1. Improving Online Student
Engagement through Synchronous
Learning Sessions
Heather Zink / Hybrid Classroom Manager
Rasmussen College

2. Contact Information
Heather Zink
Hybrid Classroom Manager
heather.zink@rasmussen.edu (email)
twitter.com/zinkpath (twitter)
facebook.com/heatherzink.at.rasonline (facebook)
952-230-5068 (office)
download slides: http://heatherzink.wordpress.com
7/10/2012

3. GOALS OF THE SESSION
• Develop an understanding of blended learning
opportunities for online students
• Discuss the benefits & strategies for implementing
synchronous learning activities into online
academics
• Discuss key components to engaging students in
online synchronous learning sessions
Copyright Rasmussen, Inc. 2011. Proprietary and Confidential.

4. I. Background on Hybrid
Course Delivery
Agenda II. Live Lecture Project –
great stats!
III. Student Feedback
IV. Workshop Structure
V. Types of Content
VI. Q&A
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5. Hybrid Delivery at Rasmussen
I. Virtual Live Lectures
II. Flex 50 – Campus-based & Virtual
III. Flat Instructor
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6. Live Lecture Project
• High failure, low retention courses – how do we change this?
• Q1/Q2 students – what makes them different?
– What needs do they have?
• Live lecture series – deliver the same lecture multiple times throughout the
week
• T-E-A-M of highly qualified faculty to create engaging sessions focused on
weekly objectives
• Award course credit for attendance – 5 points
– 5% of overall score
July 10, 2012 Copyright Rasmussen, Inc. 2011. Proprietary and Confidential. 6

7. Average Session Attendance
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Morning 9am 8am 9am 9am 7am
---4--- ---3--- ---9--- ---10--- ---21---
11am 11am 11am 11am 11am
---8--- ---9--- ---11--- ---19--- ---37---
Afternoon 2pm 12pm 2pm 1pm
---6--- ---17--- ---12--- ---12---
4pm 3pm
---7--- ---16---
Evening 7pm 7pm 6pm 7pm 5pm
---22--- ---10--- ---10--- ---22--- ---11---
9pm 8pm 9pm 7pm
---8--- ---18--- ---18--- ---21---
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8. Objectives of the Live Lectures
Provide students with an opportunity to
interact with instructors and other students
Reinforce and clarify concepts from each
week’s topics
Increase pass rates and retention rates
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9. Statistic Goals
Attendance: 50%
Retention: 80%
Pass Rates: 80%
Course Average: 80%
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10. Hands clapping
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11. Spring EOQ Attendance Stats – M120
Of 528 students finishing the course…
• 86% attended at least 1 session
• 70% attended over half of the sessions
Sessions Course
• 86% pass rate attended Average
0 66.9
• 84% average score 1-4 51.3
• 82% retention 5-8 87.2
all 94.1
---528/646---
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12. Spring 2012 Student Comments
 “…it is nice to recap the information I read in the book and hear a bit of
examples on the subject. It helps it stick in my brain more. I do
sometimes having trouble getting into a session since I am home alone
with my children most of the time and it is hard to hear then. I do my
best and think I have found a good time span to do this. Overall I think it
is a good time for review and makes it seem kind of more like a real
classroom environment. I am unable to take residential classes due to my
childcare situation so being able to take more courses online was the main
reason I chose Rasmussen. The Live lectures are a great way to get the
experience of being in a class. Thanks.”
July 10, 2012 Copyright Rasmussen, Inc. 2011. Proprietary and Confidential. 12

13. Awesome Feedback!!
 “I've never had a class that made them a requirement, but I
do find them extremely useful. I feel like I retain the
information better too. I'm a hands on learner so the lecture
is the next best thing when it comes to needing to take online
classes.”
 “I enjoy these lectures, it makes reading and studying the
chapters fun, I wish they did these in every class. “
July 10, 2012 Copyright Rasmussen, Inc. 2011. Proprietary and Confidential. 13

14. More Good Stuff!!
 “I actually look forward to the live lectures. I enjoy them every week! We get a
lot of information from them that helps on the assignments and quizzes.”
 “I was a little unsure about the live lectures at first but now I really enjoy them. It
just gives me a chance to learn the material better than from just reading the
chapter. I wouldn't change anything. I look forward to it every week.”
 “Honestly I missed the first two weeks because I forgot about it then the second
week I didn't realize it was in Eastern Time since we were all from MN, or ND area
I assumed it was Central Time. But I do enjoy them and wouldn't change anything
but make us involved just a little bit more but not too much. It gives people a
chance to show off how much they know and some learn more by being more
involved.”
July 10, 2012 Copyright Rasmussen, Inc. 2011. Proprietary and Confidential. 14

15. EOQ Data – Spring 2012
Average # Highest
% attending Course Phase of Live
Course % passing Retention per session
each week average Lecture Project
session attendance
24
Pilot – 10
B136 51% 81% 75.0 78% 6 Saturday
sections
10pm
70 Full Course
D132 59% 88% 81.6 79% 23 Saturday – 50
2pm sections
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16. …notice anything about students attending at
least 5 sessions a quarter…
Final Scores B080 B099 D132 G233 B136
0 sessions 43.6 14.3 61.0 59.9 49.5
1-4 sessions 43.5 58.3 69.9 58.5 49.9
5-8 sessions 73.6 83 86.7 70 81.7
All 9 sessions 82.0 80.5 95.4 83.4 92.2
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17. Embedded Librarian Partnership
• Professional Practice Activity – student
success is highly variable
• Library and Learning Center staff attended
sessions to discussed assignment specific
resources
68%  84%
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18. 2012 Projects
Spring Pilots Summer additions
B136 Intro to Business English Composition
G233 College Algebra Introduction to Criminal Justice
AcceleratED Bachelor’s courses
Continuing Courses Fall additions
M120 Medical Terminology Medical Coding
D132 Computer Applications Introduction to Early Childhood
Education
B080 Reading & Writing Strategies Anatomy & Physiology
B099 Foundations of Math
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19. How do they do it? TEAM SPIRIT!!!
Course lead with a great team of
support!
• Training Training Training !!
• Decide on how lectures/workshops will be
delivered
• Split up the work for creating them
GOAL = To create an engaging learning
experience for the students
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20. Collaborative efforts promote
student success & faculty
satisfaction
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21. Workshop Structure
• Think of each 1 hour workshop as a ‘lab’
• Students come with textbook exercises/assignments
complete – communication prior to workshop is key!
– Specific questions/agenda discussed in workshop
– Answers and/or sample assignments are provided – it’s a work session,
the group will work through the problems
– Potential for small group work in Breakout Rooms
• Each workshop includes :
– Ice breaker question, 5 course polls, 1
video/animation/interactive website, webcam
use & picture uploaded
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22. Workshop/Live Lecture components
• Each session includes (at minimum):
– Ice breaker question/activity
– 5 course polls/quick quizzes
– 1 video/animation/interactive website
• Another voice other than the instructor
– Interaction with the students every 5-10 minutes
– Webcam use & picture uploaded
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23. Types of Content
 Upload PowerPoint slides
 Show web pages and have students may complete activity.
 Use eBoard to draw, point, underline to highlight or create
content.
 Use Application Share to review an application or go review a
paper.
 Create Poll questions – interaction
promotes conversation!!
 Select a ‘note-taker’.

24. A few examples to get us started…

25. Weekly Assignments
• Discussion – Everyone’s talking about HIPAA
– Focus on the PRIVACY RULE
– http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understan
ding/index.html
• Written assignment – Confidentiality of
Medical Records
– Use Chapter 10 & the AHIMA article attached to
the assignment
• Quiz

26. What do you know?
1. Hemodialysis is the process by which cancer
cells are filtered directly from the patient’s
blood.
True or False

27. Answer: False.
Hemodialysis is the process by which
waste products are filtered from the
patient’s blood.

28. 1 2 3
4 5

29. Renal Pelvis
• Primary Function
– Collects urine produced by the
kidney.
• Related Combining Form
– ___________________
– What type of disease is
depicted in this picture?

30. Prepositional phrases

31. Adverbs
Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Adverbs
answer the questions:
• Where?
• When?
• How?
• How often?
• To what extent?
July 10, 2012 Copyright Rasmussen, Inc. 2011. Proprietary and Confidential. 31

32. Adjectives
The bedroom was filled with
huge, moldy boxes.
• The (adjective) modifies bedroom. Huge
describes the size of the boxes while moldy
describes the appearance. What kind of
boxes? Huge and moldy boxes.
July 10, 2012 Copyright Rasmussen, Inc. 2011. Proprietary and Confidential. 32

33. Using Good and Well Correctly
GOOD
• Louis is such a good recruiter.
• His decision to hire Rhonda was a good one.
• What kind of recruiter is Louis? (Good)
• What kind of decision was it? (Good)
WELL
• Louis is doing so well with his karate lessons. (How is he doing?)
• Rhonda's work is well beyond what we expected. (To what extent is her
work?)
July 10, 2012 Copyright Rasmussen, Inc. 2011. Proprietary and Confidential. 33

34. Conjunctions
Conjunctions connect words, phrases, or
clauses.
Sample Conjunctions:
And or so
But nor for yet
The fish and the frog like to swim, but the camel
likes to walk.
July 10, 2012 Copyright Rasmussen, Inc. 2011. Proprietary and Confidential. 34

35. Week 3 Discussion-Ready for a Snack
For your first post, compare and contrast two favorite snacks. Write
one sentence describing each snack. Snacks could be chocolate
cake and popcorn, brownies and ice cream, cherry pie and celery,
or pizza and a hamburger. Try to include one adjective in each of
your sentences.
In your response to another student, see if you can identify the
adjectives they used. What other parts of speech do you see?
Subject? Verb? Adverb? Did anyone use a conjunction or a
preposition?
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36. A Tale of Two Examples:
Meets the expectation:
• I like creamy strawberry milkshakes.
Impresses and allows you to PRACTICE!!!:
• I can’t wait for the hot, long days of summer
when I can make fresh, smooth and creamy
strawberry milkshakes using plump and juicy
sun ripened strawberries from my amazing
garden.
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37. On your scratch paper, jot down a
few sample sentences for the
Scratch paper
discussion. See how many
descriptive adjectives you can
use.
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38. Collaborative Live Sessions
ONLINE COURSES ON-CAMPUS COURSES
• Welcome/Open House • Invite guest speakers who cannot
come on-campus or reside out of
• Review and reflect discussion state
forums
• Archive explanations of
• Discuss weekly lesson applications or procedures
• Create breakout rooms for • Students who miss a class can
group discussions and remotely participate
activities • Students can complete their
• Project presentations group projects by working
collaboratively in the virtual
• Share desktop to show course classroom
specific applications.

39. We are enhancing the learning
experience & building community for
our students!
…and BONUS – increasing pass rates & retention!
July 10, 2012 Copyright Rasmussen, Inc. 2011. Proprietary and Confidential.
39

40. Contact Information
Heather Zink
Hybrid Classroom Manager
heather.zink@rasmussen.edu (email)
twitter.com/zinkpath (twitter)
facebook.com/heatherzink.at.rasonline (facebook)
952-230-5068 (office)
download slides: http://heatherzink.wordpress.com
7/10/2012