COURSE DESCRIPTION

The course focuses on the role and types of student support within modern distance education systems. Student support is broadly defined to include all types of tutorial assistance including correspondence teaching, electronic conferencing, web-based and telephone teaching, as well as a broad range of orientation, information, advising, counselling, remedial, and guidance services. The role of administrative and registry services including admission, registration, prior learning assessment, and credit coordination will also be addressed. Students will be introduced to the many contextual factors which determine the development of a particular student support model, and will explore management issues such as decentralization of services, responding to student attrition, the importance of evaluation and applied research, and professional development for practitioners.
 
 

COURSE OBJECTIVES

At the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Explain the rationale for student services in modern distance education.
2. Describe the various student support functions.
3. Critically analyze issues in the provision of student support.
4. Identify the contextual factors which determine a student support model.
5. Apply particular contextual factors to planning for student support.
6. Develop a plan for the introduction of student services in a distance education system, including selection of components and delivery methods.
7. Develop a professional development plan for a particular student support system.
8. Recommend a management strategy for student support in a particular system.
9. Develop an evaluation plan for student support activities in a particular system.
10. Critically evaluate and use applied research results in planning student support services.

REQUIRED TEXTS

    Sweet, R. (1993). Perspectives on distance education series: Student support services: Towards more responsive systems, Report on a Symposium on Student Support Services in Distance Education, Delhi, Vancouver, Canada: Commonwealth of Learning.

    American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, D.C.: APA. ISBN: 1-55798-791-2

In general, journal articles and papers referenced in this Syllabus will be supplied online.

It is strongly recommended that students purchase the Publications Manual of the American Psychological Association (4th Ed.) and that they pay particular attention to these pages before, during and after the writing of any Assignments.

Quotations: Sections 3.34, 3.35 etc., starting p. 95
Reference Citations in Text: Sections 3.94, 3.95, etc., starting p. 168
Reference List: Section 1.04, etc., starting p. 174
WWW citations: Consult the UMUC library at http://www.umuc.edu/library/guides/apa.html

As noted below, the ability to write to APA standards is a Graduate School requirement.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

This course is only offered in the online mode. Students must be prepared to:

• ensure technical access to WebTycho (the digital learning environment)
• invest an average of 10 hour workload in each week of the course.
• The total of 150 hours workload during the course consists of around:
  • 50 hours of reading,
  • 50 hours of active, visible participation in the discussion groups,
  • 50 hours for assignments.

GRADING

The final course grade will be determined as follows:

The course will be completed by two individual essay-type assignments and a collaborative case study (study group work).

• The first assignment (annotated bibliography) (30 %).
• The second assignment (paper) (30 %).
• The third assignment (collaborative and individual case study) (30 %)
• Online participation (10%)

GRADUATE SCHOOL GRADING GUIDELINES

According to the Graduate School's grading policy, the following symbols are used: A = excellent; B = good; C = passing; and F = failure.

The grade of "B" represents the benchmark for the Graduate School. It indicates that the student has demonstrated competency in the subject matter of the course, e.g., has fulfilled all course requirements on time, has a clear grasp of the full range of course materials and concepts, and is able to present and apply these materials and concepts in clear, well-reasoned, well-organized, and grammatically correct responses, whether written or oral.

Only students who fully meet this standard and, in addition, demonstrate exceptional comprehension and application of the course subject matter earn a grade of "A."

Students who do not meet the benchmark standard of competency fall within the "C" range or lower. They, in effect, have not met graduate level standards. Where this failure is substantial, they can earn an "F."

The Grade Of "I" (Incomplete): The grade of "I" is exceptional and given only to students whose completed coursework has been qualitatively satisfactory but who have been unable to complete all course requirements because of illness or other extenuating circumstances beyond their control. The grade of "I" may be considered only for students who have completed at least fifty percent (50%) of the total coursework requirements and who have received a passing grade on all the coursework which they have completed. The instructor retains the right to make the final decision on granting a student's request for an "I", even though the student may meet the eligibility requirements for this grade.

WRITING STANDARDS

Effective managers, leaders, and teachers are also effective communicators. Written communication is an important element of the total communication process. The Graduate School recognizes and expects exemplary writing to be the norm for course work. To this end, all papers, individual and group, must demonstrate graduate level writing and comply with the format requirements of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition. Careful attention should be given to spelling, punctuation, source citations, references, and the presentation of tables and figures. It is expected that all course work will be presented on time and error free. Work submitted online should follow standard procedures for formatting and citations.

POLICY ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND PLAGIARISM

Academic integrity is central to the learning and teaching process. Students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that will contribute to the maintenance of academic integrity by making all reasonable efforts to prevent the occurrence of academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, obtaining or giving aid on an examination, having unauthorized prior knowledge of an examination, doing work for another student, and plagiarism of all types.

Plagiarism is the intentional or unintentional presentation of another person's idea or product as one's own. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the following: copying verbatim all or part of another's written work; using phrases, charts, figures, illustrations, or mathematical or scientific solutions without citing the source; paraphrasing ideas, conclusions, or research without citing the source; and using all or part of a literary plot, poem, film, musical score, or other artistic product without attributing the work to its creator. Students can avoid unintentional plagiarism by following carefully accepted scholarly practices. Notes taken for papers and research projects should accurately record sources to material to be cited, quoted, paraphrased, or summarized, and papers should acknowledge these sources. The penalties for plagiarism include a zero or a grade of "F" on the work in question, a grade of "F" in the course, suspension with a file letter, suspension with a transcript notation, or expulsion.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Students with disabilities who want to request and register for services should contact UMUC's technical director for veteran and disabled student services at least four to six weeks in advance of registration each semester. Please call 301-985-7930 or 301-985-7466 (TTY).

COURSE EVALUATIONS

Feedback on each graduate course and instructor is important to the university, your professor, and to all students. UMUC has the responsibility to assess the effectiveness of classroom instruction, and each student has the responsibility to provide accurate and timely feedback through completion of the course evaluation form. This is a shared obligation for us all. It is therefore important that you complete the evaluation form for each course. This should be viewed as an additional course and program requirement.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND WEBTYCHO SUPPORT

Understanding and navigating through WebTycho is critical to successfully completing this course. All students are encouraged to complete UMUC's Orientation to Distance Education and WebTycho Tour at http://www.umuc.edu/distance/de_orien/.

The online WebTycho Help Desk is accessible directly in the classroom. In addition, WebTycho Support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at 1-800-807-4862 or webtychosupport@umuc.edu.

PORTFOLIO

Each Master's student will work towards the development of a personal portfolio. The portfolio contains required and voluntary documents. Required documents are mandatory assignments and other mandatory contributions to the final grades in each course. Voluntary documents may show any other kind of active participation in the courses of the Master's program. These voluntary contributions allow students to show their proficiency and skills as a professional distance educator. This portfolio is a requirement for successful completion of the final Distance Education Project course.

COURSE OUTLINE

The course is divided into three major units, each with an assignment (see below). The first unit addresses the context and various elements of learner support and the second focuses on planning and management issues. These first units are divided into major topics for discussion.  The third unit integrates the content from the first two through the analysis and development of case studies.
 

Unit 1: Context and Elements of Student Support (Week 1-5)

Unit 1.  Weeks 1 and 2: Introduction and Overview

Objectives:

1. Describe the theoretical frameworks, research findings, and other contextual issues which have contributed to the development of student support systems
2. Explain the rationale for student support in modern distance education
3. Describe the various student support functions

1. Overview of the course
2. Overview of types of student/models of student support
3. History and development of student support and its rationale in open distance learning
4. Theoretical frameworks and prevailing values: goals of student support

Brindley, J. E. (1995). Learner services: Theory and practice, Distansutbildning i itveckling, Rapport nr. 11 (pp. 23-34). Umea, Sweden: University of Umea.

     Dirr, P. (1999). Putting principles into practice: Promoting effective support services for students in distance learning programs. A report on the findings of a survey. Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. Retrieved July, 2001, from the World Wide Web: http://www.wiche.edu.Telecom/Projects/studentservices/index.htm

     Krauth, B., & Carbajal, J. (2000). Guide to developing online student services. tern Cooperative for Education Telecommunications, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. Retrieved July, 2001, from the World Wide Web: http://www.wiche.telecom.resources/publications/guide/guide.htm

     Robinson, B. (1995). Research and pragmatism in learner support. In F. Lockwood (Ed.), Open and distance learning today (pp. 221-231). London: Routledge.

     Rumble, G. (2000). Student support in distance education in the 21st century: Learning from service management. Distance Education, 21(2), 216-235.

     Tait, A. (1995). Student support in open and distance learning. In F. Lockwood (Ed.), Open and distance learning today (pp. 232-241). London: Routledge.
 

Unit 1.  Weeks 3 - 5: Elements of Student Support

    Topic 1. Tutoring and Teaching

 Objectives:

1. Explain the major theoretical approaches to tutoring and teaching in distance education
2. Describe the main methods and technologies for providing teaching and tutoring
3. Analyse the approaches to teaching and tutoring in institutions

1. The tradition of correspondence teaching
2. Residential schools and face-to-face components of ODL
3. Telephone tutoring
4. Audio- and video-conferencing/web-based teaching/electronic conferencing

     Berge, Z. L. (1995). The role of the online instructor/facilitator. E-Moderators.com. Retrieved August 2, 2001, from the World Wide Web: http://www.emoderators.com/moderators/teach_online.html

     Garland, M. R. (1995). Helping students achieve epistemological autonomy. In D. Sewart (Ed.), 17th World Conference for Distance Education: One World Many Voices: Quality in Open and Distance Learning (Vol. 2, pp. 77-80). Milton Keynes, UK: International Council for Distance Education and The Open University.

     Keegan, D. (1986). Interaction and communication (Chapter 6). In D. Keegan (Ed.), The foundations of distance education (pp. 89-107). Kent, UK: Croom Helm.

     Wolcott, L. L. (1995). The distance teacher as reflective practitioner. Educational Technology(January/February), 39-43.    

    Topic 2. Advising and Counselling

 Objectives:

1. Describe the different types of services which fall under the general heading of advising and counselling
2. Explain the goal of advising and counselling services

1. Orientation and information (enquiry) services
2. Academic advising
3. Counselling
   career guidance
   personal counselling
4. Learning and study skills assistance
5. Student advocacy and student charters

    Bowser, D., & Race, K. (1991). Orientation for distance education students: What is its worth? Distance Education, 12(1), 109-122.

    Brindley, J. E., & Fage, J. (1991). Counselling in open learning: Two institutions face the future. Open Learning, 7(3), 12-19.

    Manning, E. (1997). The preparation of students for distance learning: Two very different approaches from a wider European perspective. In A. Tait (Ed.), Collected Conference Papers, The Cambridge International Conference on Open and Distance Learning (pp. 114-119). Cambridge, UK: The Open University.

    Nilsson, V. (1989). Voluntary academic assessment to enhance independent learning. In A. Tait (Ed.), Collected Conference Papers, The Cambridge International Conference on Open and Distance Learning (pp. 167-181). Cambridge, UK: The Open University.

    O'Rourke, J. (1995). A piece of the jigsaw: Student advising in distance education. In A. Tait (Ed.), Collected Conference Papers, Sixth Cambridge International Conference on Open and Distance Learning (pp. 136-145). Cambridge, UK: The Open University.

    Phillips, M., & Scott, P. (1999). Multimedia advice, guidance and counselling on the Web: A prototype learner's guide. In A. Tait (Ed.), Collected Conference Papers, Sixth Cambridge International Conference on Open and Distance Learning (pp. 121-130). Cambridge, UK: The Open University.

    Simpson, O. (1992). Specifying student support services in the OU - the so-called Student Charter. Open Learning, 7(2), 57-59.   

    Topic 3: Library, Registry, and Other Administrative Support Services

 Objectives:

1. Describe the different types of services which fall under the general heading of library, registry, and other administrative support services
2. Explain the goal of library, registry, and other administrative support services

1. Library and information services
2. Registry
   recruitment
   admission
   prior learning assessment
   credential assessment
   credit coordination
   course registration
3. Course materials

    Granger, D., & Benke, M. (1998). Supporting learners at a distance from inquiry through completion. In C. C. Gibson (Ed.), Distance learners in higher education (pp. 127-137). Madison, WI: Atwood Publishing.

    King, T. J. (1995). The identification of high dropout risk distance education students by the analysis of student records data. In D. Sewart (Ed.), 17th World Conference for Distance Education: One World Many Voices: Quality in Open and Distance Learning (Vol. 2, pp. 98-101). Milton Keynes, UK: International Council for Distance Education and The Open University.

    Phillips, S. E. (1995). The Commonwealth of Learning student record management system. In D. Sewart (Ed.), 17th World Conference for Distance Education: One World Many Voices: Quality in Open and Distance Learning (Vol. 2, pp. 437-440). Milton Keynes, UK: International Council for Distance Education and The Open University.

    Stephens, K., Unwin, L., & Bolton, N. (1997). The use of libraries by postgraduate distance learning students: A mismatch of expectations. Open Learning, 12(3), 25-33.

    Wong, A. T. (1997). Valuing diversity: Prior learning assessment and open learning. In A. Tait (Ed.), Collected Conference Papers, Sixth Cambridge International Conference on Open and Distance Learning (pp. 208-216). Cambridge, UK: The Open University.

Unit 1 Assignment:

At the end of Unit 1 students must submit an Annotated Bibliography of the required readings. This consists of a short summary including any evaluative comments (e.g. the value of the article or chapter) for each of the required readings for Unit 1. The summaries should be no longer than about 3 to 5 lines for each reading.  The grade for this assignment will contribute 30% to the final grade.
 
 

Unit 2: Planning and Managing Student Support Systems (Week 6-10)

Unit 2.  Week 6-7:  Designing Services to Meet Needs: Learner Characteristics and Special Groups

Objectives:

1. Analyse the importance of learner characteristics for designing student support
2. Describe the major client groups served by distance education
3. Explain the ways in which a learner support system can be tailored to serve specific client groups

1. Learner characteristics
2. Gender issues
3. Learners with special needs
4. Indigenous groups
5. Prison programs
6. Rurally isolated learners
7. Workplace programs

    Bilston, B. (1996). Supporting older learners in open and distance learning. In R. Mills & A. Tait (Eds.), Supporting the learner in open and distance learning (pp. 165-176). London, UK: Pitman Publishing.

    Hipp, H. (1997). Women studying at a distance: What do they need to succeed? Open Learning, 12(2), 41-49.

    Morgan, A. (1995). Adult change and development: learning and people's lives. In D. Sewart (Ed.), 17th World Conference for Distance Education: One World Many Voices: Quality in Open and Distance Learning (Vol. 1, pp. 319-322). Milton Keynes, UK: International Council for Distance Education and The Open University.

    Sanchez, I., & Gunawardena, C. N. (1998). Understanding and supporting the culturally diverse distance learner. In C. C. Gibson (Ed.), Distance learners in higher education (pp. 47-64). Madison, WI: Atwood Publishing.

Unit 2.  Weeks 8-10: Management and Organization of Student Support Services

    Topic 1.  Setting Goals, Planning, and Consideration of Organizational Structures

Objectives:

1. Describe the process for identifying goals for student support within distance education
2. Identify the management challenges which are specific to student support in distance education
3. Analyse the planning and management processes which facilitate the delivery of support to students

1. Defining the goals of student support
   congruence with institutional mandate and culture
2. Strategic planning, priority setting, and budget management
3. Organizational structures
   centralization v. decentralization of services
   designing study centres, computer labs, and other facilities support

    Paul, R. H. (1990). Managing at a distance: Regional networks and off-campus tutors (Chapter 7). In R. H. Paul (Ed.), Open learning and open management: Leadership and integrity in distance education (pp. 99-118). London, UK: Kogan Page.

    Rumble, G. (1992). Strategic Planning (Chapter 3). In G. Rumble (Ed.), The management of distance learning systems (pp. 43-47). Paris: UNESCO / International Institute for Educational Planning.

    Sewart, D. (1993). Student support systems in distance education. Open Learning, 8(3), 3-12.

    Sweet, R. (1993). Student support services: Direction for change (Part I). In R. Sweet (Ed.), Perspectives on distance education series: Student support services: Towards more responsive systems, Report on a Symposium on Student Support Services in Distance Education (pp. 1-40). Delhi, Vancouver, Canada: Commonwealth of Learning.

    Topic 2.  Staff and Staff Development

 Objectives:

1. Identify the major issues and challenges specific to the management of staff in the context of student support in distance education
2. Describe the contributions which professional or staff development can make to the goals of learner support within the ODL context

1. Staffing
   roles and qualifications
2. Performance evaluation/professional development
   needs assessment and goal setting
   staff development

    Forster, A., & Hewson, L. (1998). Universities learning: The lure of the net. In C. Latchem & F. Lockwood (Eds.), Staff development in open and flexible learning (pp. 221-231). London, UK: Routledge.

    Gunawardena, C., & Zittle, R. (1998). Faculty development progammes in distance education in American higher education. In C. Latchem & F. Lockwood (Eds.), Staff development in open and flexible learning (pp. 105 – 114). London, UK: Routledge.

    Lewis, R. (1998). Staff development in conventional institutions moving towards open learning. In C. Latchem & F. Lockwood (Eds.), Staff development in open and flexible learning (pp. 23-32). London, UK: Routledge.

    Sewart, D. (1998). Tuition and counselling: Supporting teachers for competitive advantage. In C. Latchem & F. Lockwood (Eds.), Staff development in open and flexible learning (pp. 148-156). London, UK: Routledge.

    Zvacek, S. M. (2001). Confessions of a guerilla technologist. Educase Quarterly (2). Retrieved August 2, 2001, from the World Wide Web: http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eqm0129.pdf

    Topic 3.  Quality Assurance, Evaluation and Research

Objectives:

1. Explain the rationale for the use of quality assurance, evaluation, and applied research for student support services in distance education
2. Identify the major barriers to quality assurance, evaluation, and research in student support in distance education
3. Describe the major approaches to quality assurance and evaluation in student support services

1. Quality assurance and setting service standards
2. Evaluating services: approaches to data collection
3. Using applied research and developing an iterative approach

    Brindley, J. E. (1995). Measuring quality in learner services; Building towards the future. In D. Sewart (Ed.), 17th World Conference for Distance Education: One World Many Voices: Quality in Open and Distance Learning (Vol. 2, pp. 49-52). Milton Keynes, UK: International Council for Distance Education and The Open University.

    Calder, J. (1994). Student recruitment and support services (Chapter 6). In J. Calder (Ed.), Programme evaluation and quality: A comprehensive guide to setting up an evaluation system (pp. 101-108). London, UK: Kogan Page.

    Paul, R. H. (1990). Managing for success: Learner interaction and independence (Chapter 6). In R. H. Paul (Ed.), Open learning and open management: Leadership and integrity in distance education (pp. 76-98). London, UK: Kogan Page.

    Thorpe, M. (1996). Issues of evaluation. In R. Mills & A. Tait (Eds.), Supporting the learner in open and distance learning (pp. 222-234). London, UK: Pitman Publishing.

 Unit 2 Assignment:

At the end of Unit 2 students must submit a paper (6-8 pages, maximum 2000 words) on a special topic in student support including but not limited to any of the topics covered in the course.  The paper should take a position on a particular issue or critique a position taken by an author or authors from the readings, and support the argument with references from the relevant literature.  Sample topics will be provided.  The grade for this paper will contribute 30% to the final grade.
 
 

Unit 3: Developing a Model of Student Support (Week 11-15)

 Unit 3.   Case Studies

 Objectives:

1. Author a case study including the information relevant to designing a student support system
2. Design a student support system appropriate to a particular case study, addressing the needs, challenges, and opportunities, and working within resource and budget limitations
3. Critically analyze the strengths and weakness of student support systems which have been designed to address a particular context

1. Review of contextual factors
   institutional mandate and culture/goals of support system
   learner characteristics/geography
   resources and infrastructure/skills and technology availability
   applied research/existing data
2. Sample case studies
3. Case Studies - using contextual factors to plan and develop models of student support
   student presentations and critiques

Required Readings  

    Brindley, J. E. (1995). Learners and learner services: The key to the future in distance education. In J. M. Roberts & E. M. Keough (Eds.), Why the information highway: Lessons from open and distance learning (pp. 102-125). Toronto: Trifolium Books Inc.

    Ryan, Y. (2001). The provision of learner support services online. In G. Farrell (Ed.), The changing faces of virtual education (pp. 71-94). Vancouver: Commonwealth of Learning.

    Tait, A. (2000). Planning student support for open and distance learning. Open Learning, 15(3), 287-299.  

Reference Case Studies

    Brigham, D. (2001). Converting student support services to online delivery. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 1(2), 1-16.

    Nonyongo, E. P., & Ngengebule, A. T. (1998). Selected case studies:
University of Botswana (pp.33-51);
Lesotho Distance Teaching Centre (pp. 67-83);
South Africa Committee for Higher Education (SACHED) Trust (pp. 116-129); and
University of South Africa (UNISA) (pp. 154-176),
Learner support services: Case studies of DEASA member institutions. Pretoria, SA: University of South Africa.

    Sweet, R. (1993). Student support services: Case studies (Part II): Indira Gandhi National Open University (pp. 45-51); Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University (pp. 53-58); Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (pp. 63-74); and Sukkothai Thammathirat Open University (pp. 91-96). In R. Sweet (Ed.), Perspectives on distance education series: Student support services: Towards more responsive systems, Report on a Symposium on Student Support Services in Distance Education. Delhi, Vancouver, Canada: Commonwealth of Learning.

Unit 3 Assignment:

Unit 3 will be spent working on case studies. For this purpose, students will work in small study groups during the first two and a half weeks. Each group will prepare and post a case study of a distance education situation based on real/work situations and/or readings (2-5 pages; max. 1200 words). It will include details about the educational provider, students, subject matter, and context. No grade will be assigned for the case studies but a good case study is important to the assignment. The Unit 3 assignment is for each student to provide a response to the case study which his/her group prepares. The response will describe an appropriate student support system for the educational context presented, including a rationale for the choices made (6-8 pages; max. 2000 words). The grade for the response to the case study will contribute 30% to the final grade for the course.