Enhancing online learning: Promoting student engagement through partnership with local librariesDr Cathy Stone, Director, Student SuccessOpen Universities Australia

About Open Universities Australia • Offers open entry, online higher education

• Over 250,000 students across Australia since 1993

• Owned by 7 Australian universities (Curtin, Griffith, Macquarie, Monash, RMIT, Swinburne, UniSA)

• Offers over 1700 units and 180 qualifications from 13 leading Australian Universities

• Qualifications awarded by the university or tertiary institution

• Qualification is identical to that awarded to an on-campus student

Students by state

 

NSW

QLD

VIC SA

WA

ACTTASNT

VIC, NSW, QLD dominate, but all

states and territories represented

How and what do our students study?• FEE-Help

– Commonwealth scheme which allows deferred payment of fees.– Over 70% of OUA students use FEE-HELP

• Wide range of units and courses: • Arts & humanities• Business• Education• Health• Information Technology (IT)• Law & justice• Science & engineering

• Most common study pattern– Students enrol in individual undergraduate units and can track towards a

full qualification.

Open 2 Study• Open 2 Study – 49 four week courses offered online and free to all

• Non-accredited, for interest, ‘tasters’ for online study• Science, arts, business, finance• For anyone interested in learning for the sake of learning• Also for those wanting practice in online study• Certificates awarded to students who complete the course• Assessed by online quizzes

http://www.open2study.com/

Our studentsare a very diverse

bunch!

• Relatively few come straight from school to study with OUA• Mostly mature-age (>21), in paid employment and/or caring

for children• Around half of OUA students are first in family to come to

university

OUA students have multiple responsibilities, often with little prior educational experience, combined with lack of time, money or both….

OUA students “non-traditional”

Importance of support

Support is a condition that promotes student retention. Research points to several types of support that promote retention, in particular academic and social support.

(Tinto, 2009)

• Online Orientation• Academic support• Personal counselling• Career guidance• Student Success Hub – outreach and study coaching• Disability Support

Helping our students succeed – online support

Importance of student engagement

Student Engagement is closely linked with student satisfaction & success

(Australasian Survey of Student Engagement; ACER, 2008, 2009, 2010)

Student engagement in educationally purposeful activities is positively related to academic outcomes.

(Kuh et al., 2008)

Online Student Engagement Challenges

• How do we engage with students in a meaningful way when we never see them face-to-face?

• How do we help students engage with each other when they never come together as a group?

• How do we engage them with a learning community when they may be studying across two or more institutions?

‘OUA Connect’ Pilot - 2012

• Promoted 4 local libraries in NSW (Wyong & Shellharbour) as places where OUA students could: – Find out about the library resources which can assist them

with their studies and how to access them– network with other OUA students

• OUA delivered a training session and provided information about OUA, its study patterns and support services, to library staff

• Libraries ran weekly drop in sessions for OUA (and other online students) in their local communities

‘OUA Connect’ Pilot - 2012

• Sessions focussed on informing student about what their local library can offer in terms of resources (journal databases, computer and internet access, quite place to study)

• Provided opportunity for discussion amongst students• Library staff able to inform students of OUA support services

(academic and personal) if students need assistance – flyers provided for this purpose

• Evaluated the program based on student attendance and satisfaction

How did the pilot operate?

• OUA advertised and promoted the sessions to all enrolled OUA students whose postcodes fell within the Wyong and Shellharbour regions

• Information sent by email to each student individually at start of study period, with reminders during the study period

• Libraries also did their own publicity through local papers, posters in libraries etc

• Students attending were asked to complete evaluation sheet at end of each session

• Survey sent to all students who attended at end of Study Period

Emails

Facebook posts

Twitter feeds

Evaluation from SP3

• 20 individual students attended at least ONE session

Session AttendanceNo. of sessions attended

1 2 3 4 5 6

No. of students 10 1 5 2 1 1

Evaluation from SP3

18-27 28-37 38-47 48-57 58-670

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Student Cohort by Age and Gender

TotalMaleFemale

Age

Num

ber o

f Stu

dent

s

Evaluation from SP3

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 N/A0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Session Student Satisfaction - Feedback

How Helpful have you found this OUA Connect Session Today?

Has this session helped you to feel more confident in your current unit/s of study?

Has this session helped you feel more confident about undertaking further units of study with OUA?

Would you recommend the OUA Connect sessions to other OUA students?

Score

Num

ber o

f Res

pons

es

Evaluation from SP3 – Post SP 3 Survey Results

The session/s enabled me to become more familiar with OUA study resources available to me.

The session/s enabled me to become more familiar with general study skills.

I mostly attended the sessions for social reasons.

I mostly attended the sessions for academic reasons.

Engaging with other OUA students at the session/s increased my confidence in learning.

Engaging with other OUA students at the session/s increased my study productivity.

The OUA Connect Librarians' assistance at the session/s increased my confidence in learning.

The OUA Connect Librarians' assistance at the session/s increased my study productivity.

The session/s had a positive effect on my success in Study Period 3.

My experience in the session/s encourages me to take more units through Open Universities Australia.

0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50

Please rate the following items (please select one option):

Evaluation from SP3 – Post SP 3 Survey Results

Se-ries1

0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00 8.00 9.00

If one of your friends enrolled with OUA, how likely would you be to recommend OUA Connect Library

Sessions? (10=extremely likely)

Evaluation from SP3 – Post SP 3 Survey Results

Do you intend to continue attending OUA Connect Library Sessions in future study periods?

Yes No

Outcomes

• Approximately 5% of the total student cohort living within the library regions attended at least one session (20 students out of 400)

• Weekly evaluations positive• Evening sessions better attended than day sessions• Attendance diminished over the study period, particularly

where only a day session was offered• Results from end of pilot study period very positive

Progress through 2013

• Expanded partnerships across other libraries in NSW and into Victoria

NSW VICTORIA

Lithgow Mt Waverely

Newcastle Sydenham

Kiama Box Hill Branch

Auburn Doncaster Branch

Hurstville Nunawading Branch

Parramatta City The Pines Branch

Sutherland

Cronulla

Chatswood

Progress through 2013

• Libraries have offered a range of services for online students – One-off “Welcome to your library” sessions proving to be

best attended, followed by open invitation to visit and make appointment with library staff as required

– Promotion of existing services/programs to online students

• OUA has provided information/resources pack and training, with staff visiting libraries to participate in sessions where possible

Website

INCITE magazine Nov 2013: Digital Libraries

Results through 2013

2013 Attendance Feedback

Study Period 3 28 students “Loved the opportunity to meet others in my degree close to home”“Appreciated the library’s assistance with their edatabases”“Curious to know what this program is all about”“Really liked that I can come to the library and get help I need with my studies”“I am now utilising my library more now”

Results through 2013

2013 Attendance Feedback

Study Period 4 23 students “Good turn out of students in area studying through OUA. Didn’t meet anyone in my degree, but good to meet face to face”“Found 2 textbooks in my upcoming units”“OUA and libraries are cool”“Great help seeing what resources are available at my local library”

Successes so far

• Small, but regular attendance of students at sessions each study period

• Students finding library information sessions the most helpful

• Libraries enjoy assisting local students showcasing available resources for their online studies

• Students like to know there is frontline assistance for their studies in their communities

Challenges we face

• Atttendance patchy (free service)• Managing student expectations around academic

support• Some sessions are structured, some unstructured• Not all libraries collect feedback data at sessions• Student feedback mostly provided by word of mouth• Some students want to connect with others and

disappointed if low attendance

Where to in 2014?

Program continues to expand across NSW and Victoria as well as expressions of interest from Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania for later this year.

We will promote to our students whatever resources/services each library is willing to offer!– Via website: www.open.edu.au/libraryconnect – And by targeted communication to students within

the postcode regions of participating libraries.

Where to in 2014NSW VICTORIA QLD ACT & SA TASLithgow Mt Waverely Moreton Bay State Library Devonport

Newcastle Sydenham Sunshine Coast

Kiama Box Hill Branch Maryborough

Auburn Doncaster Branch

Hurstville Nunawading Branch

Parramatta City The Pines Branch

Sutherland Wyndham

Cronulla City of Melbourne

Chatswood Hume Council

City of Sydney

Campbelltown 2012/2013/2014

Gordon Started 2014 SP1

Fairfield Starting 2014 SP2

Off to a good start…• New library to the program – Gordon, NSW – hosted a ‘Welcome to your

Local Library’ session for online students• Did own community publicity (posters etc) as well as publicised by OUA• 18 people at first session, with contact from 3 others not able to attend. • Showed OUA slides, discussed library resources and other ways to assist

students• Library tour• Q&A session – sharing information on who is studying what• At least two study groups were formed, one has booked a meeting room

for a future catch-up• 8 signed up as new library members

“I had to ask the last couple of people to leave so I could lock up our meeting room, they were happily swapping tips and contact details” (Alan, Gordon Library, NSW)

Questions & Discussion