Developing and Implementing Comprehensive Student Support Services for Online Students

The issue of “student retention” in higher education has become a critical focus in recent years. This problem is even more severe with students enrolled in online courses. While many institutions have tried to address this persistent issue, few have been able to mount an effective and sustained strategy to decrease attrition rates, particularly for students in online courses. This paper describes the efforts of Lone Star College-Online and its Online Student Support Services unit to build and implement a comprehensive suite of services for online students with the intention of enhancing the online student experience and ultimately, directly and indirectly, improving student retention rates. It is hoped that others can learn and gain from the shared successes and challenges presented in this paper.

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