Do your online courses tend to have higher withdrawal rates than their traditional or hybrid counterparts? Sense of isolation is often cited as a reason for lower retention rates in online courses; therefore, an abundance of literature advocates the benefits of building a close-knit online learning community. The question is, how do you build a true community that inspires peer-to-peer learning? In this session, presenters will demonstrate ways they have successfully leveraged technology to build this type of community, resulting in a decreased withdrawal rate (from 17 percent to 4 percent)in an actual online course. Specific strategies for using synchronous and asynchronous tools to create more involved learning communities will be discussed to offer participants new approaches for engaging and retaining online students.

1. Online Learning Communities: Build
Them and They Might Stay
Alison Hedrick
Debra Geist
Kennesaw State University

2. Session Description
• Do your online courses tend to have higher withdrawal rates
than their traditional or hybrid counterparts? Sense of isolation
is often cited as a reason for lower retention rates in online
courses; therefore, an abundance of literature advocates the
benefits of building a close-knit online learning community.
The question is, how do you build a true community that
inspires peer-to-peer learning? In this concept focused
session, presenters will demonstrate ways they have
successfully leveraged technology to build this type
community, resulting in a decreased withdrawal rate (from 17
percent to 4 percent) in an actual online course. Specific
strategies for using synchronous and asynchronous tools to
create more involved learning communities will be discussed
to offer participants new approaches for engaging and
retaining online students.

3. Agenda
• Introduction
• Background
• Engaging and Retaining Online Students
• Future Study
• Conclusion

4. Introduction
• Sense of isolation is often cited as a reason
for lower retention rates in online courses.
• An abundance of literature advocates the
benefits of building a close-knit online
learning community.
• Student-student interaction is a key
component of online learning.
• How do you build a true community that
inspires peer-to-peer learning?

5. Background
• IT 2101
– Digital literacy course
• Hybrid and Online formats
• QM Certified Course

6. Engaging and Retaining Online Students
• Online discussions
• Videos
• Social Media
• Emerging Technologies
• Personalization

7. Online (threaded) discussions
• Spring 2012 • Summer 2012
– Introductory – Introductory
Discussion post Discussion post
• 79 posts • 105 posts
– Stuck on SAM – Stuck on SAM
• 33 posts • 58 posts
– Class Café – Class Café
• 43 posts • 67 posts
– Weekly Participation
Posts
• Games, new
technology tools

8. Student Feedback
• This is by far the best online class I have taken. I feel like I am
getting to know the people in the class just through how active
everyone is in the discussions.
• I appreciate how personal this course feels for an online course. For
instance I feel like I'm getting to know my classmates through
introduction and discussion posts.
• I believe our class has amazing energy and is very enthusiastic. It's
great how we can all come together and help each other out, form
groups and communicate.
• I loved Voki, Poll Everywhere and Eyejot is really cool. I love how
you incorporate all of these different things into what we're learning,
it really keeps things from getting boring.

9. Videos
• Spring 2012 • Summer 2012
– No videos! – Weekly Introduction
Videos
• Eyejot & Voki
– Instructor Introduction
Video
• YouTube

10. Student Feedback
• I love the videos! I'm not someone who asks a lot of questions during a
class or needs a lot of attention, but I really appreciate the videos. A human
voice explaining things is nice after sitting at the computer for so long!
• I think the videos are great! After being on the computer doing assignment,
it really helps to put a face to the class. If there's no real figure I think I'd
have a hard time visualizing the person giving me the work and probably
wouldn't do it...or at least be less motivated.
• Personally, I really enjoy your weekly use of Eyejot. It's a nice form of one-
way communication for me (as a student) to actually get to see you so I can
relate better when I read your e-mails and responses to posts. It's
reassuring to see that you are there to help us if we need it. I hope you
continue to use Eyejot for your future classes, it's really great!
• I LOVE the weekly messages you post because I get to see that you are a
real person, not just a professor. Your son is so adorable too. Your videos
make this online class feel less distant.
• This class is my first online class that the teacher has made such an effort
to be real with the students.

11. Social Media
• Visualization
– Glogster
– Wordle

12. Social Media
• Social Bookmarking
– Pinterest

13. Emerging Technologies
• Synchronous
– Wimba Classroom
– Google Hangouts
– Skype
– Chatroom (within LMS)
• Asynchronous
– Google Drive
– Screencasts
• Screencast-O-Matic
– Poll Everywhere

14. Personalization
• Email students who did not meet weekly
requirements.
• Address students by name in emails.
• Create and share PowerPoint presentation
of class roster.

15. Student Feedback
• I am planning on staying enrolled in this
class, but I registered late and had a minor
issue getting signed into the new online
platform. I will finish the work tonight if that's
ok. I'm sorry if this has caused any
inconvenience for you, but I appreciate you
checking - it makes the online environment
feel more personal.
• Thanks again for the reminder. I read the
chapter but I cannot find the binary
conversion which is why I haven't done it yet.

16. Future Study
• Two approaches to online courses
– One section has a more personal approach
and incorporates weekly videos.
– One section uses a less personal approach
and communicates mainly by email.
– Feedback, grading, assignments, quizzes and
are the same in both courses.

17. Future Ideas
• Glogster Group Project
• Study Session
– Google Hangout
– Google Drive

18. Results
• Withdrawal Rates (Online)
– Spring 2012
• 17%
– Summer 2012
• 7%
– Fall 2012
• 4%

19. Conclusion
• As educators, we must better understand
how to engage students and motivate
them to learn.
• After seeing ways in which we have
successfully leveraged technology to build
an online learning community, hopefully
you can take home some new approaches
for engaging and retaining online students!