Background: WSU Online is the online campus of Weber State University. A metropolitan public four-year institution located in Ogden, Utah, WSU focuses on undergraduate education, offering associate and bachelors degrees and only four graduate programs. WSU Online, launched in the autumn of 1997, now offers about 160 courses per term with over 3000 enrollments in the spring of 2000. We invite you to visit WSU Online at http://wsuonline.weber.edu throughout our presentation and to view additional material about our site and handouts for our presentation at http://wsuonline.weber.edu/presentations (select TCC 2000).
From the beginning, WSU Online was conceived as a complete campus, providing both instruction and support services. David Wolf and Sally Johnstone in "Cleaning up the Language" (Change, July/August 1999) define virtual university as "an institution that does not have a campus but grants academic degrees" (p. 36). They do not include a "virtual campus," such as WSU Online, in their taxonomy. A virtual campus can be defined as the presence in cyberspace of courses and services offered by an institution that also has a physical campus.
Services available: All tools and systems used in WSU Online have been developed here at Weber State. The most critical online student services (admissions, registration and fee assessment) have been fully integrated into the campus records database from the beginning. This has made registration very simple--try it yourself by going to the Registrar’s office in the Student Services Center. Select Resident student and use a social security number of 111-11-1111 and a PIN of 1111. This direct interface also feeds the Login System, an online gradebook, and the WebPortfolio.
Students access courses through the WSU Online Login System that allows only registered (and paid) students to enter the system using a student ID number and a self-generated password. At their first login each semester, students are asked to complete a short survey of browser information, email addresses, and demographic data. This information is used by staff to provide additional services and by online faculty to get to know their students. Students are also asked for their preferred email address; sixty percent use something other than the campus-provided system, which may also mean that 40% access their courses from campus computer labs.
While not exactly a student service, WebPortfolio provides for posting assignments and messages and for uploading files to the student’s own personal (and private) file. Only the student and instructor have access to a student’s portfolio. Assignments are submitted by web forms within course pages. The instructor accesses assignments, comments on the material, and posts a grade. Once the assignment is edited by the instructor (usually in red), it is re-posted and the student can access it and read the comments. The portfolio message center allows faculty and students to send individual or group messages, so that all course communication can be managed in one area.
The Technical Support Tracker provides a method for seeking technical support during non-office hours. The system is accessible from the student’s course schedule page; technical assistance is requested by selecting the problem area from a drop-down menu and typing a detailed message. The program sends messages directly to staff responsible for each technical area; students usually receive a reply within 24 hours. Students’ messages and follow-up replies are kept in a database, allowing staff to know what problems exist and what support is given and to log recurring problems so improvements can be made.
The other basic online services used by all students are open to all visitors to the WSU Online site. Library staff have developed a wide range of services for online and distance learners, including catalog and database access, "ask a librarian" reference help, and basic library instruction (how to search, the difference between popular magazines and scholarly journals, etc.). The Bookstore is where students buy books online. It uses a shopping cart mechanism which allows students to select the necessary books and track a total price for their purchases. Students purchase books using their credit card via a secure server, and books are shipped by the Weber State bookstore within 5-7 working days.
The future: Funds ordinarily collected for student fees are re-directed into a special account to cover equipment and staff directly supporting online students. This funding allowed us to hire–starting March 20–a professional staff member to focus on student and support services for WSU Online. Susan Smith will be joining us for the chat portion of the TCC 2000 conference; her addition to the team will make student services a key focus during the coming year.
Lessons learned: We originally planned to start by developing those services most willing and ready to move online (Women’s Center and Tutoring). While these two units are still supportive, reality pushed us to put development resources first into services that all students need (see above). We also planned significant staff for technical support, starting at 12 or more hours per day and aiming for 24-7. But with fewer than 200 students that first term, calls for technical support were rare and came early in the term. The Tech Support Tracker is now our 24-7 coverage. Clearly, one lesson from our experience is that a critical mass of students must exist before online services will be significantly utilized. We advise others developing virtual campuses to begin with the most universally needed services and add others as growth demands.
We also encourage online service developers to think "long range and scalable" as they develop services. For example, our automated registration system has made it possible to handle big jumps in enrollment numbers without the wear and tear on staff we would experience if our "online" registration were merely forms printed and then manually re-entered into a registration system.
Our most important advice, however, is to just DO IT! You don’t have to do everything at once, and you don’t have to execute flawlessly. Start where you have some toeholds and keep a running log for improvement. Going online will be both stressful and exhilarating. You’ll draw on traditional values and hard-won experience from the face-to-face world while learning new skills, tools, and ways of thinking. Have fun!
Prepared by Tamara Aird and Peg Wherry, 3/31/00 for TCC 2000.