Virtual Case Study

1
Student Virtual Portal
Year of the Personal Computer McApple College
Saint Louis University Tanya Griffin, Team Lead
2
Student Virtual Portal
3
Student Virtual Portal
To meet a growing need for technology based tools
to address student enrollment, academic learning
and socialization the division of Student Affairs
developed and uses an online, interactive virtual
portal. This portal is designed to mature as the
student progresses through the university
academic experience providing resources
appropriate to the student. The portal does not
act as a replacement for face to face encounters
with students but rather encourages active
student participation from all learning
communities.   The portal serves to address the
needs of a large commuter student population.
Traditionally programmed services are readily
available with easy access for residential
students however the commuter population is often
disconnected. The portal resolves this problem in
that access is available anywhere internet access
is available.
4
Purpose

• The Student Virtual Portal (SVP) was developed
  and implemented to serve as an informational,
  social, and academic online environment providing
  students greater access to resources in support
  of successful academic experience both in and out
  of the classroom. The SVP boasts
• 24/7 student access to administrative resources
  including financial,
• academic, technical support
• Single point of entry to vast university online
  resources
• Safe internet environment for both academic and
  social interactions
• Collaborative content throughout portal system
  from student, faculty,
• and staff.
• Progressive, multi-stage environment

5
Design, Pedagogy, Assessment
6
Design

• Multi-stage, progressive content whereby students
  have access to
• information based on their student status.
• Level 1 Entry
• Geared to address high school seniors who have
  either accepted enrollment to the university or
  students seeking to learn more
• Level 2 Freshmen Sophomore
• Geared to address student access to information
  to
• Level 3 Junior Senior
• Geared to address student information that moves
  toward
• Social Justice issues
• Advanced research for academics
• Career Services access job placements, resume
  building
• Collaborative, multidisciplinary team of
  administrative staff, information
• technology services, academic deans, faculty and
  student
• Customizable view
• Communication access to AIM, chat, video, audio
  and other

7
Pedagogy

• The portal promotes active learning from all
  aspects of online experience for both online
  classes and out of classroom experiences
• Social justices issues
• Guest online speakers
• Private and anonymous conversations with health
  and counseling, advising, and other
• Career Services
• Virtual gaming to provide experience and
  experience to multiple and varied activities
  challenging student
• Online tutoring
• Online writing center

8
Assessment

• Assessment Ongoing, daily, periodic assessment
  is gathered through the portal
• Surveys
• Qualitative assessment through iChat,
  asynchronous and synchronous dialog,
  conversations, threaded discussion
• Academic testing
• Faculty evaluations
• Forums

9
Five Affected Areas
10
Service Learning

• Online Service Interest Form- Via the portal,
  students can submit a form where they list what
  areas of service they are interested in (i.e.
  working with children, senior citizens, the
  homeless, etc.), their availability, and other
  pertinent information- Student is then contacted
  via email with various volunteer opportunities
• Database of Agencies- A database of non-profit
  agencies looking for volunteers is also
  available, which allows students and faculty to
  search on their own for opportunities that would
  be a good match- This allows for a greater
  volume of students to be connected to service
  opportunities, in a smaller amount of time
• Online Reflection- Students have access to an
  online blog, where they post reflections from
  their service experience for others to view

11
Student Health and Counseling

• McApple MD- Via the portal, a student can use
  this chat area where he or she can post questions
  (anonymously) regarding physical health, i.e.
  symptoms or pains, or ask advice for minor health
  issues.- A staff member is then responsible for
  answering questions by posting responses for
  students to see
• AIM- Similarly, during a certain time of the
  day, a doctor can be online to answer questions
  from students immediately in a real-time chat-
  Both programs eliminate a great deal of
  unnecessary visits and student traffic, as many
  problems can be solved via the internet. This
  frees up staff to devote more time to serious
  health issues that arise in students.

12
Career Services

• Job Database- Via the portal, a link is provided
  to an employment opportunities database, where
  both students can search for jobs by area of
  interest, and employers can post/update any
  available openings- Additionally, this area
  provides a space for students to post their
  resumes for review by potential employers
• Podcasts- Students can view real-time podcasts
  of employers giving a presentation on their
  company or organization, what types of applicants
  they are looking for, etc.- This allows the
  employers to reach a larger population of
  students, as well as giving the students
  flexibility to view them on their own time.

13
Student Organizations and Activities

• Online Calendar
• Provides access for students to view all events,
  programs, or activities hosted by student
  organizations
• Viewable by day, week, month, and year
• Student organizations can add or edit events
  online as well, via approval from staff
• Database of Organizations
• This search engine allows new students, or
  students looking to get involved, an easy way to
  locate a student organization that fits their
  interest, as groups are divided into categories
  (Social Justice, Multi-Cultural, Social, etc.)
• Also provides a web profile on each organization,
  listing contact info, a mission statement
  meeting times and locations, and membership
  guidelines.
• Member only access would also allow these student
  organizations an area to post minutes from their
  meetings.
• Online Applications
• Students who are interested in forming a new
  organization can apply online, and get approval.

14
Diversity

• Hot Topics
• The Portal provides headlines about issues in
  diversity, whether racial, cultural, religious,
  etc., as well as information about upcoming
  events.
• A chat room is also available where students can
  discuss these or other issues in a safe,
  staff-monitored forum.
• Disabilities Services
• An online form is available for students with
  disabilities to submit, requesting certain
  services or accommodations for a class, event, or
  program.
• This allows students with disabilities to make
  their needs known from the comfort of their
  home, and reduces any potential embarrassment
  that could come of physically going to the
  office to make a request

15
Rationale
Challenages and Benefits
16
Challenges

• Possible replacement of interpersonal
  relationships
• Student affairs focuses on the importance of
  interpersonal relationships between Student
  Affairs staff and various members of the campus
  community. There are immeasurable benefits
  associated with human interaction between student
  affairs staff and students. Thus, technology
  should not replace this face-to-face interaction,
  but serve as an alternate means of communication
  that students can access if they choose so.
• Learning is a socially grounded activity. Thus,
  technology should strive to foster, not stifle,
  social connections within the learning community.

17
Challenges Electronic Communication

• Insecurity of electronic communication
• Possible miscommunication due to
  misinterpretation of message.
• Breaches in confidentiality may occur due to the
  trail left by electronic communication. Several
  pending lawsuits have suggested that once
  received, electronic communication becomes a
  public document, whose redistribution can not be
  over seen by the author.
• May cause personal-professional workplace issues
  and increase workplace interruption.
• May disturb traditional communication protocols
  and administrative practices. For example,
  questions and concerns maybe sent directly to
  deans, board members, vice-presidents and
  presidents instead of being addressed by a
  particular staff member who has the most
  knowledge of a problem.
• May foster a reactionary, rather than a
  proactive, work environment.
• Electronic communication may obscure the
  distinction between work hours and after hours
  for already overworked employees.

18
Challenges Implementation Process

• Implementation Process
• Increased need for computer literacy of all
  employees.
• Must determine what technologies are most
  advantageous for each employee.
• New technological software and programs are
  continually being built, thus universities must
  be savvy in determining the most beneficial
  products.
• Increased costs of new technological products,
  repairs, and upgrades for both students and
  universities.

19
Challenges Entertainment Technologies

• Entertainment Technologies
• Student venues will need to adapt to new
  technology. For example, student recreational
  centers will be called to have more electronic
  games and simulation activities, while residence
  halls will need to have wireless internet access.
  
• Due isolation of personal computers, students may
  cocoon, in which the individual detaches him or
  herself from the greater campus community. Thus,
  Student Affairs must compete with the increase in
  solitary electronic options available to students.

20
Benefits Internal Member

• Through the transformation of informational
  disseminations, transactional interactions,
  communication applications, as well as the
  entertainment and educational technologies,
  technology allows student affairs to assist two
  types of members of the university community
• The internal member who is the individual
  bound by traditional work hours, for example
  university staff and faculty, purchasing
  counterparts, and other university colleagues.
• Establishes a twenty-four hour domain with the
  most up to date information instantaneously,
  thus, aiding in informational disseminations by
  decreasing the strain on office hours and staff
  availability.
• Lowers the costs for the university.
• Assists in communication applications, by
  diminishing human error rate.

21
Benefits External Member

• The external member are those individuals that
  seek access to services after traditional work
  hours, for example, students, who are overwhelmed
  with class, work, research and other daytime
  obligations.
• Transactional interactions become more convenient
  and instantaneous. For example, through e-mail,
  websites, text messages, and electronic
  voicemail, a twenty-four hour domain is
  established with the most up to date information.
  
• Establishes easily accessible life-long student
  records.
• Fosters learning through new virtual reality
  games, such as MOOS (Multiple Object Oriented
  Structures) that serve both entertainment and
  educational functions. Thus, staff and faculty
  can engage students through simulation exercises
  with little risk.
• Most importantly, nurtures a student centered
  environment by
• Appealing to the interests of the technology
  savvy student.
• Lowering overall costs for students.
• Allowing student organizations and departments
  the capability to communicate more effectively
  with their members via listservs, discussion
  groups, online agendas and calendars, as well as
  websites.

22
Recommendation

• In order to create an environment that
  successfully embraces technological advances, the
  university should
• Become up to date with emerging technologies.
• Recruit employees who are willing to embrace new
  technology.
• Continually evaluate the technological
  initiatives within the university.
• Save funding for experimental applications in
  technology.
• Create campus committees and partnerships between
  departments that address and incorporate new
  initiatives in technology.
• Fine-tune staff size and organization to reflect
  the needs of the technologically altered
  environment.
• Expand professional development training for
  staff members.
• Regulate personal and professional technology use
  on campus.
• Involve students in determining what
  technological advances are most beneficial to the
  campus.
• Foster student learning with the assistance of
  technology.
• Create a set of policies that outline the proper
  usage of university technology.
• Maintain that the mission of the university is
  reflected in all elements of the new twenty-four
  hours domain.

23
Participants

• Tanya Griffin, Academic Advisor School of
  Professional Studies
• Bobby Wassel, Program Manager for Community
  Outreach
• Dale Ellen ONeil 1818 Advanced College Credit
  Program
• Tom Hanley, Technology Coordinator Student
  Programs and Services