|
Until recently, the number of courses offered entirely online was
extremely small. The number of full degree programs available online
was considerably more limited. And, the services provided to support
distant learners were almost non-existent. But that has begun to
change with an increasing number of institutions now developing
materials, courses and full degree programs online.
Despite the rising use of information technology in instruction,
both in the traditional classroom and at a distance, there remains
a paucity of online student services that are equivalent to on-campus
resources. Some well-established online programs, for example, still
require the student to submit application materials and payment
through standard means (e.g., coming to campus or using regular
mail), despite the existence of excellent e-services in other areas.
To attract and retain new students, institutions that provide e-learning,
whether offering totally online or hybrid (blending face to face
instruction with an electronic modality) courses, cannot effectively
provide new distance learning programs without providing the academic
and student support services needed for student success. Students
will demand these services and the presence or absence of them may
make the difference with regard to the institution the prospective
student selects. Furthermore, accrediting agencies will be looking
much more closely to ensure that appropriate services are available
to support online learners. The absence of physical proximity creates
the need for new structures and processes, new ways of thinking
and new approaches to recruiting and retaining students. Interestingly,
many institutions have found that by designing and providing accessible
support services for their off-campus students, they are better
able to serve on-campus students as well.
An increasing number of institutions have instituted the concept
of a Call Center as the focal point of their technological and student
services integration. Call centers are single points of contact,
accessed by a toll-free number and supported by an integrated system
of resources that provide seamless support for students and faculty
on an anytime, anywhere basis. Call Centers allow colleges and universities
to be both technologically sophisticated in their support of e-learning
while at the same time offering highly personalized service...high
tech and high touch.
Using telephones, internet-based resources and tracking software,
the Call Center includes staff (onsite or outsourced), online content
that supports staff, faculty and students, and automated procedures
and functions. Students and faculty are able to contact the call
center for personal support and appropriate resolution of issues.
The center provides a centralized tracking and management system
for all inquiries, issues and support needs. Staffed by trained,
customer service-oriented professionals, a Call Center is primarily
dedicated to helping students. It is a way to initiate communication
with other campus staff, as well as a resource for admission information,
course consultation, enrollment in classes, academic advice, personal
assistance, degree audit, financial aid assistance and the array
of other services needed to successfully complete a course or degree
program.
When trained effectively, Call Center staff can assist students
with information on course and degree requirements and in selecting
the appropriate degree program; help complete an admission application;
provide information on financial aid and placement testing; and
aid in understanding technical requirements and technical problems.
Most importantly, individuals in the Call Center are well-versed
in understanding the fundamental differences, both strengths and
weaknesses, between a traditional classroom-based courses and programs
and those offered at a distance or online.
The creation of Call Centers can be achieved by adding new staff
or by shifting staff and responsibilities from other offices. What
is most important is that those offices and functions that will
be affected are involved in the planning of the new center. Business
process re-engineering is an excellent way to determine which functions
can be shifted to the "student services generalists" in
the Call Center and which should remain in the existing units to
be handled by "specialists."
Several examples may help to make this point. Call Center staff
are capable of assisting students in understanding what hardware,
software and telecommunications capacity they will need to participate
in an online course and they can certainly assist in answering the
most commonly asked question: "Can you tell me my password?"
The staff of the technical help-desk, however, might be in a better
position to answer the more difficult technical questions. Likewise,
Call Center staff can answer an array of questions about financial
aid and provide students with an update of their status while more
complex questions are best answered by the financial aid specialists.
While Call Center generalists often provide academic information
to prospective students and academic advising to those who have
not declared a major, advising of majors is usually left to the
department faculty. Often institutions begin thinking about how
to provide better, more seamless services to online students and
find that changes in their processes benefit on campus students
as well. Alternatively, some institutions have begun with the creation
of one-stop shops for their on-campus students and find that they
can more easily serve online students as a result.
Beyond those services that help prospective and current students
resolve specific issues, some institutions provide retention support
to ensure that online students adapt and succeed in this new approach
to learning. Contact is made by both telephone and email for a variety
of reasons. For example, students who have not logged on within
a week of the course start can contacted by phone to see if they
are having trouble accessing the course. Using the telephone rather
than email is often essential if students are having technical difficulties.
Students who are having academic difficulty may be contacted and
advised of tutorial opportunities. This proactive approach helps
ensure student success and allows students to become an integral
part of the college community.
Call Centers also provide support to faculty, particularly those
who do not have offices on campus. However, even campus-based faculty
may need assistance with the logistics of getting material to distant
students or learning about faculty development and training opportunities.
The Call Center may be involved assisting faculty who have students
with disabilities in their courses, provide information on obtaining
copyright, and check a student's record and answer questions about
various policies and procedures.
The cost of implementing a Call Center will depend, in part, on
the approach taken by the institution, the functions performed,
the hours of operation and current availability of web-based resources
and databases. Shifting staff resources from other units into the
Call Center, since some functions previously performed in these
separate units will be assumed by the Call Center, may accommodate
the cost. There are staff at all institutions such as HelpDesk,
admissions, advising, enrollment services and other personnel who
have regular contact with students, faculty or both. They are already
trained in some of the services that are necessary to support e-learning.
Institutions with adult and continuing education often have staff
with considerable expertise in assisting students with general help
such as registration and bill paying who can also direct them to
the most appropriate program or course of study. Combining some
of these areas may reduce duplication of services on campus and
reduce the overall cost of supporting students.
Call Centers and one-stop services require staff that are trained
to provide and array of information and services, including strong
skills in customer service. They must be facile with the use of
web-resources and databases to provide current, accurate information
to students. Institutions are likely to need to increase training
budgets and may well see additional costs associated with reclassifying
positions to higher levels. This does suggest that institutions
will need to redistribute funds to accommodate these shifts. Furthermore,
if the provision of robust and personalized services helps to increase
enrollment and improves retention rates, the institution may eventually
need to add staff to the Call Center to accompany the increase in
students. The additional tuition can be allocated, in part, to offset
these additional costs.
Institutions should also consider the costs of not providing services
to students and faculty in the most seamless manner possible. Despite
the wide range of computer-sophistication of both traditional age
and older students, there is an ever-increasing level of comfort
with the convenience of conducting transactions on the Web. The
demand for such services by students and faculty will continue to
increase.
Web-based services that support instruction and give off-campus
students access to services equivalent to those found on-campus
often affect organizational structure. These structures will vary
by institution and there is no single correct way to organize. Institutions
that seek to provide integrated services may find that previous
divisions between student services, academic affairs, and back-office
administration is an impediment to implementing seamless support.
Some institutions will reorganize offices, merging the bursar's
office, financial aid, admissions and other student administrative
services. Other institutions might adopt an approach where units
remain independent but they collaborate, cross-train staff, engage
in joint planning and share responsibility for answering a toll-free
number. New technologies will continue to provide an opportunity
to rethink the traditional roles, responsibilities and processes
of staff, faculty and administration. Relational databases and student
management systems allow for significantly more powerful information
collection, processing and analysis. Centralized, institutional-focused
services are yielding to decentralized, individualized, learner-centered
services. It will be structural change that will allow for new ways
of providing flexibility, one-stop services and creative faculty
and academic process that enhance learning.
While the functions provided and the staffing and training needed
will vary by institution, the following process of designing and
implementing a Call Center or one-stop shop on campus can be effectively
used by most institutions.
- Bring together the leaders of each unit whose work will be impacted
by Call Center or one-stop service implementation such as:
- information and advising
- admissions
- registration and records
- financial aid
- student accounts
- bookstore
- library
- student support services (including orientation, learning
assistance, career information, student housing, counseling
and disability services)
- Discuss the philosophy and reasons for implementing change.
- Determine and appoint staff to work on the detailed vision and
implementation process; develop a timeline.
- Bring together this "working committee" to develop
a vision for this integrated service. Brainstorm and determine
changes in work-flow and the processes that will benefit the student,
faculty and institution; identify key staff whose job functions
and responsibilities will change as a result of the new processes.
- Bring together key staff and discuss their issues and concerns
as well as the reasons for implementing change; determine what
they need to successfully implement the change while ensuring
that existing work is adequately covered.
- Identify the information and web-based resources and functions
needed to provide quality service; design and implement processes,
systems, infrastructure and communication flow necessary for success.
There are several excellent resources on the Web including the
Western Cooperative's Guide to Developing Online Student Services:
www.wiche.edu/telecom/resources/publications/guide/guide.htm
- Appoint staff and provide appropriate training.
- Develop a process for evaluation.
- Begin the new processes.
For Call Center Staff and website, each institution will need to
provide the appropriate answers.
General Information
Career Advising and Information
Admissions
Student Support Services
Registration Information
Advising/Placement Exam Information
Center/Site Information
Library Resources
College Credit/Grade Information
Exams/Papers
Academic Requirements
Payment/Financial Aid Information
Course/Instructor Information
Bookstore
ADA Compliance
Student Government/Activities
What are these distance learning courses?
What is distributed education?
How can I find out if these courses will
work for me?
Will I be able to communicate with the faculty
member and other students?
Are these courses as hard as regular college
courses?
What are the advantages of taking a distance
learning course?
Are the courses as good as on-campus courses?
What computer skills will I need to take
these courses?
How can I get help if I need it?
Which technology works best?
What are the characteristics of successful
distance learners?
- Highly motivated
- Independent
- Active learners
- Good organizational and time management
skills
- Discipline to study without external reminders
- Adapt to new learning environments
Is a degree earned via technology equal to
one earned on campus?
Is career advising and assessment available
to me prior to enrolling in a program?
Is there a fee for this service?
How and where is it available?
Do I need to be in a degree program to take
a course?
Do I have to be matriculated at the campus
offering the course?
How/where do I apply for admission to a degree
program?
Does the institution grant credit for prior
learning?
Can you "test out" of certain courses?
Is advanced placement available?
Can I take courses before being admitted?
If so, how many?
Do you accept transfer credits?
What support services are available to distant
students and how are they accessed?
Is there an orientation for students new
to distance learning? Is there a handbook and/or website?
Is there a distance education office or a
single point of information?
Will I be assigned an advisor?
Is there a fee for student support services?
Is there a place/site I can go to for assistance
with study skills?
Is on line tutoring available? What subjects
are available?
Where can I register for the course? How
can I register?
- phone
- fax
- on-line
- on-campus
- at center or site
How can I get more info about the courses?
- phone
- fax
- on-line
- on-campus
- at center or site
If I live out-of-state, can I register for
courses? Tuition?
How can I communicate with an advisor and
when?
- phone
- fax
- email
- in person
Is the advisor knowledgeable in all degrees/courses
offered?
If I want to contact the instructor for more
information, is that possible and how?
- phone
- fax
- email
- in person
What is a placement exam? Should I study
for it? Will it affect my admission?
Why do I need to take a placement exam?
Do I need to take the exam if I've taken
other college courses? Have a college degree?
Do I have to take SAT's?
Will you take my SAT scores in lieu of the
placement exam?
If it is too far to travel to a center to
take my placement exam, are there other options?
Do I need an appointment to take a placement
exam?
How will I find out if I need to take developmental
courses? Where can I take these courses?
- At a center/site
- on-line
- high school
- adult ed
How do I find out where the nearest site
or center is located? Can I get a map?
What services are available there?
- Registration
- financial aid information
- advising
- career counseling
- workshops
- computer lab
- library resources
- etc.
Does the center/site have Internet access?
Is there a fee to use it?
Can I meet with an advisor and take my placement
exams there?
If I miss an ITV class, can I view a tape
of it at the center/site? Do I need an appointment?
What are the hours of operation at the center/site?
Are library resources available to distant
students?
Is there a toll-free number?
Can books and articles be ordered on-line?
Is reference assistance available?
Is there a guide to using library resources?
Manual? Web?
Is the catalog on-line?
Will the library ship books and articles
to distant students? Do I have to pay for shipping?
Is Interlibrary loan available?
How do I get a library card and on-line access?
Is there a library fee?
Do these courses carry college credit or
CEU's?
Are they from an accredited institution?
Will these credits transfer to another institution?
How do I get my credits transferred to my
current college?
Where are grades recorded and how do I get
a transcript?
Can I get my grades by phone?
Will other institutions recognize ITV and
web-based courses as reputable?
Will my transcript look the same as if I
had taken the courses on campus?
Where do I take my exams?
- At a center/site
- on-line
- take-home
If an exam is at a center/site, will it be
proctored?
If I'm taking an on-line course which will
require a proctored exam and I do not live near a site, can I use
a proctor at the local library?
How are exams/papers returned to me?
If an exam gets lost, how is it tracked?
Should I keep a copy of exams/papers before
I mail them in?
How do my exams/papers get to my instructors?
Are the requirements the same as the degree
on-campus?
Are there "residency" requirements?
Can they be met at a distance by taking courses from the institution
or do I have to go to campus?
Is the entire degree available at a distance?
Is there a logical and frequent sequencing
of courses?
How often are scheduled courses cancelled?
Can I take courses from other institutions?
How many? What's the approval process?
Are there required exams prior to enrollment?
Can I take them at a distance?
How much is tuition?
Are there additional fees?
- Course fees
- Distance learning fees
- Materials distribution fee
Does financial aid cover courses delivered
via technology?
Can I get aid for just one course?
Can I register without payment?
Are there additional fees for distance learning
courses?
How will I get my bill? If I take more than
one course from more than one institution, will I get more than
on bill, etc?
How do I pay my bill?
Is the tuition the same for all courses?
How can I find out how much I owe?
Where/how do I pay my bill?
How will I get my $ if financial aid is awarded?
What is an ITV course?
What is an asynchronous course?
What is a web-based course?
How can I find out what computer equipment
and software I'll need?
Do I need access to the Internet?
Do I need to provide my own ISP or do you
have dial-up access?
What is tape delay? Can all courses be taken
via tape delay?
If I take a course via tape, how do I get the tapes?
Are tapes of ITV courses available if I miss
a class? Can I take the tapes home? Why can I take a tape home in
one course and not in another.
Are courses available via cable? Are they
open broadcast or do I need a descrambling device?
What is a compressed video course? Why aren't
they available at centers? Why aren't tapes available?
Do I have to have a computer at home to take
courses?
Are tutoring services available?
Are faculty available by phone? Email?
What is the student-faculty ratio for the
course?
What are the credentials of the person teaching
the course?
Can I get a copy of the course syllabus or
see it on the web?
Are there evaluations of this course available
from previous students?
Does the institution have a bookstore for
distant learners?
Are books shipped to the student's home?
Does the bookstore have a toll-free number?
If I have a financial aid book voucher, how
to I get my books?
Can books be ordered on-line?
What services/facilities are available?
What's available?
About the Author
Dr. Pamela MacBrayne is a Senior Consultant for CollegisEduprise
where her primary activities involve comprehensive e-learning assessment
and strategic planning projects. Prior to joining CollegisEduprise
she worked for the University of Maine System for 25 years, focusing
on providing access to educational opportunities for rural adults.
Among her responsibilities were the development and management of
off-campus centers and the planning, implementation and management
of Maine's statewide distance learning program. As Executive Vice
President of the Education Network of Maine, Dr. MacBrayne was involved
in all aspects of serving distant learners. However, her focus has
been on providing student support services through a variety of
means, including call centers and online resources. Dr. MacBrayne
has provided consulting services for a number of institutions and
has made numerous presentations at national conferences.
Kentucky Virtual University
Call Center
University of Maine System,
University College Teleservice Center
Washington State University,
Distance Degree Programs Call Center
|
