For many online students, the flexibility of an online degree or certification program outweighs the possibility of a less immersive student experience.

But without having to physically walk into a classroom, an adviser’s office or a study session, experts say students who are struggling to keep up or stay interested in course work are sometimes more difficult to recognize and easier to ignore.

As a result, some programs are using innovative methods to foster an online educational experience that is more supportive, engaging, and responsive to student demands.

Among those tactics are the use of big, integrated data and analytics to help identify and support struggling students, the creation of research bodies devoted to studying online learning methods, and the development of collaborative relationships with virtual student clubs and associations.



Learn about the debate over graduation rates for online students. ]

Big Data

In an online environment, a professor may not know if a student is dropping out of courses, turning her assignments in at the last possible moment or not engaging directly with online course materials.

At the University of Phoenix and DeVry University, that's where integrated data systems come in.

Within the last two years, both for-profit institutions have implemented systems that unify data from all points across a student's online experience, run an analysis to look for troubling patterns in that student's progress and potentially alert an academic adviser if danger signs are seen.

"The system looks at everything," says Constance St. Germain, the executive dean of the University of Phoenix's colleges of humanities and sciences and social sciences. "It looks at what they're accessing in terms of textbooks. Are they posting in the classroom? How are they responding to fellow peers? Are they submitting assignments late?"

The University of Phoenix implemented its integrated data system about 18 months ago, officials said. DeVry University piloted its system last summer, and then applied it across the institution's online division this March, says vice president of operations Earl Frischkorn.

"It's data that we have naturally in the course of working with the students inside the institution," says Frischkorn, whose school is also in a data research partnership with Stanford University. "It's just that we're putting it together, and we have a little better sense of the student's situation."

Frischkorn says it will take at least a few academic cycles before any judgments can be made on current systems' effectiveness, noting that it's one thing to identify whether a student is at risk, and another entirely to identify why, let alone solve the problem.

Further, just because a student is identified doesn't mean he or she will welcome assistance.

"You can't force anybody to get help that they don't want," St. Germain says. "The only thing you can do is make sure to reach out, to show that you care. Believe it or not, a lot of times, students just want the question, 'Is everything OK?'"

Research Centers

The University of Florida's Online Learning Institute may be in the nascent stages of its development, but its research interests show a strong focus on issues surrounding student engagement.

The institute launched last year, following a path set by schools like Pennsylvania State University and the University of Illinois—Springfield, among others, which also have online learning research centers. Florida’s OLI aims to study the effectiveness of UF’s online courses, the factors that influence how someone chooses to be an online student, the impact and potential of personalized learning technologies, and the accessibility of online programs.

"One of our challenges online is how do we capture the full educational experience," says Andrew McCollough, the University of Florida's associate provost for teaching and technology. "And we're not there yet. We're working on it."

Early research initiatives may include an analysis of how students watching​ live lectures perform academically compared to students ​seeing the same lectures in video form, and the use of eye tracking software to drive research on what makes engaging digital content, McCollough says.

Responding to Interest in Student Clubs



In the online division of Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, called Kelley Direct, ​virtual student associations have played a critical role in the creation of courses that engage more students by aligning to specific needs.

Join a virtual club as an online student. ]

The school permits associations representing students with a specific interest to make regular proposals regarding desired academic changes and improvements, says Terrill Cosgray, executive director of Kelley Direct.

The school responds, and often what results are new courses or sometimes even new academic pathways.

"It's very much dependent on student energy," says Cosgray, who adds that the best way to fuel that energy is to show a willingness not only to listen, but to act. "It really is a two-way street. We demonstrate that we are committed to responding to student interests and student demands for new programming by then making proposals in response to a club or association proposal."

As examples, the consulting academic pathway within the business school, as well as a consulting immersion course, were created in direct result to student demand, Cosgray says, as was a new online master's in entrepreneurship and innovation.