Follow Up Friday: Linking Student Resources, Course Objectives Presentation, Upcoming Live Training and Topics

February 18, 2022

Online Teaching Highlight: Link Student Resources in Your Course

The Problem:

Student success in your online (or on-ground) course depends on just more than mastering the skills or material listed in your learning objectives.
Faculty might feel the burden of needing to attend to student issues that extend beyond their expertise. For example, studying assistance, accessibility support, mental and emotional health, and general technical assistance.
But how can you, as faculty, be prepared to adequately support learners in these areas?

The Recommended Practice:

Clemson Online recommends making the various support services of Clemson University plainly available in your course (either in your syllabus or on a Page in Canvas)!
Group the various support services in your syllabus, list those services, add a brief description and provide an active link to the service homepage.

The Benefits & Evidence:

It has been documented over the years that student perception of what makes for quality online education, and thus aids in retention, includes access to university support services, (Lee & Choi, 2011).

Recent research has only validated these findings. Tan, et al. (2021) suggest that students who have access to various student support services can engage with the material thus helping themselves learn and not just simply judge course design and delivery. The researchers note that this evidence is grounded in conventional learning theory as well, specifically the constructivist theory of learning.
Broadly, this theory proposes that learning is not simply about acquiring knowledge but rather learning is the active building of knowledge through engagement with the material.
So, students who are able to properly use technology tools, academic skills, and generally get help when they need it, are positioned to create a better understanding of the material.

The Execution:

Note: This example is not meant to be exhaustive but rather a template. Service descriptions are only shown for the first example, but they should be repeated for all services/support listed. We recommend adding any services you think students could benefit from having quick access to (e.g. Registrar, Financial Aid Office, Student Veteran Services, etc.).
- Academic Support Services
  - Academic Success Center
    - A brief explanation of what they do to help students and/or a list of their services.
    - Phone number
    - Link to their website
  - Student Accessibility Services
- Technical Support Services
  - CCIT
  - Any particular third-party or technology extension software you use in your course. For example, Flipgrid, Perusall, etc.
- Student Support Services

Lee, Y., & Choi, J. (2011). A review of online course dropout research: implications for practice and future research. Educational Technology Research & Development, 59(5), 593–618. https://doi-org.libproxy.clemson.edu/10.1007/s11423-010-9177-y

Tan, K. H., Chan, P. P., & Nur-Ehsan, M. S. (2021). Higher education students’ online instruction perceptions: A quality virtual learning environment. Sustainability, 13(19), 10840. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su131910840

Upcoming Live Training and Topics

Live Training & Workshop
- The Learning Technology Team, here at Clemson Online, is launching a Quick Hits Series focusing on creating and using group projects in Canvas!
- The first Quick Hits in this series of four sessions will demonstrate how to edit your Canvas course grade book and assignments specifically for group projects.
- Register here for this Quick Hit session that will run on Thursday, February 24th from 3:30 – 4 PM
Next week, our Monday blog post and Social Media will be focusing on the topic of Providing Engagement Opportunities for Learners. Tune in to catch some best practices and practical tips on how to provide opportunities for student engagement.