Online Academic Advising: A Survey of Distance Education Students

Online Academic Advising: A Survey of Distance Education Students

Daniel Walker

Technology Support Analyst II

Sam Houston State University

Introduction[CS1]

There are many tools and avenues available for academic advisors to communicate with and provide academic services in an online setting, yet institutions have not yet fully embraced the use of technology for online academic advising. Traditional academic advising has been historically a one on one process that takes place in person between an advisor and a student. The National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) provides a statement of core values to affirm the importance of advising and to acknowledge the impact that advising services can have on individuals, institutions, and society (NACADA, 2003). While these values and practices have evolved over the years, academic advising has remained a prevalent concern since the foundation of institutions of higher education in America (Gillispie, 2003).

Regardless of who is performing the academic advising services at an institution, providing online academic services will greatly benefit the institutions’ students. Academic advising services and programs will vary from institution to institution but in most cases services will not come from only one type of advisor, instead services will stem from multiple sources. Academic advising services have traditionally come from full time academic advising professionals, however, the use of faculty advisors, graduation advisors, departmental advisors, graduate advisors, lecturer advisors, and even Deans have been utilized for academic advising and could all benefit from providing their advising services online (Burton, 1998).

Academic advising has many theories and paradigms that have been developed over the years and[CS2] yet there has been no exclusively online academic advising theory developed (Rensselaer, 2011). At this time, many of the academic advising theories can be applied both in an online and face to face sessions (Rensselaer, 2011). While online communication can have notable differences when compared to face to face communication, the proper use of technological resources allows us to significantly diminish its negative effects and stereotypes.

Students today in higher education utilize more technology than any other group of students ever before because the amount of technologies available to students surpasses is greater today than any time in our history (Crane, 2007). While some students, advisors, or administrative staff may express concern over utilizing technology for academic advising. Using technology to verify identity is actually safer than face to face requirements because many institutions do not require ID when seeking academic advising services. Instead, the academic advising centers simply require the student provide their student identification number. In an online environment, academic advisors may require the student to show a valid driver’s license, student id, or if a learning management system is used the student would be required to log in using their school account credentials before connecting to the academic advising session.

A disagreement that many will make for utilizing technology further in higher education will refer to the gap between those who have access to technology and those who do not, also known as the digital divide (Prensky 2001[CS3] ). This divide can be described as the growing difference in the familiarity, skills, and access to technology between people (Prensky, 2001). Those who have grown up with technology, digital natives, are accustomed to receiving information at high speeds and crave frequent interactivity and access to information. While digital immigrants’ process information step by step and are more accustomed to lecture style learning (Prensky, 2001).

Student enrollments have been increasing in most higher education institutions around the country (U.S. Census, 2012). However, the most dramatic increase of enrollments can be found when we look at both the number of students taking distance education courses and when we look at the number of distance education courses being offered (U.S. Census, 2012). This may force some institutions of higher education to evolve and force administrators to face increasingly more difficult choices. We have a responsibility to distance education students just as we do to traditional face to face students. We have the technology and resources to give all students a first-rate college experience and a quality online academic advising experience.

Among these changes that need to occur, are changes to our academic advising policies, procedures and mindset towards distance education students. How can the institution get the best tools and processes in place to actively engage and enhance academic advising services for distance education students? Before we are able to get the best tools and processes in place, we must first understand just what the student needs are, what constraints we face from administrators and which tools are preferred by the advisors[CS4] .

'''Statement of the Problem'''

This study acknowledges some continuing struggles within departments of higher education institutions who are already stretched financially and are now being pressured to provide for additional resources for online students. I will attempt to address some administrative practices that may ease this burden. Having the available technology resources to adequately address the needs of online students may seem like a daunting task and there are many departments that do not even have video software or capabilities for video communication in their offices. But even in these situations, there are resources available in almost all cases that can serve to better communicate with online students and provide them with quality academic advising services[CS5] .

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this study is to investigate student interests and preferences for the purpose of providing online academic advising services. In addition, as the researcher I would like to determine if traditional face to face students would be interested in online advising sessions. Furthremore and if interested, which software tools/applications would be preferred by students for the process of providing quality academic advising services? Finally I want to identify what barriers will institutions face when implementing these services to not only students taking distance education courses exclusively, but rather to have them as an option for all students to utilize?

'''Review of the literature'''[CS6] [CS7]

Institutions of higher education are faced with many difficult problems and many of these problems directly affect an institutions ability to provide academic advising services. The landscape of higher education is changing. In addition, the cost of education is increasing while state and federal funding and is decreasing (U.S. Department of Education, 2010). Yet, academic services remain an essential part of student success and so academic advisors may have to adapt to a decrease in both resources and personal. Through the continued use and proper utilization of assessment practices in higher education, we can see a direct link between successful academic advising programs and student retention, satisfaction and student learning (Leonard, 2004[CS8] ).

Academic advising and academic support services are an essential component for creating a successful academic experience for students (Steele, 2000). Due to the essential nature of academic advising and their interconnectivity with the students and the university it gives academic advisors exposure to a wide variety of different facets of university life. These experiences lead academic advisors to have a unique perspective on technology usage for students and academic support services (Steele, 2000).

Technology based academic advising systems have come a way in recent years from being primary used as a repository for student data to now incorporating many sources of information and can continually provide vital statistics and assessment resources (Murray, 1995). Many of the current technologies are leaning towards more automated software programs for academic advising in an effort to make better informed decisions both for the academic advisor and the student (Murray 1995[CS9] ).

Providing academic advising and support services online, especially to distance education students, emphasizes the importance of providing online resources for the students to access on demand (Cite). Institutions that offer distance education courses should carefully consider the information students have available to them from the universities webpages. In terms of what this means for academic advisors, Steele and McDonald (2003), state that the academic advising information available on the institutions website plays a critical role in the academic advising process and institutions should utilize this resource to impact student success. These authors also urge academic advisors themselves to develop their own web page resources to help distribute information to their students.

Along with the evolution of technology, many other changes have taken place across institutions of higher education. One way that institutions respond to growth is the adaptation of their programs, degree plans, and services towards the needs of its students (White, 2005). The evolution and changing needs of the students is something that is essential to the continual growth and survival of the higher education experience (White, 2005). There is no generation of college graduates that are exactly the same. The evolution of students in higher education is not something to fear, but rather something to embrace.

Technology also allows academic advisors to reference additional articles or resources during the academic advising sessions. In traditional face to face advising sessions, advisors usually are speaking to the student and only occasionally reference something on their computer. During an online academic advising session the advisor is free to research and quickly link any related materials or resources that the advisor can find on the topics being discussed with the student. Also, through the usage of technology programs that allow for desktop sharing it allows the advisor to not only walk the student through a process while speaking to them over the phone, but it allows the advisor to literally show the student how to preform something on their very own computer at any point during their session together[CS10] .

Distance education students are playing a larger role in higher education; therefore, more resources and services should become available to them from the institution in an attempt to provide online students with the same quality education, resources, and experience that you would expect to receive if you attended the university in person. Many institutions continue to operate as normal without providing additional resources to online students (White, 2005). It has become a way for some institutions to balance their budgets by increasing their student enrollments without significantly increasing their expenditures[CS11] . More resources, time, and research need to be devoted to developing the same college experience for online students that traditional face to face students receive. Students today are more integrated with technology than ever before (Gillispie, 2003). It is clear that the role institutions play with students is also changing. Students expect technology to be utilized properly. In fact, distance education enrollments have continued to grow every year for the past 8 years (U.S. Census, 2012). There is an extremely large disconnect between the resources available to online students and those available to face to face students.

Something that allows online academic advising to be utilized more efficiently using technology today than ever before is with the utilization of online group academic advising sessions. Technology allows us to create connections to multiple students instantaneously and to conduct group advising sessions for the benefit of everyone. Academic advisors can spend less time repeating their initial conversations with students and more easily cover some of the more advanced topics. The benefits of groups have been researched extensively and can even be associated with higher levels of understanding (Winston, et al, 1988).

One thing that is apparent when communicating with someone using technology is that communication online can be very different than communicating face to face (Cite). The way that students express themselves in an online environment may be completely different than they express themselves in a face to face environment. While there are some drawbacks to communicating online, it does allow some of the more introverted students the opportunity to communicate more often and more openly. Also, online communication gives everyone the ability to react more appropriately and not rush communication if a situation takes you by surprise. Typically, the way we articulate ourselves and hold a conversation online with text is dramatically different than how we hold a conversation face to face with someone. With that being said, the way we write is also very different than the way we speak[CS12] .

'''Statement of the hypothesis'''

The number of available resources to academic advisors has increased dramatically as technology, acceptance, and accessibility continue to improve. However, there has not been a corresponding amount of research on using technology to provide online academic advising services for students. Due to rising distance education student enrollment numbers, more research in this area is warranted. Therefore, it is my prediction that the more resources utilized by academic advisors the greater the student experience will become while undergoing academic advising service[CS13] .

Research Questions[CS14]

1.     What types of technology, if any, will distance education students prefer to utilize for online academic advising services?

2.     Can online academic advising lead to the same quality of advisement services that a student can receive in face to face academic advising sessions?

3.     Would face to face students be interested in utilizing online academic advising?

4.     Do the students that are interested in online academic advising have greater comfort levels and proficiency with technology?

Method

Participants 

Participants in this study will be selected from distance education students enrolled at a large public university located within the southwestern United States. The population of students at this higher institute of learning is multicultural with the current student population identified as 61.9% Caucasian, 16.5% Hispanic, 18.6% African American, 2.1% Asian and .9% other. There were a total of 15,611 undergraduate students and 2850 graduate students taken from the fall semester of 2012.

Of the over 500 courses[CS15]  being offered at this university, 271 of these are listed as online or hybrid courses. These online or hybrid courses had approximately 8600 online enrollments. Online enrollments are not the same as full time enrolled distance education students. At this time, the university does not track students only enrolled into online courses. Because a large number of students are considered commuters and thus tend to take both online and face to face courses even if they live within driving distance. Measures to track online student data exclusively are scheduled to be added but do not have an exact date at this time to the university’s Banner system for future data collection.

While this survey will be available for all students enrolling for next semester’s courses, only the surveys that have selected that they have enrolled in previous distance education courses or that are scheduled to take a distance education course in the upcoming semester will be included in this study. Students who complete the questionnaire fully and meet the above credentials will be included in the results. The type of sampling scheme utilized[CS16]

Instruments

After surveying the literature for existing instruments it was concluded that there was no known instrument for measuring student preferences for technology regarding online academic advising. A questionnaire was created based upon these needs consisting of 15 questions utilizing close-ended a 5 point Likert-scale. There will also be questions about their technology usage, proficiency, and how many electronic devices the participant has access to. In order to assess the questionnaire’s validity the questions were given to three members who are current academic advisors and it was from their critiques that the final set of questions was assembled[CS17] .

Design

For the purpose of this study, I will be utilizing a cross-sectional survey to be distributed to any current student presently or previously enrolled into at least one distance education course from the targeted large public university located within the southwestern United States.

Collecting data to gain support for online academic advising services is necessary to further explain the growing phenomenon occurring in higher education today. There are plenty of articles highlighting the use of technology; however, what is lacking is student input about having technology available and which type of technology students prefer to utilize for online academic advising[CS18] . A cross-sectional survey will be used because information that is necessary for academic advisors and administrators should be taken from the current state of higher education, rather than years from now. Information about student preferences, beliefs, technology usage, and demographic composition would all be invaluable and could be gathered properly by administering a questionnaire. Because, I would like to infer information about the current student population at large in the United States from my data, this survey would also be categorized as a sample survey. A sample survey is appropriate because of the demographic arrangement of the targeted large public university located within the southwestern United States.

Current students, rather than alumni or previously enrolled students will be selected because current students are more likely to be familiar with the present-day policies, procedures, and course requirements of targeted large public university located within the southwestern United States. Also, current students would be more likely to have some familiarity with technology and a better understanding of how technology could be utilized in an academic advising environment. Of these current students, students who are taking at least one online class while still taking other face to face classes are ideal for the study because they are able to gauge more appropriately the needs of both online and face to face students. This unique perspective will be invaluable in the data collected for this study.

The distributed questionnaire will be used to determine the student’s classification level, technological expertise, technological usage, preferred method of online communication, level of preferred involvement by the academic advisor, usage of any automated advising software, preference for one on one vs. group advising sessions, preferred method of contact and academic advising history. This questionnaire will utilize a 5-point Likert scale with the ability to write additional comments. While the survey will feature a majority of questions utilizing ranked items, the ability to write additional comments and elaborate on a student’s particular experience, thoughts or knowledge will allow for better understanding and clarification of their responses. Open-ended questions will not be utilized extensively in an effort to increase survey response rates.

Procedure

An electronic survey will be available to students when academic advising services are open and will remain available until academic advising services close for the targeted semester.

Students that have indicated that they have enrolled in previous distance education courses or that are scheduled to take a distance education course in the upcoming semester will be considered for the study. Students are eligible to take this survey regardless if they have received or not received academic advising services for the upcoming semester. I believe that it is important but will not statistically alter this study if a student has or has not completed an academic advising session for the upcoming semester. Even though academic advising is conducted either over email or in person at this particular institution, the survey will be primary administered online via email but could be administered in person, via cell phone text messages or from a website online.

Academic advising begins typically a month before registration is opened up for students to enroll into their courses and lasts until the 12th class day of the semester. Registration procedures at this targeted large public university located within the southwestern United States where this study will be conducted allows late enrollment past the typical enrollment deadline if the student can acquire the appropriate permission. Permission from the Dean or Department Head of their declared major or the Dean of students would fulfill the necessary perquisites for enrollment past the advising deadline. The 12th class day rule changes slightly for the two shorter summer terms and the summer mini-mester when the 12th class day rule in effect becomes the 2nd class day for the mini-mester and the 4th class day for the summer semesters, respectively. At this large public university located within the southwestern United States, the advising process has the same start dates and deadlines for both face to face as well as online students. Also, since course registration is conducted exclusively online, there is no difference between the processes required to enroll in face to face courses or distance education courses. Graduate and undergraduate students are included in this survey because both types of students register for courses at the same time, receive academic advising services during the same time frame and have the same processes for late registration[CS19] .

Data Collection

            Even though academic advising is conducted either over email or in person at this particular institution, the survey will be primarily administered online via email but could be administered in person, via cell phone text messages or from visiting a specific webpage setup for this survey online. Collecting the participants survey information through these measures is will be the most efficient way to gather the participants needed because of the particular advising practices already established at the university surveyed. The population of students at this university, particularly at the undergraduate level, tends to take both online and face to face coursework regularly throughout their academic career. Utilizing only email based surveys will not be the most efficient way to gather data from the targeted student population. With the academic advising departments expressed written permission a researcher will be present at the academic advising office throughout the normal business hours during the peak times of academic advising. They researcher will have a laptop on them with the survey available for any willing and qualified participant to complete.

Data Management

The completed surveys of the participants will be located on a single database, password protected and encrypted where it is only accessible by the researcher. Data will be automatically entered into the central database from the completed surveys that are submitted electronically. Any surveys completed but not utilizing electronic means will be entered into the central database manually by the researcher and combined with the other surveys. The central database storing all of the completed surveys will utilize spreadsheets listing out each question and response in a corresponding column.

Data Analysis

The original survey will utilize a spreadsheet that will separate each participants answer to a corresponding column. Once all of the participant’s data is held in this spreadsheet a researcher will then utilize IBM’s Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) in an attempt to compile all of the completed survey information and to draw any statistical significance from the results. SPSS also has the ability to create professionally formatted graphs and charts that would serve as excellent visual aids for any conclusions we were able to determine[CS20] .

'''Trustworthiness/Ethical Consideration'''[CS21]

There are some in Higher Education that do not trust technology or embrace the inevitable changes that must occur as technology grows and evolves. For these individuals, trusting the reliability and efficiency of technology is a major concern. Because of the nature of this study, participants who meet the qualifications must then agree to and return the survey for their results to be considered. Participants have the option to not return the survey or to opt out of the study at any time. Because participants will receive a participant number upon successful completion of the survey and after it is discovered that they meet the requirements, it creates a sense of anonymity within the study. The greatest care will also be given to the confidentially of the students participating.

Limitations

Advisors will need more advanced training in utilizing technology for academic advising. Technology is becoming increasingly more powerful and easier for novice users to misuse if not properly trained. As applications and computer systems become more complex information security concerns will have to be addressed. The more that student privacy concerns and data storage issues will force universities to address these concerns the more technology is utilized. Legal issues with data storage, accessibility and retrieval will also have to be addressed and secured. The reliability and availability of technology creates a decreasing tolerance for technology errors. When technology becomes a central part of how you communicate and build your support services around, it can dramatically inhibit your ability to perform online academic advising services.

'''Significance of the Study'''[CS22]

Online academic advising will continue to grow in popularity and more and more institutions will begin to see the advantages of investing in online student support services. As more statistical data is examined I believe it will only help to create the paradigm shift that Higher Education needs in order to fully embrace online learning and academic support environments. This study has the potential to be among the first of many studies that can help to move academic advising online. While technology has inhibited this push for online academic advising in the past it will play a key role in its adoption in the future. Pushing online academic advising services does not pose a threat to the traditional face to face academic advising services. Instead, they can both complement each other and both avenues have their place in Higher Education. Technology being utilized properly can also lead to increased accountability for academic advisors and elevate the quality of academic support services being offered online.

Conclusion[CS23]

The future of academic advising for distance education services looks promising and will continue to play a growing role in most institutions. Technology can create meaningful relationships if utilized properly. Distance education students want information available, upfront and do not like to wait. While technology is a great tool to utilize it is not to be used as a crutch. Utilizing the proper technology for the correct situation is just as important. Academic advising programs need to become more distance education friendly. Technology is not something to fear, but rather a tool if utilized properly can benefit everyone. Communicate on the students level of comfort, not all students may want to use webcams or video software. At the end of the day academic advisors need to be flexible and to not only have one technology solution available, but rather to utilize many solutions that are appropriate. Academic advisors should seek to engage students where their students can be found because distance education students deserve the same attention and resources that face to face students receive.

 

Appendices[CS24]

Technology Proficiency and Usage

1)     Of these types of synchronous communication, use the likart-scale below each item to rate each type of communication by your level of proficiency. Telephone Communication

Instant Messenger

Video Chatting

Desktop Sharing

Video Conferencing

Interactive Television

2)     Of these types of asynchronous communication, use the likart-scale below each item to rate each type of communication by your level of proficiency.

Email

Discussion Boards

Video Email

3)     How many online courses have you completed in Higher Education?

1.     0-1

2.     2- 2-4

3.     3- 5-7

4.     4- 8-10

5.     5- 10+

4)     How many different of each type of the following electronic devices do you own or have access to in your home?

1.     Desktop Computers                            ___________________

2.     Laptops                                               ___________________

3.     Tablets/Netbooks/eReaders                ___________________

4.     Smart Phones                                      ___________________

Academic Advising Preferences

On this next section please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements.

5)                 Academic advising needs of online students are different than face to face students? 6) Face to face students should have the option to be advised online rather than just face to face?

7) Can online academic advising lead to the same quality of advisement services that you can receive face to face? 8) There should be academic advisors specifically for online students?

9) Should your institution provide more online resources for students? 10) After meeting with your advisor online, would you be interested in obtaining a copy of your conversation?

11) Student privacy is protected just as much in face to face advising sessions as it is in online advising sessions? 12) The resources on the academic advising webpage contains important information and updates for students?

13) Communication through technology is more convenient than meeting in the academic advising office? 14) If being advised online, how would you prefer to conduct your online academic advising sessions with your advisor? Telephone Communication

Instant Messenger

Video Chatting

Desktop Sharing

Video Conferencing

Interactive Television

Email

Discussion Boards

Video Email

15) If you are able to meet with your advisor online, would it change how often you meet with them? References[CS25]

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Burton, J., & Wellington, K. (1998) The O'Banion model of academic advising: An integrative approach. NACADA Journal, 18(2),13-20.

Carnevale, D. (2006, October 6). Email is for old people''. The Chronicle of Higher Education''. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/E-Mail-is-for-Old-People/4169

Crane, L. (2007, April). On campus and beyond: College Students Today. Trends and Tudes, 6(6), 1-4 Retrieved from http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/newsletters/k12news/HI_TrendsTudes_2007_v06_i06.pdf

Crookston, B. B. (1994). A developmental view of academic advising as teaching. NACADA Journal, 14(2), 5-9.

Esposito, A., Pasquini, L. A., Steele, G., & Stoller, E. (2011). A world of tomorrow: Technology in advising. In J. E. Joslin & N. L. Markee (Eds.), Academic advising administration: Essential knowledge and skills for the 21st century (Monograph No. 22) (pp. 261-274). Manhattan, KS: National Academic Advising Association.

Fielstein, L. L. (1989). Developmental versus prescriptive advising: Must it be one or the

other? NACADA Journal, 9(2), 76–79.

Gillispie, B. (2003). History of academic advising. Retrieved from http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Clearinghouse/View-Articles/History-of-(academic-advising.aspx

Habley, W. R., & Morales, R. H. (1988). Advising models: Goal achievement and program effectiveness. NACADA Journal,18(1), 35-41.

Laird, C. (2007). Managing the advising relationship: Three common sense tips for advising college students. The Mentor. Retrieved from http://dus.psu.edu/mentor/071003cl.htm

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Light, R. J. (2001, March 21). The power of good advice for students [Electronic version]. The Chronicle Review, B11, Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/weekly/v47/i25/25b01101.htm

Lipschultz, W.  P., & Leonard, M. J. (2007). Using technology to enhance the advising experience. In M. S. Hunter, B. McCalla-Wriggins, & E. R. White (Eds.), ''Academic advising: New insights for teaching and learning in the first year ''(pp. 71–86). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina.

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McCauley, M. E., (2000). Technological resources that support advising. In V.N. Gordon & W.R. Habley (Eds.), Academic advising: A comprehensive handbook (pp.238-248). San Fransicso,CA: Jossey-Bass.

Murray, S., & Le Blanc L. (1995). A decision support system for academic advising. Paper presented at the 1995 ACM symposium on Applied Computing, February 26-28, Nashville, TN, USA.

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[CS1]The second page should be an abstract.

[CS2]Just a personal preference.

[CS3]Good!

[CS4]Daniel, this is an excellent introduction. You really describe in detail the issue and relevant facts. One suggestion is proportionality. Each section should be in proportion to the entire paper. Therefore, I think that while your introduction is very well written and informative, it should be shortened simply based on the overall length of your paper. Of course, this will not reflect in any point deduction.

[CS5]Good job on this section.

[CS6]Really good length, well researched, and well written. One suggestion, though, more citations! This is the literature review, let’s see some more names after these well written thoughts.

[CS7]I am not sure about the location of the literature review, I have to give it some thought.

[CS8]Interesting.

[CS9]Paragraphs require at least three sentences.

[CS10]Good information, but no citations. Very important in a literature review.

[CS11]Be careful when writing about areas that you are personally familiar with that you still need relevant citations.

[CS12]Good information in this paragraph, but again, no citations.

[CS13]Nicely done.

[CS14]I really like these research questions.

[CS15]Let’s not make this too easy to identify the school.

[CS16]Excellent section.

[CS17]This is good.

[CS18]Great sentence.

[CS19]Very thorough.

[CS20]You have done your homework. Great!

[CS21]I simply moved this to avoid an orphan or widows peak.

[CS22]This belongs in the first section of your study

[CS23]This belongs in the completed study not the proposal.

[CS24]Great work on this survey.

[CS25]This section comes before appendices.