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Online Support Services -- Focus on Student Satisfaction

by Sloan-C
Author Information
Author(s):
David Sachs, Pace Univerity
Institution(s) or Organization(s) Where EP Occured:
Pace University
Effective Practice Abstract/Summary
Abstract/Summary of Effective Practice:

To enable a robust and continuous improvement process, Pace University surveys its online students extensively to determine their satisfaction level with the support services.

Description of the Effective Practice
Description of the Effective Practice:

How this practice supports student satisfaction:
In 1999, Pace University, in partnership with the National Coalition on Telecommunications Education and Learning (NACTEL), was awarded a three-year FIPSE Learning Anytime Anywhere Program (LAAP) Grant to support an online Associate in Science (AS) Telecommunications degree. This funding has enabled Pace to survey (see evidence section below for details) students in the NACTEL program extensively and to devote resources for determining the best way of providing support services for the online students.

Pace's provision of online student services focuses on several key areas:

  • The admissions and registration process: The process has been a major focus of student surveys.
  • Online Testing: Pace utilizes a proctored online testing system with specific procedures
  • Online Student Information Center: It provides students with a wide array of pertinent information; personal and company information, math Assessment exams and results, prior learning records, course registration, and transcript.
  • Technical Support and Online Student Seminar: Students are provided with technical support as a part of their program involvement. The Online Student Seminar localizes required technical support for students early in their program studies; the seminar provides students the opportunity to self-assess their skills related to the productivity, (e.g., word processing), course management system software, and program plug-ins. The seminar also includes computer-based instructional software that provides step-by-step procedures with numerous examples of frequently encountered situations.
  • Math Tutoring Services: Since the AS Telecommunications degree program requires competence in fundamental math skills, the NACTEL program also provides online math tutoring services via a third-party vendor, SMARTHINKING.
Supporting Information for this Effective Practice
Evidence of Effectiveness:

An independent evaluator (IOTA Solutions) administers reliable and valid evaluative measures via the Internet to track the effectiveness of the NACTEL Program, address and eliminate obstacles to student learning, and anticipate the changing needs of students. This online feedback system automatically tabulates results, highlights potential problems, and provides continuous feedback to key stakeholders (program administrators, faculty) anytime and anywhere, as the key stakeholders need this information to make ongoing improvements.

Evaluative measures associated with the student satisfaction and access pillars are administered to new students three times each term and to returning students twice each term (in addition to the individual course surveys given by instructors). Table 1 illustrates Pace University's success in effectively addressing these pillars. Three of the evaluative measures are described below:

  1. Application process / Web Site Measure
    Delivered to new applicants to the NACTEL Program. Explores satisfaction with the application process and the effectiveness of the Pace web site (http://support.csis.pace.edu/nactel) in delivering information about the Program.
  2. Registration process / Course Satisfaction Measure
    • New student version: Delivered to all new students who have registered for courses. Explores attitudes towards the registration process, various aspects of the website, and expectations toward online learning prior to the start of classes.
    • Returning student version: Delivered to all returning students who have registered for courses. Explores attitudes towards the registration process, satisfaction with course experience, and attitudes towards online education. Survey results can be compared across new and returning Student versions to explore the relationship between expectations and experiences. Self-report performance items explore how attitudes and demographics relate to various levels of performance.
  3. Online Testing Measures
    • Proctors: Given to all individuals who participate as proctors. Explores satisfaction with the process, suggestions for improvement, and interest in proctoring for other students.
    • Students: Given to all students who have completed an online proctored examination. Explores understanding of the process, satisfaction with the process, difficulties encountered, and suggestions for improvement.


Table 1:

    Items and responses from the Online Support Services and Online Testing surveys.
    Online Support Services Items (1 & 2 Above) Response Trend

    Effectiveness of answers to your questions regarding the application:
    91% "Good" or "Very Good"

    Quality of the student advisement received:
    85% "Good" or "Very Good"

    Overall satisfaction with online application process:
    88% "Satisfied" or "Very Satisfied"

    Overall satisfaction with online registration process:
    92% "Satisfied" or "Very Satisfied"

    Access to student support services is good:

    68% "Agree" or "Strongly Agree"
    (26% did not use)

    Received adequate support from my instructors:

    90% "Agree" or "Strongly Agree"

    High quality learning possible without F-t-F interaction:

    89% "Agree" or "Strongly Agree"

    Overall satisfaction with program:
    96% "Satisfied" or "Very Satisfied"
    Online Testing Items Response Trend

    Proctored exam information clear & understandable:

    83% "Agree" or "Strongly Agree"

    Responses to questions concerning the proctoring program were satisfactory:

    93% "Agree" or "Strongly Agree"

    Overall, proctored examination [online test] went well:

    94% "Agree" or "Strongly Agree"

[Note: Responses to Online Support Services items include those that were collected after the implementation of the current NACTEL Program website.]

Conclusions: Comparison of results between the New and Returning Student measures indicate that: (1) new students expect more interaction than returning students have experienced; and (2) new students expect to be bothered more by a lack of interaction than returning students have been bothered. These results illustrate student changing perceptions and indicate students are able to adjust to the limited interaction.

Student comments also provided encouraging results. Students indicated they would have been unable to pass their courses without the math tutoring services provided and that the convenience of online learning is an important advantage over traditional forms of learning.

Estimate the probable costs associated with this practice:

Moderate - made possible through grant funding

Relation to other Pillars:

Access: Pace's Student Information Center automates student access to a wide variety of pertinent information; the online student seminar provides upfront access to technical support and training - see related description under Access ("Access to Online Support Services") for details.

References, supporting documents:

Sachs, D. and Hale, N., "Pace University's Focus on Student Satisfaction With Student Services in Online Education." Online Education, Volume 3: Proceedings of the 2001 Summer Workshop on Asynchronous Learning Networks. Needham, MA: Sloan Center for Online Education, 2002.

Useful Links:
NACTEL/Pace Project
Proctored Testing Procedures
Student Information Center
IOTA Solutions (evaluator)
Other Comments:

Other URLs of interest:

NACTEL: http://www.nactel.org/ SMARTHINKING: http://www.smarthinking.com/

Contact for this Effective Practice
Effective Practice Contact:
Dr. David Sachs, Assistant Dean, Pace University, School of Computer Science & Information Systems
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