Retention is not a new concept but in the online arena it has been getting a lot more attention over the past two years.  As many schools continue to grow their online course offerings, student readiness for alternative learning environments remains an issue of concern. Many schools are working hard to help students get in the right course and providing them with the necessary tools to keep them enrolled successfully.  Schools taking this proactive approach are noticing a return on their investment.  

Schools are using various strategies to provide students with the help they need.  Most have an orientation course that includes various tutorials and instructions of how to contact instructors.  Some institutions are using a personal touch assigning a mentor or liaison to assist students in communicating their needs.  Adding a readiness assessment to measure a student's strengths and weaknesses such as SmarterMeasure is serving not only as a remedial tool, but also gives administrators insight about their students. 

Companies like Innovative Educators are noticing a spike in interest of their webinars, many of which focus on student retention.  One of their newest resources is called StudentLingo. It is a suite of tutorials and services that offer students remedial help.  For a free trial of the StudentLingo suite click here.

Online Student Retention

Back by popular demand...we'll be doing a repeat performance of our recent UNT faculty training webinar.

Effective Teaching - How to Know it When You See It
Three Components of Effective Teaching Presented by the University of North Texas

Are you looking for keys to improving your teaching effectiveness? Would you like to understand the main factors in how your students view your effectiveness as an instructor? Join Nancy Fire, Ed.D. and Mike Simmons, Ph.D. from University of North Texas and learn 12 proven items that mark an effective teacher. With Nancy's 25 years of teaching and training and development experience and Mike's 16 years of teaching, extensive knowledge of course design, learning enhancement and assessment, this webinar will be complete with strong take-aways and examples to begin implementing in your classroom right away. The webinar is provided at no charge.  The webinar is on Friday, October 14, 2011, 1:00-2:30 pm CDT.

Register today, seating is limited!

Faculty Training Webinar

Noel-Levitz and SmarterServices are excited to announce their latest collaboration on a 2011 White Paper - Online Student Readiness as a Predictor of Online Student Satisfaction. 

In an effort to determine whether online student readiness, as measured by the
SmarterMeasure™ Learning Readiness Indicator, is predictive of satisfaction as measured by the Noel-Levitz Priorities Survey for Online Learners™, research was conducted comparing
the readiness measures with satisfaction measures of 1,560 students at five institutions. Suggestions for good practice are included, so that online learning leaders can assist students in becoming satisfied with their online learning experience. This study was a collaborative effort between SmarterServices and Noel-Levitz.

Significant findings show there is a strong relationship between online student readiness and satisfaction/retention.  Two components measured in SmarterMeasure - Individual Attributes and Life Factors proved to be predictors of whether a student was satisfied with his/her classes and whether they would enroll again.  The full report can be found here.

Online Student Readiness as a Predictor of Online Student Satisfaction

Effective Teaching - How to Know it When You See It
Three Components of Effective Teaching Presented by the University of North Texas

Are you looking for keys to improving your teaching effectiveness? Would you like to understand the main factors in how your students view your effectiveness as an instructor? Join Nancy Fire, Ed.D. and Mike Simmons, Ph.D. from University of North Texas and learn 12 proven items that mark an effective teacher. With Nancy's 25 years of teaching and training and development experience and Mike's 16 years of teaching, extensive knowledge of course design, learning enhancement and assessment, this webinar will be complete with strong take-aways and examples to begin implementing in your classroom right away. The webinar is provided at no charge. For all those who wish to receive a continuing credit certificate from the University of North Texas will need to pay a $20 fee. The webinar is on Friday, September 9, 2011, 1:00-2:00 pm CDT.

Register today, seating is limited!

Faculty Training Webinar - University of North Texas

FREE Faculty Training Webinar - University of North Texas