Online Student Services Planning Guide

Step 1 - Identify Your Topic

My project is to outline the process of providing tutorial support in English/writing to online students.  I am already challenged by increasing demands for tutoring at our four regional campuses where students take classes through interactive television or Net Meeting.  Because our Computer Support Services Program is now offered entirely online and the number of online general education classes has expanded, the needs of distance students will only increase.  This gives me the opportunity to explore the options and plan a pilot for providing appropriate support.

Step 2 - Review and analyze your institution’s current remotely delivered student service covering your topic.

Currently tutorial support is provided only in person.  Students from the main campus or anyone of the five regional campuses (going to class primarily through ITV) can request a tutor in person, on the phone, or by e-mail.  Peer Tutors are other students who have done well or are doing well in the course.  Tutoring is free to the students, but Peer Tutors are paid through Work Study or grant funding.  Additional tutoring especially in math and English is provided by our developmental education instructors. Students are aware of tutoring by instructor or counselor referral, suggestion by another student, campus publicity and website listings. 

For ITV distance learners we make every effort to provide in person tutoring at their regional campus and are usually successful.  In the past 2 years, 3-5 online students have requested tutoring primarily in computer software courses, but have preferred to come to campus for assistance.  This year a student requesting assistance with the writing process for a general education course is working by e-mail with a basic skills/developmental education instructor.  Since students can take our Computer Support Specialist Program fully online this year, we anticipate requests for assistance from students who cannot come to campus to increase.

The publicly available website is moving toward generation 2 (with the ability to communicate with the college through direct e-mail links).  Students can send an e-mail requesting assistance directly from the tutoring page. Some of the tutoring forms are e-mail friendly and available, but not posted on the website.  Students looking for tutoring by navigating through the website independently might not find it.  However, the search function at the top of the page leads right to tutoring. 

Academic support resources and tutoring for online students are not currently available on the website.

Step 3 - Identify critical components that you want to include in your website.

The support services offered on the website will be

1)     Resources on

a)     The writing process

b)     Grammar and punctuation

c)      Research and documentation, including researching on the internet

d)     APA, MLA and other writing styles

2)     The ability to submit and receive feedback on a piece of writing.

I will work with the web page developer to add an Academic Support category on the “Current Students” page.  This will list and link to the array of academic supports services available at NTC including tutoring. From the “Tutoring” page students will access online resources (direct listings and links) and asynchronous feedback on writing projects through e-mail. Because I anticipate that NTC may choose to limit feedback on writing to NTC students, access to that service may be linked with the My>NTC portal.  A longer term goal is to add synchronous interaction.  Staffing will be by developmental education instructors.

Step 4 – Find College websites that demonstrate good practices of critical components

1)     Online resources on

a)     The writing process

b)     Grammar and punctuation

c)      Researching and documenting, including researching on the internet

d)     APA, MLA and other writing styles

2. Online ability to submit written work for feedback

3. Services offered through collaboratives or consortia