1st Edition

Supporting Students in Online, Open and Distance Learning

By Ormond Simpson Copyright 2002

    Recognized as the leading book on the subject, Supporting Students in Online, Open and Distance Learning considers the support of students either on or off-campus. Ever-greater numbers of students are studying as part of open, flexible, distance or online courses and, with the rise in numbers and expectations, so the need to offer these often-diverse students effective support is critical.
    Fully revised and expanded, this new edition reflects current concerns and developments in ODL. It includes increased coverage of tuition in different media, issues of student retention, structures and quality assurance, staff development, online support and computer conferencing. Practical and authoritative, the book tackles the full range of student support issues in ODL, including:
    *developing the most appropriate tuition techniques
    *social support
    *retention
    *delivering support at a distance and online
    *face-to-face support
    *learning-skills and staff development
    Supporting Students in Online, Open and Distance Learning is essential reading for all those with an interest in recruiting and teaching students in open and distance learning or e-learning situations. It will help lecturers, moderators and tutors to develop a range of skills with a focus on support, retention and student outcomes.

    Series Editor's foreword, Preface to the second edition, Introduction, 1. Models and definitions, 2. Background to student support, 3. Non-academic student support: advising, 4. Academic support: tuition, 5. Delivering student support at a distance, 6. Student support face to face, 7. Delivering student support by computer, 8. Computer conferencing in student support: online tuition and support, 9. Media for student support, 10. Student support outside the institution, 11. Learning skills development and student support, 12. Student support for different students, 13. Student support for access, acquisition, retention and retrieval, 14. Theories of student support, 15. Structures and quality in student support, 16. Staff development and appraisal for support, 17. Epilogue: the future of student support in ODL, References, Index

    Biography

    Ormond Simpson is Director of the Open University's Centre for Educational Guidance and Student Support and has worked in open and distance learning for more than 25 years. He has consulted, researched and written widely in the field of student support in ODL.

    'A book that can serve as a worthwhile resource for educators and advisers connected in any way with distance education.' - American Journal of Distance Education

    'A significant contribution to a professional void. Easy to read, inviting to pick up and organized in thoughtful chunks, there is much here to prompt the reader to think more carefully about many factors that directly affect quality advising ... A valuable addition to the professional literature of any educator or advisor involved in ODL.' - American Journal of Distance Education