Example of an automated process with a Web interface:

Maggie registers for a class.

The following automatic events occur:

1. Student Information System (SIS) notifies the campus system that student has registered.
2. Maggie is added to teacher's group e-mail list for each class.
3. Maggie is granted access to the following electronic information and communication areas:
• Course resources for the class.
• Secure classroom chat.
• Class message boards.
• Syllabus and course FAQ
4. An email is sent to Maggie confirming her registration and access.

Some examples of effective implementations of these functions can be viewed at the following college and university Websites:

University of Minnesota
Nova Southeastern University

Of course, there are software packages that will handle much of this for you. In the K-12 environment two products are frequently mentioned: Open District and K12 Planet, both available from Chancery Software:

In Higher Education, a product that provides a variety of secure electronic access models is Campus Pipeline, which provides a system divided into administrative services, course services, study and information tools, and career services. All are integrated within the institution’s Website and provide single authentication access to students and staff.

There are probably several other similar systems on the market. An example of the type of integrated services you want to purchase is described below in three subcategories.
 

• Administrative Services -- online access to registration, transcripts, grades, and personal information that you determine is available.
• Course Services – applications that can provide a virtual extension of the classroom with a variety of online academic tools including secure chat and message boards. If you use an existing CMS system, you want it to integrate with your overall Web presence. It is possible that these course services (e.g.,a message board) are implemented for the entire student body, such as a virtual student lounge.
• Research and Library Tools – an integrated application that will augment your organization’s current online library resources, including links to an array of Internet-based academic research tools and guides. This would also be the location to integrate tutoring resources.

Help Desk (computer technical support, hardware and software)

A Help Desk is much more than maintenance of computing facilities. In fact, frequently the installation and maintenance is housed with facilities rather than with computing support. The Help Desk’s primary responsibility is to provide technical assistance and troubleshooting. In order to do this efficiently, it is important to have some way in which to maintain a database of potential problems and fixes. This database then acts as an expert system and is accessed whenever a new call comes into the center. As with most things in technology, there is also software available to automate this process. A nice site for information on software, publications, and other resources is at Help Desk.Com

Three popular packages are:
Aegis
Track It
HelpSTAR

Though software/hardware support is the primary focus of most Help Desks. You can also enhance problem prevention with a regular offering of education regarding computer use. Additionally, any information that you can provide to the Web will help to lessen the number of calls you experience. Some good examples of Help Desk pages are below:

Portland State University
University of Tasmania
University of Wisconsin
University of Victoria

Another alternative to providing Help Desk support within your organization is to contract that support to a separate entity. Several commercial CMS developers also offer Help Desk support for your students and staff. They promise round the clock support using their centralized staff. Students and faculty call a toll-free number. Depending on your institutional needs, your current in-house expertise, and your budget, using a contracted Help Desk service may be the most cost effective solution. It is particularly handy for organizations that are just beginning to offer online courses, or those who have implemented a haphazard plan of online delivery and have discovered that they need outside assistance to move to the next level of online delivery. One company that offers this type of support service, along with their course development and management tools is Connected Learning Network.   They provide their service in both Europe and The United States, as well as Australia and Asia.

Research

Some academic institutions are working within their communities to provide electronic library services at the local and community library level as well. One such example is Nova Southeastern University, a private undergraduate and graduate school with both traditional and Web-based degree programs. Since beginning their Web-based degree programs, Nova has provided excellent electronic library services. They not only subscribed to a plethora of online databases and full-text journals; but also made librarians available via email, telephone, and fax. Students reported turn around times from as little as two hours to as much as two weeks when extensive materials need to be mailed to the student’s home, with the average being a 48-hour turnaround. Nova Southeastern University is now entering into a unique agreement to provide library services not only to its academic community but also to its local community (Broward County). This may serve as a model for sharing resources, costs, and expertise between public and private entities.

The University of Louisville also furnishes excellent library support and provides an integration model that works particularly well. They incorporate library educational services into the structure of the course via the professor's home Webpage and any printed course-related materials. As the students become more information literate through the use of resources accessible via the professor's home page, they are introduced to the broader world of information at their fingertips through links on the Library's pages.

At a minimum, your library needs to focus on three areas of importance in supporting Web-based students: information literacy, reference services, and document delivery.

Information Literacy. Learning depends not only on classroom instruction and dialogue but also on the student's ability to locate and analyze information. The library needs to enhance students' ability to retrieve and evaluate the source of information needed for their course work (and for lifelong learning) on a self-service basis and to foster the belief that information literacy is a necessary component of any education experience.

Reference Services. Reference services must be sufficient so that students at remote locations can identify resources on a topic of their choice. These services should include provision of access to electronic databases for literature searches to determine books and journal articles relevant to course content. These resources must also be available to students and faculty on a self-service basis via their computer access, wherever that may be. It is not enough to offer computer access only on campus. Furthermore, the reference services should make a reference librarian available for consultation through a variety of methods (email, toll-free phone number, message board, etc.). One example of this implementation might be a link on the library home page that provides the option of sending a question directly to the reference librarian associated with distance education support.

Document Delivery. Once students or faculty members have located a desired book or article, it is imperative that the delivery of that material be made quickly. Again, realizing that Web-based students may not be located anywhere near the institution, it is important for the specifically identified library materials to be delivered in the shortest possible time. Certainly, the subscription to full-text databases assists in this matter. Also, library staff have the option of copying and mailing or faxing material that they currently hold in their collection. However, as pointed out previously, frequently the material requested is not available or deliverable in digital format, nor is it available in the library’s current collection. In this instance, the goal needs to be to obtain the material from any place in the world and deliver it to students in their homes or workplaces.

ADVISING (personal and academic counseling)
Links to some advising Web Page examples:

• University of Wisconsin Advising Toolkit
• Okanagan University College
• Advising via email at Wichita State University
• Athabasca University

• Online Tutoring Skills Website by Heriot-Watt University and The Robert Gordon University in the UK
• University of Colorado
• Kingwood College
• Weber State University (automated writing and math tutoring)
• Teacher Education Tutoring
• Long Beach City College

• University of Utah Bookstore
• Brown University Bookstore
• University of Maine

• Virtual University Gazette
• Cisco Educational Archives
• Schools on the Web (K-12)
• Education Network Australia

In addition to your Internet marketing efforts, traditional methods are still necessary to reach your community constituency with the news of your new offerings. Non-Internet marketing efforts that have worked with other institutions include:

• Radio advertisements placed during the morning and evening high traffic hours when workers are commuting.
• Brochures distributed via career magazines and newsletters.
• Advertisement in books that cater to Web-based learners, such as Petersons
• Newspaper advertising in your local community.
• Inserts and advertising with any normal mailings you do (e.g. course catalogs)

ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONS
The final area of Web-based support often overlooked is providing service to alumni. Many colleges are now using the Internet to offer graduates online classes, mentoring opportunities, and lifetime opportunities for career placement. All these activities fall under the rubric of “university advancement.”  Alumni services such as lifelong personal email accounts, home pages for each graduating class and regional alumni, and newsgroups on the Internet make it easier than ever for former students to keep in touch and for college fundraisers to find them.

Sometimes, universities will combine resources to access alumni. For example, in the United States, Yale, Stanford, and Princeton are collaborating to offer online courses to their alumni. Other universities may form alumni partnerships along lines of practice (e.g., medicine, nursing, education, social work) or along lines of matching needs in the community (e.g., library building, community involvement, regional development). Whatever the reason, keeping alumni involved in the university is important and providing a Web presence is critical to a full offering of a Web-based support environment.

Other examples of involvement include offering periodic chat sessions with "stars" or experts, online book clubs, online chat groups, online threaded discussion groups, and online "members-only" interactive groups. Princeton University offers interactive areas for their alumni in each class. Princeton also hosts online exchanges on broad topics in which any alumni can participate. Recent examples include discussions on real estate and biomedical issues.  If you would like to see an example of an "open" alumni exchange, see the one at Colby College.