eArmyU: Expanding Access, Removing Barriers, and

Promoting Student Success

Ms. L. Dian Stoskopf: Director, Army Continuing Education System – United States Army

Mr. Mark Bolter: Deputy Program Manager, eArmyU – IBM Business Consulting Services

June 2004

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Outline

Today’s session is designed to discuss the ways in which eArmyU is helping the Army to meet its educational needs.

– Overview of the Army Continuing Education System’s (ACES) Guiding Principles and Goals

– Review of the eArmyU Program

– Applicable Lessons Learned from eArmyU

– Discussion

Please feel free to interject with questions as we proceed through the presentation.

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Overview of the ACES’ Guiding Principles

Guiding Principles – Education is an integral part of the Army culture.

– Lifelong learning is for everyone.

– Education enhances well being and quality of life.

– ACES is critical to Army Transformation and mission readiness.

– ACES planning is visionary.

– Program success is based on effective partnerships and a diverse workforce.

– Diversity of programs and services and resources demands flexibility.

– Teamwork is critical.

– Accountability is a must.

– Career program professionals are essential to our mission.

– Professional development of our workforce is non-negotiable.

– Education workforce facilitates change.

– Education is an American value!

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Overview of the ACES’ Strategies for Meeting its Educational Goals

Strategic Goals: In support of its mission and that of the Army, the ACES strategic plan asserts to:

1. Provide vision, policy, and direction to plan and operate programs and services

2. Provide lifelong learning opportunities to enhance job performance, skill qualifications, and career growth

3. Promote the development of critical thinking and decision-making skills through a variety of programs including basic skills and postsecondary, enabling Soldiers to adapt to new challenges

4. Build an integrated workforce for the Army 2020

5. Support Army Transformation

6. Design, build and implement an education enterprise architecture

We train Soldiers to deal with certainty, but we educate them to deal with uncertainty and ambiguity.

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Review of the eArmyU Program -- Goals

The Army identified a need for a program that would offer Soldiers "anytime, anywhere" access to high-quality learning opportunities from accredited postsecondary and technical institutions while on active duty.

– The program is student-centered, student-friendly, and appropriate to the Army environment.

– Access to asynchronous web-based learning content and instructional tools is via the Internet, using laptops.

– Soldiers can complete all coursework to meet certificate or degree requirements, regardless of duty station and mission requirements.

– Online education is becoming a seamless part of being a Soldier.

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Served as a retention tool: Over 21% of eArmyU students reenlisted or extended to be

eligible for eArmyU. Reached a new population of Soldiers:

Over 26% of eArmyU students had never attended college before enrolling in eArmyU.

Over 47% of eArmyU students are returning to higher education after a hiatus of a year or more.

Expand Access

Remove Barriers

Promote Student Success

Soldiers are actively participating in eArmyU from more than 50 countries.

Soldiers are provided unlimited, toll-free Internet access in more than 110 countries around the world.

Soldiers are able to continue with their home institution even as they move from installation to installation around the world.

Soldiers are provided with fully funded tuition and course materials (up to a $4,500 fiscal year ceiling and $250 SH cap)

The successful course completion rate is over 80%. 487 Soldiers have earned degrees to date. Soldiers are provided with proactive mentoring, academic tutoring,

and 24x7 technology support.

Review of the eArmyU Program -- Objectives

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Spring 2000 Army cites need for enterprise-wide distance learning program

January 15, 2001 MIDNIGHT – Students line up outside education centers at three initial sites: Ft. Benning, GA; Ft Campbell, KY; Ft. Hood, TX

More than 1,000 students seek enrollment on Day One

January 16, 2001 eArmyU opens “portal doors” for business 1 Month: 1,500 students enroll

March 15, 2001 Interim release provides added functionality 3 Months: 2,100

June 15, 2001Backbone systems are fully operational; all processes are automated and technology is now seamless 6 Months: 4,500

January 2002 Total virtualization of program now complete (e-supply chain) 12 Months: 12,000

June 2002Customer Relationship Management functionality—Soldier recognition feature added to portal 18 Months: 23,000

DATE TECHNOLOGY MILESTONES STUDENT ENROLLMENTS

February 2003 e-commerce functionality 24 Months: 32,000

December 14, 2000 PricewaterHouse Cooper wins largest distance learning contract ever

June 2003 Centralized Tuition Assistance Management initiative launched 28 Months: 35,000

September 2003 Architecture for a virtual student support system is fully operational 30 Months: 36,000

March 30, 2004 Data Warehouse Phase 1 Release 38 Months: 43,855

Review of the eArmyU Program – Major Milestones

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In exchange for fully-funded technology support (laptop or no laptop option), tuition, books, fees, and support services, Soldiers are required to meet several program requirements:

Commit to remaining in the Army for a specific period of time.

1 year for the no laptop option

3 years for the laptop option

– Commit to successfully completing semester hour (SH) program milestones.

If selecting the laptop option, 12 SH in 2 years

If selecting the no laptop option, 3 SH in 90 days

– Commit to completing each course with a passing grade.

Soldiers who fail to meet these requirements are required to repay the Army for prorated portions of the dollars expended by the Army

for tuition and the technology option.

Case Study: eArmyU – Soldier Requirements

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Powerful online, integrated course catalogs with sophisticated search

options and an integrated view

Online diagnostic, self-assessment, and self-help tools; online tutoring; 24x7 technical support

Access to course documents, assignments, and bulletin board discussions, downloaded for off-line work and automatically synchronized at the

next online opportunity

Links to electronic library resources

Downloadable postings of ancillary course materials such as instructor notes, sample quizzes, student

assignments, and other materials

Online news and announcements

Personalized virtual desktop with customized degree map

Online testing, multiple formats

Online course registration

Common application

Datawarehousingcapabilities

Case Study: eArmyU – eArmyU Portal

Multiple Platforms interface to support education partners, counselors, students, and program management.

Access to 29 participating institutions offering 149 certificate and degree programs

Comprehensive web of virtual student support and mentoring

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eArmyU enables Soldiers to complete courses anytime anywhere:

– eArmyU uses a custom-developed Offline Learning Application (OLA) that enables students to download to their laptops course materials, announcements, and bulletin board discussions and to complete assignments off-line.

– eArmyU automatically synchronizes the off-line work and checks for new assignments when Internet access is restored.

– More than 70% of the eArmyU student population has access to OLA courses.

– Future plans to expand OLA functionality to additional education partners are underway.

– An integrated eArmyU course catalog enables Soldiers to select courses with OLA capabilities.

Case Study: eArmyU – Off-line Learning Capabilities

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Student success is eArmyU’s primary mission. eArmyU uses an integrated web of student support services to help Soldiers succeed.

– Integrated, comprehensive student services system

– Integrated Customer Resource Management (CRM) tool

– Innovative end-to-end outreach strategy: “Operation ViCTORY” (Virtual Counselor Transforms Online Resources for You)

These tools already are demonstrating significant positive effects on student success rates.

Case Study: eArmyU – Strategies for Soldier Success

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The eArmyU student services system consists of the following components:

– Army Education Centers: Provide counseling, administrative support, and interface with Soldiers’ commanders

– Helpdesk: Provides toll-free, dedicated support to all eArmyU Soldier-students on a 24x7 basis.

– Program Mentors (PM): Work proactively to assist Soldiers in overcoming barriers in online instruction.

– Campus POC: Address questions related to school-specific issues.

– Student Services Team: Responds to issues escalated by the helpdesk, PMs, and campus POCs.

SubjectSubject

CourseCourse

DegreeDegree

eArmyUeArmyU

• 24-7 support fromSmarThinking.comvia telephone oremail

• Course teachingassistants via email

• Faculty via email• Supplemental

instructors

• ACES counselors

• Program mentors

• Online degree maps

• Campus advisors

• ACES counselors• Program mentors

Case Study: eArmyU – Strategies for Soldier Success-Student Services System

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eArmyU created an innovative Customer Relationship Management tool that integrates and manages outreach strategies.

– Enables students, ACES counselors, program mentors, helpdesk staff, education partners, and student services staff to view a student’s helpdesk case summary, behind pace in course status, and progress toward completing eArmyU program requirements.

– Allows users to launch cases, enter notes, process transactions, and resolve cases in real time.

– Provides one comprehensive source of information for student services team members.

– Coded portal functionality automates escalation of issues to experts who can resolve a case.

– Portal functionality mandates resolution within specific timeframes based on issue type.

Case Study: eArmyU – Strategies for Soldier SuccessCustomer Relationship Management

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Case Study: eArmyU – Strategies for Soldier Success- Operation ViCTORY

Operation Virtual Counselor Transforms Online Resources for You (ViCTORY) is a robust, proactive, end-to-end process that greets newly enrolling Soldier-students and monitors their learning progress through interventions.

The architecture for this virtual student success initiative involves two parallel tracks:

– Operation Early Academic Guidance for Learning Excellence (EAGLE) which assists Soldiers who are behind pace in a course or in their program.

– Operation Student Online Achievement Recognized (SOAR) which is the outreach to the successful – or on pace – Soldier.

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Student Enrolls in 1st Course/ Completes 1st Course Congratulatory email Follow-up phone call/emails re: next

course enrollment/ degree progress

Student identified as EAGLE student if behind pace to complete program requirements Email sent by mentor Follow-up phone calls made Counseling delivered to recommend entry courses

Soldier Enrolls in eArmyU

1 Year Anniversary

2 Year Anniversary

Welcome to eArmyU Welcome to eArmyU

contact

Student graduates Congratulatory email Featured Student

Recognition page

Graduation

Operation ViCTORY is already demonstrating significant positive results.

Student completes 2 courses with GPA < 3.5 Congratulatory Email Featured on Student Recognition

Page

Student does not enroll in 1st course (Operation HAWK) Email sent at 30- and

90-day mark reminding Soldier of the 12 SH policy

Follow-up phone call/emails re: inactivity in program

Student FallsBehind In Course Behind pace in

course process Email/phone

outreach

Student completes requirements Congratulatory email Featured on Student

Recognition page

Case Study: eArmyU – Strategies for Soldier SuccessOperation ViCTORY

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Tier 1: Student flagged as behind pace upon entrance into the eArmyU program and/or after failing/withdrawing from course (stage: course not yet started).

Tier 2: Student has missed first week of course or first major milestone of course (stage: course is less than 15% complete).

Tier 3: Student has missed several class meetings and/or performed below acceptable standard on one or more tests/quizzes– as a result student is at high risk of failing course (stage: course is between 20% - 99% complete).

Tier 1: Student flagged as at risk

Tier 2: Student non-participation

Tier 3: Student atrisk of failure

Tier 4:Student

fails/withdraws

Tier 4: Student fails course or withdraws from course (stage: course complete).

Student exits the system when

he/she has demonstrated

success in courses.

Case Study: eArmyU – Strategies for Soldier Success Operation ViCTORY Behind Pace in Course

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Identify institutional objectives.

Continually improve service quality and perform usability testing.

Screen students for distance learning success prior to online enrollment.

Identify and develop strategies for resolving barriers to success facing students at your institutions.

Recognize and showcase students who achieve key milestones.

Reach out proactively to students to promote success and remove barriers throughout the educational journey.

Reach out proactively to students to enhance attrition.

Conduct pilot studies to evaluate effectiveness of outreach initiatives.

Develop a CRM tool to enable integrated and efficient support to students.

Integrate virtual support systems for all users.

Discussion of Applicable Lessons Learned

Discussion