Administrative support in ODL - Cont'
Technical/ infrastructural support-Navigation of technology/orientation/ production of learning resources
ODL relies on technology; however, online education is mainly dependent on technology, both computer software and hardware. It is imperative on the administration to provide server services, databases and networking systems that can sustain the eLearning program. Some of the core technology include a Learning Management System, a video streaming/ video conferencing system for synchronous learning, online collaborative tools, and an institutional mail system. The administration must provide for support and maintenance of these technologies for effective and efficient delivery of eLearning.
Orientation: The ODL student should be provided with an orientation of the college, department, program, and online learning environment. The administration should decide the method which is used to do this- it can take place face to face, streamed live synchronously, or as part of a course embedded in the learning management system. Regardless of the method used, this is important:
a) There should be a friendly welcome message that sets the tone for the
learning experience that awaits the learner.
b) There should be an introduction to the people the student will interact
with including library staff, program directors, faculty, LMs support staff,
etc.; an introduction by the student.
c) An overview of the program. The number of courses/modules, credit hours,
how they are sequenced etc.
d) A demo of a course delivered online to give them an experience of the course; alternatively, if the orientation course in the LMS could be designed to mirror the actual online course design.
Health and well-being
support
Individual health and well-being are intricately tied to the health of communities and interactions with others (Turkle, 2017). During the Covid-19 pandemic and after, many institutions moved to teach online and have since kept to it. This has implications in that more than ever in history learners and the school community, in general, have to connect online. Many services offered by learning institutions had to transition online, including academic advising and counseling.
The efforts to stay connected online have placed people, particularly young ones at risk of developing poor self-regulation and antisocial behaviors. These include problematic or addictive smartphone use (Elhai et al., 2021), excessive online gaming (King et al., 2020; Ko & Yen, 2020; Zhu et al., 2021), consumption of pornography (Sallie et al., 2021), and excessive social media and social networking use (Chen et al., 2021).
Efforts to stay connected with others through the above internet-related
activities are often also associated with negative patterns including lower
levels of sleep, decreased physical activity, increased weight, poor social
life, and poor mental health (Fazeli et al., 2020).
Research also demonstrates that excessive gaming, social media, and smartphone use during periods of remote learning remain significant predictors of poor mental health (Chen et al., 2021). Antisocial behaviors amongst young people highlighted in recent research range from online bullying (Vaillancourt et al., 2021), to xenophobia, racism, and hate speech (Chan & Montt Strabucchi, 2021; Ong, 2020).
It is therefore important that institutions of learning look into the well-being of learners who face these challenges.
Advising/counseling
Virtual/ online advising: Mendez and Arguello (2001) defines virtual advising as a process in which an academic advisor will assist, support, coach, mentor, and empower a student with the use of technology tools. Online advisors provide a bridge between the distance student and processes created for on-campus students that may be challenging to the distance learner.
Ohrablo (2016) underscores the importance of student counseling by observing that online advisors are typically students’ main contact with the institution that offers support throughout the whole learning experience. It is the responsibility of the administration to ensure that there is a person who understands the unique needs and perspectives of the distant learner, one skilled to use technology such as videoconferencing to respond quickly to students’ needs. They should send encouraging messages and reminders of the distant learners’ next academic journey among others.
Read Méndez, María G. and Arguello, Georgina (2020) "Best Practices of Virtual Advising: The Application of an Online Advising Portal," FDLA Journal: Vol. 5 , Article 6.
Available at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/fdla-journal/vol5/iss1/6.
From this article, you will learn about virtual advising best practices, and technology tools used in the process as summarized in Figure 6.
Virtual Advising Best Practices
- Well-timed and accessible support
- Respond to advisees with empathy, flexibility, and innovation
- Proactive and frequent contact between the advisor and advisee
- Encouragement of goal setting
- Provide individual and group assistance
- Offer positive encouragement and reinforcement
- Guide students to additional services provided by the university
- Interact personally via several collaborative methods and technology tools
School community experience: The experiences of a learning environment contribute to the distinct character and culture of an institution, and enhances a learner’s sense of belonging. Some Face to face courses on campuses offers study groups, symposiums, workshops etc. As part of the learning experience, how can similar activities be offered to learners in an online and distant environment? How will ODL gain access to institutional information such as news bulletins, social media, activities which are streamed live? Who will be in charge of connecting the distant learner to these activities? (Calvert, 2001) advice that the administration should be intentional in setting up a learning community between the online learners and the face-to-face learners where such a scenario applies.