Avoiding DL Staff Burnout #1

Always in the back of my mind, usually pretty well hidden from the people who work for me, is the big worry that their jobs will get to be just too much for them. There seems to be no stopping the demand for online learning (and the support that goes with it), but funding is at a standstill (or going backwards). So, what we called a full plate three years ago has changed its meaning as we keep stretching and stretching. My first tip (in a random series) for avoiding staff burnout is to simply to hire the right folks to begin with. This is not a laid-back, conflict-free, quiet field. It's not for those who want to work normal hours, know what to expect each day, and have minimal or average interaction with other people. DL support is for people who thrive on change and lots of action. It's for people who loathe boredom and shine with lots of creative energy. Hire these types, and even though they may show that they feel the pressure, they tend to bloom in circumstances where others crack.

Does the Recession Mean More or Less Online Enrollment?

Yesterday, we were told in the US that we are officially in a recession (duh), and have been since last December. So what does this mean for online enrollments? On the one hand, students out of work or consumed by debt may not have enough money to afford classes. Then again, people who have lost their jobs may use the time on their hands to seek new degrees and careers. I think that online programs, particularly affordable ones at public institutions, will see a extra surge in enrollments because of the economy. Why? Online programs allow students to continue their jobs and save money on gas and other costs such as babysitting. Marketwatch reported today that a survey of visitors to the website, eLearning.com, found that 44 percent wanted to take online courses to embark on a new career. On the downside, a third of the respondents were uncertain as to how they would pay for their education.

Four Ways to Get Students to Complete Online Course Evaluations

The primary downfall of online course evaluations is the low completion rate. In the traditional environment, students are more or less held captive while they rate their learning and their instructor on a piece of paper. To raise completion rates to a comparable level, use these ideas.

1. Give students 1 point extra credit for completing the evaluation. Almost all online course evaluation software allows one to see which students completed the survey, while maintaining the anonymity of their responses. This is probably the most important tip, and the one not to skip. I use a grading scale of 1000 (900 is an A) for my courses, so I actually offer 10 extra points, which sounds better but is really equal to 1 point on a 100-point scale.
2. Discuss the importance of completing the evaluation early on in the course - the first week is not too soon. Get it in their mind how important this is to you,
3. Get your institution to agree to delay availability of grades if an evaluation is not completed. The University of Oregon has a policy that withholds grades and transcripts until the Friday after the grading deadline ends for those students who don't complete the evaluations (other students get them as soon as they are turned in).
4. Send lots of reminders in various formats. Use email, the discussion board as well as course announcements.

Chunking Student Support Information

I'm amazed when I see DL students getting multi-page, ultra-wordy documents that provide important DL information - such as how to order books, how to use the CMS, where to get tutoring, etc. When we develop our courses (or train others to do so), we know that the best way to present online content is in chunks - or little bits of information at a time. So why don't we apply the same principles to our student support materials? General DL information should be provided in well-organized snippets, and should be redundant (mailing, emails, announcements within the course). Taking this one step alone pays big benefits in less student frustration, less helpcalls, and higher retention.

Should DL Pay for the Lights?

There are some clear costs associated with distance and online programs; administrative staff, faculty, course development and redevelopment, and technology are examples. However, in a model in which DL is a self-supporting cost center, hidden institutional costs should be considered. These include office space for administrative staff and utilities. Even though DL may bring much difficult-to-quantify benefit to an institution through increased enrollments and savings in classroom space, a true cost model will include some overhead for the institution. Such costs should perhaps not be assessed until the program is meeting its other costs, but should be considered in long-term planning.

No More Boring eLearning

After several days of insane, non-stop work on a crazy DL deadline - and subsequently being a miserable failure as a late-nite blogger, I happened upon an incredible, don't-miss instructional design-ish blog. Now that I've found Cathy Moore's blog, I will never be the same (how did I function without this? how did I miss this?) First stop is her Drop the Drone:Easier Steps to Lively Courses. Now, we finally have permission to take some risks, drop the filler verbiage, and truly make online courses exciting. In this presentation, she also provides compelling guidance on how to actually cut, chop and edit our online landfills of useless, meaningless words.

Facebook for Online Student Recruitment

Are the days of billboards, radio, and direct mail over for higher education recruitment? I don't think so, but we can't afford to dismiss the burgeoning opportunities for Web 2.0 marketing. In the past year, there has been an increased entry of universities on Facebook. In many cases, it appears that these sites are university-sponsored, but benefit from unedited postings by students. Many are using their Facebook sites to include RSS feeds of campus news and events. While they may appear to serve as a retention and community-building tool for present students, the use of Facebook is also a recruitment tool when used properly - such as appropriate inbound links. Clearly, the appearance of the site is critical, particularly for online programs where the student may never actually see the campus. Another use of Facebook (and similar social networking sites) for university recruitment is for advertising. Facebook allows for easy creation of ads (though it requires pre-payment by credit card rather than invoicing), and allows the option of pricing per click. It would seem that the use of Facebook as a recruitment tool would be even more useful for online programs as it so directly targets potential students who seem to enjoy spending time online.