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Allen, K., & Brown, P. (2005). Delivering student services online via your online course tool. Paper presented at the 21^st Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning. Abstract retrieved October 3, 2006 from http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/Resource_library/proceedings/05_1737.pdf

This article discusses how Student Affairs professionals at Syracuse University used the same system used by faculty for online courses to deliver student services to distance students. The paper outlines how this effort took advantage of both existing software and current staff to reach distance-learning students in a manner that was more effective than individual emails and phone calls. According to Allen and Brown existing group discussion tools allowed the advisors to communicate information to groups of students all at once, rather than reaching out to each student individually.

Aoki, K. & Pogroszewski, D. (1998). Virtual university reference model: A guide to      delivering education and support services to the distance learner. Online Journal           of Distance Learning Administration, 1(3). Retrieved April 3, 2006 from       http://www.westga.edu/~distance/aoki13.html

            This paper represents a joint effort of Dr. Kumiko Aoki of Boston University and Donna Pogroszewski of Monroe Community College. In the article the authors provide a guideline for creating an all inclusive ‘virtual university,’ The model outlines a system for delivering course information, such as lectures and assignments, discusses what information should be communicated, and lastly covers the important topic of support services for online and distance learners. The authors stress the importance of creating a variety of online support services in order to ensure that distance learners receive the same advantages as on campus students.

Bloom, J.W., & Walz, G.R. (2003). Cybercounseling and Cyberlearning: An Encore. Greensboro, NC: ERIC Counseling and Student Services Clearinghouse.

            This book is a follow-up to the earlier work titled “Cybercounseling and Cyberlearning: Strategies and Resources for the Millennium.” The text is divided into two portions, predictably: Cyberlearning and Cypercounseling. Cyberlearning focuses on ways of spreading knowledge about counseling through network technologies, and designing websites that are fully accessible. The Cybercounseling portion includes chapters which address issues related to technique, confidentiality and ethics for conducting counseling of various types via computer mediated communications.

Brigham, D. (2001) Converting student support services to online delivery. International          Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 1(2). Retrieved April 3, 2006   from http://www.icaap.org/iuicode?149.1.2.6

            Brigham’s article provides a case study, which discusses the transition of a distance learning program from phone and print-based format to an online format. For the case Brigham follows the step by step transition of Regents College (now Excelsior College) in Albany, NY. As Brigham describes the college created six separate support services as a part of the transition to online courses. The online services include, electronic advising, a peer network, a database of distance courses, an online bookstore, a virtual library, and a site for alumni services. This article is an excellent starting point for other colleges and universities looking to increase or improve their online services, as Regents provides an excellent model as an entirely distance learning college with an enrollment of 17,000 students.

Crawley, A. (2004, January). Online student services benefit all students. Student Affairs On-Line, 5(1). Retrieved October 3, 2006, from http://www.studentaffairs.com/ejournal/Winter_2004/OnlineStudentServices.html

This article provides an overview of information related to the development of online student services. Crawley discusses how these services help distance learners feel more connected to the campus, and how they provide benefits to live-on students who prefer to access help and information online. Included in this article are links to college and non-college based online services which may provide models and ideas for professionals who are looking to create online services at their institutions.

Dare, L.A., Zapata, L.P., & Thomas, A. G. (2005). Assessing the needs of distance learners: A student affairs perspective. New Directions for Student Services, 112, 39-54.

This authors of this assessment project began by recognizing a disconnect between student affairs and distance education. They argue that the common ground between the two is technology. In addition to a helpful literature review on the subject of online student services this paper details the specifics of the assessment project completed by the authors. In the project a survey developed with the assistance of student affairs offices at NC State University was given to distance learners both on and off campus. The survey used a Likert scale to determine the experience of the students in distance learining, their technology skills and resources, level of connection to the university, communication preferences, and importance and use of existing services as well as projected use of proposed services. The data collected is helpful for guiding the creation of these services.

Irvin,M., & Koan, M. (2004).Let’s get STARTed! Creating an online technology orientation. Proceedings of the 32nd annual ACM SIGUCCS: Conference on User service: User Services Conference (pp. 364-366). New York: ACM Press.

            Arizona State University, West, provides a different twist to computerized student services in this article. In order to help orient students to the technology available to them on campus, including registering computers on the college network, email and online course software they have created an online tutorial program. The program, entitled Student Technology Access Readiness Training (START) includes elements that allow the Information Technology to track student progress in the program. This allows them not only to ensure that students are using the software, but to assess if students who complete the program have fewer problems or questions related to campus technology. The START program seems to provide some potential for similar developments in other areas of campus orientation

Junco, R., & Salter, D. W. (2004). Improving the campus climate for students with disabilities through the use of online training. NASPA Journal, 41, 263-276.

            Junco and Salter report on a different side of student services and the Internet. Rather than reporting on strategies specific to creating pages, which meet student needs, this article discusses an online training program designed to indirectly serve students. The program is one that provides training to faculty and student affairs staff to help them work with students with disabilities. The specific goal of the online course, Project Opportunity and Access, is to change a campus environment to be more open to working with disabled students. Training programs such as this are a convenient way to get the message out, without the difficulty of coordinating schedule, or the cost of reserving space and hiring presenters. Assessment of the class showed that attitudes towards the disabled changed significantly following the program.

Kendall, J. R. (2005). Implementing the web of student services. New Directions for Student Services, 112, 55-68.

This entry comes from the Washington State University system. In it Kendall outlines how the University created their online student services system. Research conducted by the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications on web-based student services led to a ‘web’ model of how these services should be created. Washington State, according to the article, employed the model to create five separate sections to their online services. The five sections, academic services, personal services, student communities, communications and the administrative core, as created by Washington State University are described and illustrated in the article.

Kretovics, M. (2003). The role of student affairs in distance education: Cyber-services or virtual communities. Online Journal of Distance Learning Adminstration, 4(3). Retrieved October 3, 2006 from http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/articles/fall2003/kretovics63.html

            Krevotics provides four central topics for discussion related to distance learning and student affairs. The topics are, providing services to distance students, creating online communities for distance students, failure to include staff from across campus in the on-line learning process, and lack of distance learning programs for degrees in higher education. Krevotics offers his insight into each of these topics, based on extensive research and suggests that there is plenty of room for improvements. Specifically he encourages and increased use of distance learning for higher education professionals, clarifying the difference between providing online services and online community, and revising distance learning programs to include staff members from offices across campus, both student affairs and academic, in order to ensure that all the educational goals of the institution are met in online courses.

Krauth, B., & Carbajal, J. (n.d.). Guide to developing online student services. Retrieved       April 5, 2006, from http://www.wcet.info/resources/publications/guide1003/      guide.pdf

            This article provides an excellent overview of student services which colleges should make available online for the benefit of distance learning students. Central to the report is a guide to good practice which is divided into categories based on different student service. The importance of each service is discussed and followed by a very helpful list of recommendations for good practice. The complete guide covers a wide variety of topics related to admissions, academics, encouraging student success, and social aspects which help distance learners to feel connected to the community. Concluding the article are several current examples of college sites which support distance learning. 

LaPadula, M. (2003). A comprehensive look at online student support services for        distance learners. The American Journal of Distance Education, 17, 119-128.

            LaPadula’s article reports the findings of an online survey conducted to assess the satisfaction of online students regarding available services at the New York Institute of Technology. While the study found that students were generally pleased with the current services offered there was an expressed desire to offer new services similar to those available to non-distance students. Some example of these requests include book and academic clubs, an online student newspaper, tutoring services, online psychiatric help, and seminars on issues such as time management and parenting (topics especially relevant to distance learners who often must balance families and work with their studies). This report clearly illustrates the need to expand online student support services as the number of distance learning student’s increases. It also reinforces the concept that an education is not complete without addressing area’s of growth and knowledge beyond the given subject matter.

Ludwig-Hardman, S., & Dunlap, J.C. (2003, April). Learner support services for online students: Scaffolding for success. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 4.1. Retrieved October 3, 2006 from http://madlib.athabascau.ca/oldirrodl/content/v4.1/dunlap.html

In order to learn more about attrition in online learning the authors of this article chose to study cases from Western Governors University, and online only college founded by 19 Western State Governors. Their research determined that most students fail to complete their online degree programs due to “isolation, lack of self-direction and management, and … decrease in motivational levels.” The authors argue that by providing academic advising other support services online to distance students it is possible to combat these issues, thus increasing graduation rates.

McNickle, C. & Daniell, R. (2001). Online student services: An overview of the       provision. Paper presented at the 4^th Annual Conference of the Australian         Vocational Education and Training Research Association. Retrieved April 3,      2006, from http://www.avetra.org.au/papers%202001/McNickle%20Daniell.pdf

            This paper, which was authored by McNickle and presented in conference by Daniell, discusses the online services offered by 19 vocational schools and institutions of higher education. In order to compare and contrast the schools studied the services were divided into four categories based on target audience: prospective student, enrolling student, enrolled student, and graduating student. For each of the categories key services are identified and defined. Within each category is a chart outlining the various services that were currently being offered to students, with recommendations and comments based on student needs. The researchers comment on the need for holistic education as an argument for increasing online student services.

Padgett, R. (2006). Better public relations on websites. Education Digest: Essential Readings Condensed for Quick Review, 71(5), 54-55.

Raven Padgett provides lessons learned from the realm of secondary education when creating school webpage’s. Using a public relations point of view the article provides advice for what types of information should be included on a site and who to select and address specific audiences. Additionally the article describes important information for creating sites that will load quickly for a variety of users and keep their interest without testing their patience. While the information in this article is directed at secondary schools that may not have created websites yet, the information is a useful review for post-secondary institutions who may be adding to, or revising portions, or all, of their websites.

Parson, A., & Hernández, J. (2003). Creating student centered web pages for incoming and new students. Student Affairs On-Line, 4(1). Retrieved August 20, 2006 from http://www.studentaffairs.com/ejournal/winter_2003/creatingwebpages.html

            Today most students, or potential students, receive their first impressions of a college not from a tour, or an admissions mailing, but from the website. According to Parson’s and Hernandez it is essential that college and university websites contain a consistent message that promotes the campus to students. The authors stress that students today are becoming more like consumers and therefore our websites must specifically address incoming students, have up to date information, include pictures of students, faculty and staff, and include services that utilize the technology beyond just advertising the services offered offline.

Sachs, D., & Hale, N. (2003). Pace University’s focus on student satisfaction with student services online education. [Electronic version]. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 7(2).

Sachs and Hale report the findings of an involved research study on student satisfaction with online services at Pace University. The study, which was funded by a one million dollar grant, uses a computerized feedback system to constantly collect and analyze information provided by students. The authors describe briefly how this system works and then discuss the research findings that resulted from a study of adult professional students enrolled in an online Telecommunications Associates Degree program. To conclude Sachs and Hale explain how this feedback was used to make improvements to the online education program.

Scheer, S. B., & Lockee, B. B. (2003). Addressing the wellness needs of online distance learners. Open Learning, 18, 177-196.

In this 2003 study researchers conducted an assessment to determine what support services online students felt they were lacking. Specifically the study analyzed the potential need for wellness-centered services in online education. According to the report the study showed that the majority of students felt that these services were necessary and that their respective universities did not provide the services satisfactorily. Based on their findings the authors provide a recommendation for the necessary elements to include in what they refer to as an Online Wellness Resource Center (OWRC).

Shea, P.A. (2005). Serving students online: Enhancing their learning experience.. New Directions for Student Services, 112, 15-24.

This entry is an excellent starting point for those who want to begin learning about online student services. Shea discusses key research studies which helped to define what online student services include and developed a model which separates services into five categories: academic, communication, community, personal services, and administrative. The article also discusses the importance of online student services in today’s higher education marketplace. Lastly a guide for best practices in online services, and information on assessment efforts is provided to help institutions create and evaluate this important tool.

Shea, P. & Armitage, S. (2003, March). Guidelines for creating student services online.       Retrieved April 5, 2006, from http://www.wcet.info/projects/laap/guidelines/      print.asp

            This four part document provides a complete review of student services, with an emphasis on the needs of distance and online learners. By analyzing the issue from a student needs perspective the authors are able to describe useful services that colleges and universities should include on their websites for those audiences. In order to further the understanding of these services a project was completed by the Learning Anytime Anyplace Partnership (LAAP). The aim of the project was to assess existing student services online and the needs of distance learning students to create a set of guidelines for developing these highly necessary services.

Thompson, N. P. (2003). Review of the book Promoting Student Learning and Student Development at a Distance: Student Affairs Concepts and Practices for Televised Instruction and Other Forms of Distance Education. Journal of College Student Development, 44, 571-573.

            For insight into the full text this book review is extremely helpful. Thompson discusses key points from the book including four central questions addressed by the authors. According to Thompson they sought to define distance learning and it’s practice, assess the needs of distance learners, determine what practices are necessary for student services and support, and to clarify best practices for online and distance academics. The second part of this book is most useful for student affairs professionals as it specifically addresses online student services from a student development theory perspective.

Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training. (n.d.). Universities online: A survey of online education and service in Australia. Retrieved October 12, 2006 from http://www.dest.gov.au/sectors/higher education/publications_resources.html

This report details the methods of research, and the results of a study commissioned by the Australian Government. The purpose of the study was to analyze the extent of online courses and services available from Australian Universities. The study analyzed methods of teaching and providing services at 40 of the 43 Universities in Australia.

Brigham, D. (2001). Converting student support services to online delivery. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 1, 1-16.

            This article details a case study analysis of a distance learning programs conversion from phone and paper delivery to online delivery. The program, created by Regents College (now Excelsior College) faced a variety of challenges during it’s transition and this article explains how each challenge was overcome. The article provides a helpful ‘true-life’ tail which serves as a model for other programs that are in the process of moving to online delivery.

Johnstone, S. M. (2002). Really serving students at a distance. Campus Technology. Retrieved October 12, 2006 from http://campustechnology.com/article.asp?ip=6244

            This brief article provides an overview of the procedures employed by the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications to assist institutions in developing online student services. The process is broken down into five easy steps for developing the groundwork for online services.

Kleemann, G., & Brown, S., (2001). Web based student services: A farewell to status quo. Presentation available online. Retrieved October 28, 2006, from http://polyweb.poly.asu.edu/garyk/NASPA%202001.htm

This online presentation provides a series of PowerPoint slides which addresses trends that were developing at the time in higher education, and how these trends foster the need for online student services. The presentation then explains stages of web development and paradigms for providing services. Also available on the website above is a link to various sites which provide prime examples of existing online student services.

Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications. (n.d.). Beyond the administrative core: Creating web-based student services for online learners. Retrieved October 12, 2006 from http://wwww.wcet.info/services/studentservices/beyond/index.asp

            This project is the core of research related to creating online services for students. The project itself ran from 2000-2003 and collected a wealth of data on best practices for online services. This website recaps the design of the project, and provides information such as resources, guidelines for design, an archive of webcasts, and perhaps most importantly consulting services for institutions designing online services.