about inactivity after 24 months without registration
Remind of the maximum duration of studies
Assist in course selection
Graduate studies

11. Prevention
Support students before academic probation
Intervention
Support students during academic probation and avoid withdrawn

12. Quantitative
Factual data:
 Number of detections
 Type of interventions
Results

13. Results
Qualitative
Numerous positive feedback from students
Working preventatively rather than reactively
Increase efficiency
Providing targeted and personalized support
Promote exchanges, gather information
Facilitate follow-ups

14. Study on correlation between the tool and student success and retention
What’s next?

15. MaRéussite
Learning support tool
Launched in may 2022

16. MaRéussite
What is MaRéussite?
MaReussite is a website offering the students learning and life balancing strategies, and is accessible throughout
the course of their study via their student portal.
Premise of the project
TELUQ students have more risk of failure factors than students whitout online courses (52 % have at least 9 risk
factors like child support, full-time job, first generation student, financial difficulty, etc.).
In 2017-2018, a study conducted internally found that:
The success rate at TELUQ University varies from 52 to 74 % depending on the group of students;
The importance of the first courses at the university (higher failure and withdrawal rates);
The positive effects of a personnal learning support offered to a group a students (success rate of 72 to 82
%).

17. MaRéussite
Objectives
Better tools from the start of their program so that students can face the challenges of university studies in
the context of distance learning formation.
Support students perseverance and retention through asynchronous learning support.
More specifically, to increase the success rate of the first course at TÉLUQ University.

18. What exactly is MaRéussite
Learning about the environnement
(services, ressources)
Organizing myself for better
success (work-life-study balance,
time management).
Effectively process courses content
(reading strategy, summary).
Demonstrate my learning (writing,
evaluation).
Take care of myself (life balance,
motivation, stress management).
With the « just in time » concept.
5 notifications, sent with the
appropriate information regarding the
progression of the student in his
course.
4 academic themes 1 psychosocial theme A notification system
Each theme includes :
Theoretical content, presented in the lighter way possible.
Self-assessment tools to understand where they stand.

19. mareussite.teluq.ca

20. mareussite.teluq.ca

21. Results
The next steps :
 Evaluation of the success rate of the first course at TÉLUQ University.
 Evaluation of the failure and withdrawal rates of the first course at TÉLUQ University.
 Qualitative survey to understand what could be upgraded.
More than 25 000 visits during the 2022 fall semester.
76% reading rate of the notifications.
39% clic rate on the notification links.