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~ Welcome ~Sloan-C Webinar Series 2014:

Increasing Online Student Success & Retention for Veterans, Servicemembers & Military Family Members

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Sloan-C Webinar Series 2014:Increasing Online Student Success & Retention for

Veterans, Servicemembers & Military Family Members 

Campus Administrative Panel:

Meeting the Diverse Needs of Servicemembers, Veterans & Military Family Members Enrolled in Online Education 

Wednesday, May 14, 2014 12:00 - 1:30 pm ET

Panelists:

Kathy Snead, Don Stumpf, Kelly Wilmeth & Jorge Trevino

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Moderators

• Kathleen S. Ives, D.M.Acting Chief Executive Officer and Executive DirectorThe Sloan Consortium

• Sandra CoswatteDirector, Sloan-C InstituteThe Sloan Consortium

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Panelists• Kathy Snead

Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC)

• Don StumpfColumbia College of Missouri – Ft. Stewart

• Kelly Wilmeth, MAUniversity of Maryland University College

• Jorge TrevinoPennsylvania State University

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Agenda

• Campus Administrative Panel Introduction

• Meeting the Diverse Needs of Servicemembers, Veterans & Military Family Members Enrolled in Online Education 

• Resources

• Q & A

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Kathy McMurtry Snead, Ed.D.

Director, Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC)

Vice-President for Military and Veterans Partnerships, American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU)

The SOC Consortium is a diverse group of 1850+ institutional members who pledge to support military students and veteran educational endeavors at the postsecondary level. Funded through a Department of Defense contract through AASCU.

Serve as vehicle to help coordinate postsecondary educational opportunities for servicemembers

Strengthen liaison and working relationships among military and higher education representatives

Advocate for flexibility needed to improve access to and availability of educational programs for servicemembers

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Kathy McMurtry Snead, EdD

Highlights:

•Engaged in higher education administration for 30+ years, primarily coordinating student services and academic advising for institutions of higher learning

•SOC Director since 2005; SOC staffer since 1995

•Appointed to Secretary of Veterans Affair's Advisory Committee on Education (2007-2014); Chair for 2013-14

•Served on American Council on Education’s Commission on Lifelong Learning (now Attainment and Innovation), 2012-14

•Spouse of Army careerist, relocating frequently...wherever the Army sent us!

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Don Stumpf, EdD Director

• Columbia College - Fort Stewart (FSGA)

• Served in the Georgia Air National Guard

Columbia College:•Private, non-profit, coeducational liberal arts and sciences college founded in 1851•Our top military education and adult continuing education opportunities are available at 35 campuses nationwide. •We serve nearly 25,000 college students each year in 13 states, with 18 campuses being conveniently located on military bases. •In 1973, at the request of the military, the college began educating military personnel, making it one of the first colleges in the country with extended campuses on military bases. This was the start of what is now the Division of Adult Higher Education.

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Don Stumpf, EdD

Highlights:

•Transitioned from aviation to education in 1998

•Worked with the U.S. Army for more than 20 years in various capacities from helicopter mechanic to campus director

•Positions in higher education include Administrative Assistant, Academic Advisor, Assistant Director, Assistant Professor, Graduate Coordinator, Director of Teacher Education Programs, and also worked with the Georgia Board of Regents Military Affairs Committee.

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Kelly Wilmeth, MA

• Associate Vice PresidentStateside Military Support-Department of Military Partnerships University of Maryland University College. Responsible for oversight of UMUC operations on military installations across the U.S.

• UMUCA member of the University System of Maryland, UMUC is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, providing credibility and recognition in the job market. And for more than 65 years, UMUC has provided educational opportunities to students around the world, earning the university a global reputation for excellence.

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Kelly Wilmeth, MA Highlights:

•Master of Arts in Secondary Education

•Former public school teacher

•Military spouse married to an Active-Duty Army Officer

•Moved into higher education administration in 1996 under the DoD Voluntary Education Program

•Director of Student Services/Registrar – City Colleges of Chicago – Programs for the Military Europe

•Director of Operations – Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Hawaii

•Site Director – University of Oklahoma in Korea

•Regional Manager – UMUC Korea

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Jorge Trevino, DBA Lecturer & Academic AdviserPennsylvania State University World Campus•SHC (SW), US Navy Ret.

Penn State: •Penn State is a major, public, research-I university serving Pennsylvania and the global community. Penn State University is comprised of twenty-four campuses; 17,000 faculty and staff; 100,000 students; a teaching hospital that provides care to more than a million patients a year; over one-half million active alumni; an online World Campus that empowers anyone to pursue an education—anytime, anywhere; and the largest student-run philanthropic organization on the planet.

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Jorge Trevino, DBA, SHC (SW), USN, Ret

Professional Highlights:

•Ship Serviceman Chief Petty Officer, Surface Warfare Specialist, US Navy, Retired with 24 years of service

•BA in History & Political Studies, Chaminade University of Honolulu, HI

•MS & Doctor of Business Administration from National Graduate School & University, Falmouth, Massachusetts

•Lecturer & Academic Adviser for Military programs at Penn State Would Campus On-Line

•Principle Investigator for Veteran on-line Students with Disabilities (VOSDs) at World Campus

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Dr. Kathy M. Snead

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Serving Military Student Populations

However educational programs are being delivered for military student populations, it is important to build in all items on the Student Veterans Wish List* into that strategic plan:

•Develop a Veterans Support Committee to improve institutional climate for veterans through feedback loop

• Develop Student Military/Veterans Meeting Space (Blog, Virtual Student Veterans Chapter, Chat Room, Facebook)

• Publicize campus information on Military-Friendly Web site as a one-stop resource guide

• Educate faculty, staff, administrators, and other students about student-veteran needs and concerns

*Campus Kit for Colleges and Universities, Student Veterans of America17

Know your Military Student Audience

• Understand the general demographics of the military student population, but also your specialized population— are they active-duty, guard/reservist, veteran, spouse and/or dependents (e.g., extended weekend programs may not work well for National Guard)

• Large proportion of military students are first generation college students. Many do not “know how to enroll” or what the key deadlines are for acceptance/registration/enrollment. Create a “new student” checklist and timeline so they can anticipate and plan for the process; when to submit VA benefit eligibility and certification paperwork

• Computer literacy and online course protocols, what are the institutional expectations? Trial assignments, orientation to online learning. Are there IT compatibility or access issues?

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Access to Support Services

All online students need access to academic and student support services; military students may need additional supports:

•Tutorial and/or remedial assistance

•Injury and/or Trauma-Related Supports — providing services and support for the needs of veterans with disabilities; mental health issues affect enrollment and student success

• Accommodate absences due to military service requirements, establish a withdrawal policy due to mobilizations/deployments. Also establish and publicize a readmission policy that does not disadvantage the servicemember.

•Designate a centralized point of contact to provide academic and financial advice; adjudicate grievances or concerns.

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Professional Development for Faculty

• Understanding the Military Student Population

• Campus and Community Resources to support servicemembers/veterans—how to access, when to refer

• Issue Identification when teaching online (absences, missing assignments, potential signs of Post-traumatic Stress or other stressors)

• Optimizing the learning experience through multiple delivery methods, alternative media, clearly defined assignments in advance of deadlines

• Understanding the Mental Health Needs of Student Veterans

• Faculty support and consultations—help desk and instructional support team for exceptional situations/accommodations

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Don Stumpf, EdD

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Deployment and Training Cycle Awareness: Services, Support, and Considerations

• Deployment Cycle - Pre-Deployment and Deployment

• Training Cycle – Post-Deployment (Stand Down and Ramp Up)

• Hours of Operation – Staggered for Access & Influenced by Operational Tempo

• Leverage Different Academic/Administrative Support Modalities

• Family Members are Part of the Deployment and Training Cycles

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Considerations for Timely Acquisition of Course Materials during Deployment

• Provide Early Access to Required Course Materials Information (i.e., calculators, book ISBN #, software, course companion site information, etc.)

• Establish Partnerships with Textbook Vendor

• Leverage eResources

• Faculty Require Understanding of Challenges

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Academic Advising and the Deployment Cycle

• Pre-Deployment Discourage Registrations ‘In-Transit’

• Encourage Options during Initial Deployment Period (i.e., testing, acquiring course materials, pre-reading, etc.)

• Provide Detailed Explanation of Degree Requirements

• Provide Detailed Explanation of Course Syllabus

• Provide Clear Explanations of Challenges

• Develop Communication Plan

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Recommendations to Instructors for Developing Assignment Policies

• Leverage Technology

• Establish Well Defined Policies for Approving Proctors

• Utilize Rubrics for All Assignments

• Provide Thorough Explanations of Grading Polices

• Establish Plain Language Guidelines for Assignment Submissions

• Cleary Define Expectations for Performance

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Models and Strategies For Campuses That Do Not Have an Office of Veterans Affairs

• Leverage Home Campus VA Resources

• Primary Certifying Official

• Develop Administrative and Advising Team (where possible) for Designated Support of VA Students

• Leverage VA Resources (i.e., Training, Conferences, and Work-Study)

• Promote Veteran Scholarships

• Provide Advance Access to Upcoming Course Schedules

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Recommendations and Considerations for Online Advising, Counseling, Libraries, Technology Support,

Financial Aid, and Other Campus Resources

• Communication - Pre-Deployment and Follow on Contacts

• Rapport Building

• Academic/Administrative Support Modalities

• Social Media

• Staffing

• Real Time Access to Real People

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Kelly Wilmeth

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Dedicated advising teams designed to meet the unique needs of military and veteran students and military spouses

• Advisors serve as Subject Matter Experts• If possible, a team of Advisors should be available 24/7 for

deployed students• Registration/Textbooks/Readmissions/Technology Assistance• Integrated career and academic advising• Degree mapping

Choosing a major Course planning

• Evaluating transfer credit from military experience• Assistance with transition from active-duty to veteran status• Serve as liaisons with online and onsite instructors

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Meeting the Needs of Military Students Stationed Worldwide/Deployed

Front-line staff on military installations who understand the unique challenges military students face and who provide a full suite of student services to include:

• Application and registration services

• Academic advising

• Assistance with TA, GI Bill benefits, and Financial Aid

• Evaluations of military experience and other sources of transfer credit

• Administration of placement exams

• Managing articulation agreements with other educational institutions

• MYCAA Funding/Scholarship opportunities for spouses30

Meeting the Needs of Military Students Stationed Worldwide/Deployed

Mandatory training for staff and faculty including general orientation training and more specific training depending on specific roles:

• Military culture and sensitivity

• Education benefits and funding

• Federal legislative oversight (8 Keys to Success; Executive Order # 13607

• Basic structure of the military

• Military lifestyle

• Transition

• Military and veteran student profiles

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Staff and Faculty Training on Military/Veteran Student Issues

• Provide access to a rich collection of research materials on a variety of topics (e.g., business, social sciences, sciences, arts and humanities, and computer and information systems)

• Students should be able to access an extensive array of subscription research databases containing tens of thousands of full-text articles, as well as thousands of electronic books, no matter where in the world they are located

• OneSearch allows users to search for scholarly articles, books, and/or other research resources via a single search engine in most of the databases to which the Library subscribes, either directly or as additional resources

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Library Resources

• Using free (often open-source) textbooks and/or replacing the traditional textbook in every course with a set of quality, electronic resources that support learning.

• A number of free or close to free textbooks are being developed (e.g., http://www.collegeopentextbooks.org/) by faculty for wide use.

• These resources are shared freely with colleagues via repositories such as MERLOT (http://www.merlot.org/) or the Open Courseware Consortium (http://www.ocwconsortium.org/).

• The solution is not to just send students to the Internet to find resources, but rather movetoward a set of carefully curated digital materials for each course.

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Open Educational Resources

• Veterans Resource Centers

• Student Veterans of America

• Veterans Certification Office

• On-site & On-line Mentoring Programs

• Veteran & Military Student Orientations

• Vet Success on Campus Program

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Recommended Resources to Optimize Veteran & Military Student Success

Jorge Trevino

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Overview of Services Offered• On-line student Advisors divided into teams for degree

concentrations

• Exclusive Military Adviser Team for Veterans, Military and Family members

• Priority Registration for Veterans

• Discounted rate for Active duty Military and Spouses

• Identifying Veteran On-line Students with Disabilities (VOSDs) is a study that we have conducted and I will focus on how DMAIC was used in assisting Veterans and Military that may need Disability Services

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Action Research Study & DMAIC

• Six Sigma tools & methodology used as road map for the research & study

• Mixed method (Qualitative and Quantitative) using an Action Research design

• Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved research

DMAIC Roadmap (Six Sigma)

Define project boundaries Measure processes and benchmark Analyze data Improve on current processes Control with Standard Operating Procedures

80%

10%

5%2%

3%

Milestones ~Duration

• Veterans are returning home from conflicts overseas and are enrolling in higher education

• Some of these students are Disabled Veterans that have chosen an on-line format to meet their needs.

• The culture of this population group is different from that of the normal students with disabilities and the challenges they face are compounded by the unfamiliarity of the on-line education delivery format.

Veteran on-line Students with Disabilities (VOSDs)

Problem Statement

• Veteran on-line students with disabilities(VOSD) were not utilizing the in-place student services that provide equal access to education attributing to an increase of at risk student population.

Veteran Culture of Non-disclosure• All Veterans & Military member do not

start their military career as a disabled person. It is acquired during service and is classified differently

• Many do not acknowledge they have a disability “Black Knight Syndrome”

• Many do not know that there are services available “Misconceptions – “…it is not for me”

• Trained to only disclosure on a “Need to know” bases.

• Veteran on-line Student with Disability (VOSD)

• Institutional Awareness: (Triggers / Indicators) is key factor to direct VOSDs to resources.

Model for Enhancing Processes

VOSD Discloses Disability

Referred VOSD to

DCL

Process Ends

VOSD provided with contact

information for DCL

Four Phases•Disclosure Phase•Coaching Phase•DCL Contact Phase•Follow-up

Eight Step Process•VOSD disclosure

•Adviser provides information

•Adviser refers to DCL

•Adviser informs VOSD

•Adviser refers to DCL

•DCL contacts VOSD

•Adviser follows up with DCL / VOSD

•VOSD process complete

Old Process

New Model/Process

VOSD On-line Culture Findings

• Veterans feel that on-line is more accessible and accommodating when it is not and can be more challenging

• VOSDs will withdraw or drop out before seeking help when it has reached the point of no return.

• Disclosure and Couching is key factor to preventing VOSD at Risk students

• Feel that they can handle or fix issues – “Black Knight Syndrome”

• Performance Measures (Trend Analysis)

VOSD Trend Analysis

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Incluclusive Reactive SemiProactive

Proactive

VOSD Before

VOSD After

VOSD

Inclusive: VOSD called, but did not self-disclosedReactive: VOSD called for services when at riskSemi-Proactive: VOSD does not think he needs servicesProactive: Self Discloses and requests accommodations

Performance Measures

Results: 0 to 68 VOSD with Accommodations in 12 months. Approximately: 3,300% increase

Results: 0 to 68 VOSD with Accommodations in 12 months. Approximately: 3,300% increase

Resources

• SOC http://www.soc.aascu.org/

•SOC Publications and Resources (such as Pocket Guide to College Outreach to Military Students, Spreadsheet of Programs and Services for Servicemembers, Veterans, and Family Members)http://www.soc.aascu.org/socconsortium/PublicationsSOC.html

• From Soldier to Student II: Assessing Campus Programs for Veterans and Servicemembers

http://www.acenet.edu/news-room/Pages/From-SoldiertoStudentII.aspx

• ACE Toolkit for Veteran Friendly Institutionshttps://vetfriendlytoolkit.acenet.edu/Pages/default.aspx

• Teaching America’s Best: Preparing Your Classrooms to Welcome Returning Veterans and Service Members

http://www.nod.org/assets/downloads/AmericasBestTeaching.pdf

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Resources

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• Columbia College of Missouri– http://www.ccis.edu/

• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Education and Training– http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/

• Post-9/11 GI Bill, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on Facebook– https://www.facebook.com/gibillEducation

• Executive Order – Principles of Excellence– http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/04/27/executive-order-establishin

g-principles-excellence-educational-instituti– http://www.dantes.doded.mil/Homepage/Docs/news/HN_PrinOfExc.pdf– http://ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/attachments/GEN1210PEO13607.pdf

• Columbia College – Fort Stewart on Facebook– https://www.facebook.com/CCFortStewart

• A Review of Veteran’s Achievement in Higher Education– http://www.studentveterans.org/images/Reingold_Materials/mrp/download-

materials/SVA_MillionRecordsProject_FullReport.pdf  

•You may also be interested in these Sloan-C workshops:

•Supporting Military Students

•Using Social Media in a Crisis Situation

•Easy Course Enhancements to Improve Access

•Retention Challenges and Solutions

Join us for Upcoming Sloan-C Events

For All Upcoming Workshopshttp://sloanconsortium.org/workshops/upcoming

Upcoming Webinars http://sloanconsortium.org/webinar_listing

For All Upcoming Workshopshttp://sloanconsortium.org/workshops/upcoming

Upcoming Webinars http://sloanconsortium.org/webinar_listing

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Conferences & Call for Papers

• Special Issue of JALN: Online Student Success & Retention for Veterans, Servicemembers & Military Family Members 

• JALN Call for Papers & Reviewers: Submissions Due Date - To Be Announced http://jaln.sloanconsortium.org./index.php (select Register)

• Contact: publisher@sloanconsortium.org for more information

Conferences:

•11th Annual Sloan Consortium Blended Learning Conference & WorkshopJuly 8-9, 2014 - Denver, CO   

•20th Annual Sloan Consortium International Conference on Online Learning – 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION!October 29-31, 2014 - Orlando, FL 

Journal for Asynchronous Learning Networks

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Q & A Thank you!

Join us: Twitter #SloanC #Military

Final webinar:

•Tuesday, June 4, 12-1:30 pm ET

Final webinar:

•Tuesday, June 4, 12-1:30 pm ET

Sloan-C Webinar Series Information: http://sloanconsortium.org/institute/webinars/increasing-online-student-success-for-veterans

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