Home > Company > News > eNewsletter > Educator's Voice

Educator's Voice

Volume 6, Issue 7
July 13, 2005

Mentoring at a Distance: Partnering with Technology

Online Higher Education

A growing reform movement in non-traditional, corporate and higher education institutions has shifted from an instructor-centered to a student-centered approach. This embodies a total learning experience for adult learners. Current best research on the subject of adult learners provides a strong foundation for developing applicable approaches toward meeting their needs. Those needs are academically, professionally, socially and not spoken of often enough personally. We know and accept a few of the major basic characteristics of adult learners that include the following attributes:

• Have a strong knowledgeable background
• Have multi-task busy lives (work, family, volunteering, church, etc)
• Have preconceived ideologies about education in general
• Expect clear, concise and relevant delivery of information

Arthur Chickering, the higher education scholar who has focused his distinguished career on advocating institutional changes that cultivate student development, offered, with others, a culminate definition of the adult learner. The "adult learner is an individual whose major role in life is something other than a full-time student." This understanding literally sets the stage and brings home the root of identifying applicable approaches to serve this target population.

Mentoring at a Distance 101

The bottom-line quest for mentoring at a distance is to acquaint an individual to the realm of non-traditional education, and perhaps more importantly, retain him/her in the education program. This task is a big feat for the mentor, as the odds are stacked against an adult learner completing an online program, according to research related to retention on this subject--or the lack thereof.

Currently, the attrition rate of the online learner is greater than that of the attrition rate for the traditional student. Contributing factors for this reason include the following:

• Tuition
• Motivators
• Feedback
• Instructor contact
• Student support and services
• Alienation and isolation
• Learning style and experience

We have learned, through the best current research, the principles, motivating strategies, characteristics, best teaching/facilitating, delivery and curriculum content style for adult learners. Why does it appear that the components of the technology administered in distant learning programs often are either out-dated or not considered in the designing process? The technology revolutionized and popularized distance learning in the first place. So, how did the e-learning system become a plaguing expenditure that is often a costly omen with no end insight for a measurable return? Perhaps instead of a "distant approach," technology needs to be recognized for its rightful place as a partner.

Technology Band Wagon

The realm of online learning in 2005, according to Eduventures, Inc and Think Equity Partners, economic growth consulting firms, is an 11 billion dollar marketplace. Similar to the great gold mine rush, developing and offering courses and distant learning programs is a very attractive and lucrative business venture. This may come as no surprise, as we live in an advanced technological society. Even Donald Trump, Mr. Calculated Risk Taker, entrepreneur extraordinaire himself, has even jumped on the online learning bandwagon. Trump University was established to offer quality online business courses --and the bottom-line, to make money.

Okay back to a more scholarly focus. The consensus shows in the academic community that the technology utilized in the form of computer, video, audiographic, telephone and voice, hands down, provides the busy working adult learner a rewarding opportunity to continue and complete his/her educational goals. Mezirow's Adult Learner Transformative Learning Theory lends credence a propriately for this discussion. The general view behind this theory is that the adult learner will transform through his/her education experience over time. This equates to the process of a true outcome for a return on investment (ROI).

Pragmatically Speaking

A ground-breaking report, published in February 2005, from the Alliance for Higher Education Competitiveness (A-HEC), Internet-Supported Learning Study entitled: "Achieving Success in Internet-Supported Learning in Higher Education: Case Study Illuminate Success, Factors, Challenging, and Future Directions," has given valuable insight for a clearer direction for mentoring and overall addressing the needs of adult learners in distance learning through technology.

Perhaps one of the most compelling findings of the report, found in Section IX: "Measure of Success and Expectations," is that a small percentage of institutions implemented an ROI strategy to rate their perceived success using online learning. The majority rated the same success using student input. The ROI and student input can be merged innovatively and sophistically through technology. A measurable outcome with student value is in sight!

Jim Novo, an interactive customer retention, defection, and loyalty expert with nearly 20 years of experience generating exceptional returns on customer marketing program investments, describes return on investment or (ROI) as,

A concept from the financial world which is frequently applied to database or customer marketing. What people seem to forget is ROI implies the concept of time, because 'Return" happens over time. So an ROI calculation really asks, what was my return over time?' And without looking at time, you can't calculate the "real ROI" of a campaign.

Conclusion

In a relatively summarized viewpoint, I discussed the issue of retaining adult learners in distance leaning through technology. eCollege is a fine example making strides in this direction and has catapulted its e-learning system(s) along with unique course management solution tools as a forerunner to be recognized. Distance learning is not a "one size fit all" phenomena. A level playing field needs to be called between the institution of education and technology. A collaborative partnership with respect to the integrity of academia, coupled with the innovativeness of technology, is a great start.

       –Leslie Williams, MPA

eCollege would like to thank Ms. Williams for her contribution this month.
Leslie Williams serves in the professional capacity as an Adjunct Faculty and Academic Mentor with the State University New York -- Empire State College: Center for Distance Learning. Ms. Williams is a PhD candidate in Adult Education--Administration and Social Policy at Walden University. Ms. Williams holds a B.A. in Education with a minor in counseling and M.P.A- Public Administration.

References:

Alliance for Higher Education Competitiveness (AHEC). (2005). Achieving Success in Internet-Supported Learning in Higher Education: Case Studies Illuminate Success Factors, Challenges, and Future Directions. URL: http://www.A-hec.org Cave, LaMaster, White. (1998).Collaborators: LInC Leaders
URL: http://www-ed.fnal.gov/lincon/staff_adult.shtml

Mezirow, J. (1991). Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc.

Novo, J. (2004). Drilling Down - Turning Customer Data into Profits with a Spreadsheet Customer Valuation, Retention, Loyalty, Defection. St. Petersburg, FL. Booklocker.com.
URL: http://www.jimnovo.com/newsletters.html

ThinkEquity Partners, Eduventures. (2002) The Evolving Higher Education Marketplace.
URL: http://www.usdla.org/ppt/THINKEQUITY.ppt

TIP

Why Are My Students Not Seeing Their Grades?

1. In exams, the most common reason students can't see their grade is due to a Gradebook Review Date set in the future.
   
   
2. You may have unchecked the "Show Grade to Student" box. (Located in the Gradebook for exams, threaded discussions postings and Dropbox submissions)
   
   
3. Specifically in an auto-graded exam, there could be a setting in the Toolbox which is unchecked. This setting is the "Automatically display objective score of a finished exam to students in the Gradebook" check box. When this box is unchecked, the instructor must manually enter the exam results in the Gradebook.
   
   
4. Specifically in a Dropbox item, you may not have checked the "Return" box in the Dropbox Inbox area.
   
   
5. You may have entered your numeric grade in the letter grade box in the grading interface.

       –Vicki Galloway Harsh, M.A.