Online Learning Consortium Unveils Quality Scorecard for Online Student Support
NEWBURYPORT, Mass. (PRWEB) September 24, 2018 -- The Online Learning Consortium (OLC) today introduced the OLC Quality Scorecard for Online Student Support, a self-evaluation tool for institutions looking to deliver a high-quality online student experience by improving support for online learners institution-wide.
The latest addition to the OLC Quality Scorecard Suite is designed to assist in the identification of gaps in services and provides a pathway to improve support for online students. The scorecard facilitates an introspective look at 11 key areas of an institution:
- Admissions
- Financial aid
- Pre-enrollment advising
- Veterans services
- Career counseling
- Orientation
- Post-enrollment services
- Library
- Students with disabilities services
- Technology support
- Graduate student services (universities only)
“The most difficult part of providing excellent online student support institution-wide is achieving cooperation from the diverse service areas across the institution,” said Jennifer Mathes, Ph.D., Chief Strategy Officer, Online Learning Consortium. “Our new scorecard overcomes this challenge by acting as an internal conversation starter which helps an institution coalesce around a commitment to providing the same level of support to their online learner community as those who are on campus.”
The OLC Quality Scorecard for Online Student Support was developed from a joint initiative with the State University System of Florida (SUSF) and the Florida College System (FCS).
“Several big ideas drove the development process of the student support scorecard,” said Victoria Brown, Assistant Provost for eLearning, Florida Atlantic University. “Among these was the desire to provide a comprehensive review of the entire academic life-cycle of a student at the institution, starting from the first indication of interest in attending, all the way through graduation. Other considerations included expanding access to the services that on-campus students receive, providing an online academic experience, and increasing engagement between online students and the institution.”
“Improvements to support for online students can benefit all students,” said Josh Strigle, Director, E-Learning and Learning Support Centers, College of Central Florida. “That’s why the scorecard and associated materials have been designed to help improve the experience of every student.”
The OLC Quality Scorecard for Online Student Support is available for free and can be downloaded here. A companion handbook offers information on standards and best practices used by other institutions, and is available exclusively to OLC Institutional Members via login.
About Online Learning Consortium
The Online Learning Consortium (OLC) is a collaborative community of higher education leaders and innovators, dedicated to advancing quality digital teaching and learning experiences designed to reach and engage the modern learner – anyone, anywhere, anytime. OLC inspires innovation and quality through an extensive set of resources, including, best-practice publications, quality benchmarking, leading-edge instruction, community-driven conferences, practitioner-based and empirical research and expert guidance. The growing OLC community includes faculty members, administrators, trainers, instructional designers, and other learning professionals, as well as educational institutions, professional societies and corporate enterprises. Visit http://onlinelearningconsortium.org for more information.
Eileen Pacheco, Online Learning Consortium, https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/, +1 (508) 254-1440, [email protected]
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