Parents in Community Colleges Dr. Mary Gatta, Senior Scholar Wider - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Online Learning and Student Parents in Community Colleges

• Dr. Mary Gatta, Senior Scholar

Wider Opportunities for Women

Online Learning is Growing…

• Sloan-C reports (2011) continued growth in
• nline learning over the decade
• Currently over 7 million students take at least
• ne online course
• 50% of online students are nontraditional

(age 26+) (ITC, 2010)

• 63% of online students are female (ITC, 2010)

Online and Student Parents

• Student Financial Aid Data (2007-08)

– 34% of all students who took distance learning class were parents – Most community colleges reported that while student parents are typically the student they see in online courses; they do not explicitly market to them

• In contrast– “for profits” aggressively market to

student parents

Google Search— “Single mothers and Online Degrees”

• University of Phoenix
• Cappella University
• APU Online University
• Kaplan University
• College Grants for Single Mothers
• Mother Degrees Online
• President Obama wants single mothers to go

to school

Online offers opportunities for student parents

• Transportation
• Childcare
• Work schedules
• Work at own pace
• Continuity of learning
• Collaborative learning
• Digital content is often less costly than course

books

• Learning on the technology that is critical to

labor market

Success of online learning

• Sloan Consortium “no significant differences”
• Allen and Seaman (2010)---66 percent of

academic leaders rate online learning

• utcomes same or better than face to face
• US DOE, 2009, meta-analysis—student
• utcomes equal or better

Single Mothers, Online and Workforce

• Gatta, 2005– single mothers provided with

computers, internet access and courses via One Stop Centers

• High retention rate- 128 participants only 11

left the program (92% retention rate).

• Average wage increase – 14%.
• Women also entered college and community

college programs.

Findings

• ALL the women felt they would have not have had the
• pportunity to take courses and increase their technological

skills without this online program.

• Flexibility in Time and Space.

– Work around their schedules. – Laptop Computers.

• Helps alleviate childcare demands.

– Age of children is important. – Family literacy effects.

• Helps alleviate transportation demands.

– Access to course not available in local area.

• Participation in the program increases women’s confidence

and self-esteem.

Post-secondary focus is primarily on 4 year schools

• Few empirical studies on online and

community colleges

• Retention rates not as high in online

community college classes

– Xu and Jaggers (2011)- less likely to complete with 10-15% withdrawal – ITC (2010)– 69% completion rate in online classes – BUT-- students who do not withdraw have similar grades to face-face classes

There are challenges for student parents

• ‘Third shift”—self discipline, time management
• Access to computers and high speed access
• Comfort with technology and technical support
• Comfort/understanding of online learning
• Isolation
• Often need to ‘self select’ into online
• Support services are not fully online
• Not many fully online degrees

Programs directed to student parents

• SUNY Community College system received a

NGLC grant to pilot a blended learning program for single parents (Fall, 2011)

• Targets 19-26 year old adult low wage parents
• Includes a series of interventions to address

retention

– Cognitive tutor – Diagnostic tools – Learning Concierge – Social networking

Promising Practices

• Online portals/consortiums– Illinois

Community Colleges Online, Massachusetts Community Colleges Online, Colorado Community Colleges Online, California Virtual Campus (examples)

– Allows for schools to share courses with each

• ther; and increase options for students

– Pool support services – Faculty collaboration

Promising Practices

• Blended/hybrid learning

– Not fully online (at least 1/3 of course in person) – Allows for the face-face learning – Blended must be ‘flexible” and locally available – Provide options for child care in blended environments

Promising Practices

• Rio Salado College (Arizona)

– 48 times a year students can begin a course/eliminates traditional semester – Asynchronous learning – All support services online (tutoring, tech support, advising, career services, etc) – Virtual student center/lounge – Courses available 2 weeks prior – “No Friday” due dates (Monday) – Proctor midterms/finals– locations in malls, with child drop off centers

Promising Practices

• Online orientations, assessments and ongoing

diagnostic tools

– Series of activities to prepare them for online course

• Curriculum
• Online and degree requirements
• Nature of online interaction
• Technical equipment/requirements
• Expectations
• Technical/computer literacy skills
• Assessments of learning styles

Promising Practice

• Outcome based competency, as opposed to

seat time

• Accelerated semesters

– Western Governors University – Chattanooga State Technical Community College – Bucks County College

Institutional challenges exist…

• Courses online, less full degree programs
• Students not assessed for technical literacy or

learning style

• Not all student support services online
• Faculty buy-in to develop courses
• Expectations of “anytime/place” “round clock

supports”

• May not be part of community college strategic

plan

Policy Issues – Online Learning

• Child care subsidies may not cover time
• nline
• Challenges with financial aid
• Broadband and Internet access availabilty
• US DOE rules on online education “Program

Integrity”

– Gainful employment rule – State authorization rule

QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS