Supporting Online Students

Computer Literacy

Students can find useful information on the student resources page to get support for online classes. 

Problems and Solutions

Before Class Begins:

• Keep your course simple, use simple terms, don't overdo tech complexity
• Before your course, either in email or on your college web page, have future students take an "Are you ready for online?" quiz (see sidebar in

   

  Misconceptions), or include some tech questions in your orientation quiz or on-campus presentation
• Put detailed requirements in your syllabus: skills needed, minimal hardware/software needed (microphone, use of blogs, SPSS)
• State your policy regarding tech problems - that these are students' responsibility - include that the district server is almost never the cause - that tech problems cannot be used as an excuse for a missed deadline
• Put FAQs in your course on common tech issues and solutions
• Post or include the "Get Started with Canvas" flier in your syllabus or web page
• Create a Discussion called "Tech Problems" or "Questions and Answers" for student-to-student help
• Suggest that very unprepared students get a mentor, tech friend, training, computer books
• Make sure to put a page with common browser plug-in links within your course

During Class:

• Use the first week of class to get students familiar with Canvas by giving a variety of simple assignments (taking a short quiz, submitting a brief paper, posting to discussions) - most technical problems occur at the start of the course, so set aside time to deal with student issues
• Tell students to save files in common formats (pdf, docx) - explain the "Save as" dialog box in most programs
• For students who do not have a word processor, suggest

   

  OpenOffice

   

  or tell them to use those supplied with their OS: Windows includes Wordpad and Notepad, Mac includes TextEdit. Google Docs can save as Word files too.
• Refer students to the Cuyamaca Help Desk:
  • Phone: (619) 660-4395,
  • email:

     

    c-helpdesk@gcccd.edu
  • Web site:

     

    HelpDesk
• Sometimes you need to interpret what students are asking or what their problem actually is, so have them give you a step-by-step clarification (this sometimes requires considerable patience)
• Allow students who are having tech problems with quizzes to take a makeup test or even take the exam on-campus (with your F2F class, in your office, by proctor). And advise students of the following reasons for test crashes: 1) clicking the wrong buttons or keys - e.g., a "back button" when that is prohibited, 2) clicking too fast and not waiting for the screen to refresh (they need to click and wait), 3) having many programs active simultaneously on their computer and switching between them, and 4) bad or lost ISP connection
• Allow extra-credit work to makeup for missed assignments due to tech problems (state this policy in your syllabus)
• If their computer goes down, tell them to use another computer (a family member, friend, the tech lab at Cuyamaca, the community library, at work) - this is also a good way to troubleshoot the original computer
• Remind them to backup work frequently
• Always have them check for popup blockers (sometimes in multiple installed programs) and antivirus software conflicts
• Advise them to try a different browser (Firefox and Chrome are best)
• Tell them to wait a while and try again (surprisingly this many times works)
• Ask if they tried rebooting

Retention

Here are some strategies to help online students succeed and reduce dropout rates.

• The two biggest factors affecting dropout are student misconceptions and time management issues, so make sure to address these in your orientation or assign

   

  Quest for Online Success orientation.  Contact the Distance Education Coordinator to set it up. 
• If you suspect many of the students in your class are not prepared, take a survey and give suggestions for "catch up" (pre-screen students if possible)
• Studies show more (or longer) orientations increase retention - consider a 1-week orientation period
• Make emails and feedback personal (studies show personal interaction is very important for student satisfaction) - be friendly, patient, encouraging, use humor
• Check student progress and interaction weekly and then take action:
  • Use Canvas "Message Students Who" in Gradebook
  • If student is falling behind, send email (or call) asking "What is happening?  How can I help?"
  • The key is friendly, personal, and persistent encouragement
• Provide a link to Cuyamaca's online

   

  Ask A Counselor
• Frequent initial contact with the instructor can reduce drop out rate
• Give early and frequent feedback to badly performing students stressing "areas for improvement," rather than what they did wrong
• Have students notify you if they will not be logging into class for over a week
• Make exceptions and show compassion and empathy for those students who truly have difficult circumstances or challenges (such as medical emergencies)
• Although you should drop students who have not logged into your course for a while (or very sporadically), but be sure to email them first and ask for reasons for the inactivity
• Call absent students by phone (this surprising, extra-personal contact can sometimes change minds and motivate)
• Use frequent "practice quizzes" with zero point value
• Studies show retention is better for those with a higher education level and greater expectations for getting a degree, so draw on those students to help other students within the class
• For students having a difficult time with your online class, allow them to attend some lectures in your face-to-face class (if you teach both formats)

Misconceptions

Students who have never taken online classes (and even some who have) sometimes have expectations that make adjusting to online difficult. It is best to address these at the start of the course before bad habits set in (or before they sign up for a course that is too different from that which they expected or needed). College counselors should be familiar with many online courses to properly advise and place students.

• Student Code of Conduct

Help

 Here are links, contacts, and references that you can use for all your online teaching. This page can serve as a handy reference to links that you may have misplaced.