Student Support System Implementation

My third artefact is from the final assignment I completed for MDDE 650: Tutoring and Student Support in Distance Education and Training, the third last course that I took as part of my Masters program.  This assignment asked us to develop a proposal for a tutoring and student support system that could address problems for a specific group of clients (students) or a particular program.  For my proposal, I reached out to my Director, Paul Martin, as he oversees our curriculum development and delivery teams at Thompson Rivers University, Open Learning.  I wanted to see if there was an opportunity to build a proposal that could be used within our organization, and he noted that they were starting to have conversations with our Indigenous Education department on ways that Open Learning could better support our online Indigenous students.

Why this artefact?

I chose to take MDDE 650 as one of my elective courses in the Masters program.  I chose it because one of my initial learning goals was to have a more well-rounded view and understanding of the different aspects of a distance education unit and how they all work together to create successful programming.  One aspect of successful programming is student support, and as it is not an area I have particularly worked in, I felt that taking this course would help create a stronger understanding of the components of a successful student support system.  I also saw it as an opportunity to develop a potential proposal that could used within my institution, as we have been working on improving our online supports for our online students.  There was a big shift towards online student support once the COVID-19 pandemic started in March 2020, so this course and assignment were very timely.

This artefact demonstrates elements of the following MEd program competencies which are noted in parenthesis in my reflection:

• 1. Problem Solving, Analysis & Reflective Decision Making
  • 1.13 Reflectively transfer formal learning to professional/workplace/personal contexts.
• 4. Communication & Interpersonal Skills
  • 4.1 Write clearly and in a style appropriate to purpose (e.g. assignments, reflective essays or journals, published documents, blog posts, eportfolios, and theses).
• 5. Research
  • 5.2 Identify, discuss and apply theoretical considerations to proposed research.
  • 5.5 Critically review literature both broadly and in-depth.
  • 5.8 Effectively communicate information, arguments, and analyses in the discipline of open and digital education, in a variety of forms, to suit different contexts and audiences.

Reflections on Artefact 3

Before I begin my reflection, I would like to acknowledge that the Thompson Rivers University campuses are on the traditional lands of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc (Kamloops campus) and the T’exelc (Williams Lake campus) within Secwépemc’ulucw, the traditional and unceded territory of the Secwépemc. Our region also extends into the territories of the St’át’imc, Nlaka’pamux, Nuxalk, Tŝilhqot’in, Dakelh, and Syilx peoples.  I have included below a recording of this acknowledgement by Vernie Clement, Lhoosk’uz Dene, Dakelh.

When I started this project, I knew it was important to acknowledge the work that had already been done.  I was not going to approach this as a proposal to replace what already existed, but to look at opportunities to expand what was being offered so that more students could be reached and supported.  I also knew and still remind myself of the fact that I am a settler and an uninvited guest on these lands, so it is important to acknowledge that I am not an expert and I rely on the knowledge and expertise of those whose research and knowledge this is.  This was very humbling for me, and I knew I would have to approach this proposal very cautiously, especially because of my limited knowledge and understanding.

The assignment had four main components that had to be clearly indicated in the proposal (4.1):

• Context – students, stakeholders, resources and constraints
• Learning system – students, instruction (curricula and materials), student support system, and management and admin systems
• Resource allocations – realistic expectations for funding and allocation of resources
• Evaluation plan – plan to asses how well the system meets its goals

As stated earlier, I chose to develop a proposal to implement a student support system for TRU’s online Indigenous students (1.13).  TRU already offers specific support services for its on-campus Indigenous students, but it doesn’t offer those same services to students enrolled in Open Learning courses and programs, which are solely based online and at-a-distance.  For the purpose of the proposal, Indigenous students were defined as those students who have self-declared as being Indigenous when they apply for courses and programs offered by TRU.  I looked into research conducted that identifies the support needs of Indigenous learners.  In all of the research, the main themes were around connections and relationships to help support Indigenous students in a variety of ways, both academically and personally (5.2, 5.5).  There needs to be supports in place to help with developing community and a sense of belonging, particularly with the students culture.

I also looked at the existing offerings available on-campus to see if they could be applied in an online format.  A benefit of the COVID-19 pandemic, with universities being forced to put everything online, is that these supports were already being delivered online to on-campus students.  This was useful as it helped support resource allocation for this system to be implemented, as many of the mechanisms already existed and were in place. 

I was able to provide two recommendations for implementing this student support system (5.8). The first was to expand upon the existing services offered through the Office of Indigenous Education by making the virtual offerings permanent so they can also be offered to OL students. Through the Office’s gathering place – Cplul’kw’ten – students can access a variety of services including orientation, a mentorship program, elders, tuition support, financial assistance, academic supports and community resources.  Students can make appointments with Learning Strategists, the Mentor Coordinator, elders and a librarian.  There is also a weekly Soup Circle that was also being held virtually once a week for an opportunity to socialize and connect with other students.  In addition to the the academic support offered through the gathering place, they also offer free seminars, health and wellness supports and social supports to help enhance the sense of community for students.  Academic supports include assistance with writing papers, assignments and readings, tutoring, library outreach programs.  Assistance is available for those applying for bursaries and scholarships, and a variety of free seminars are available on topics including life online, and managing finances.  Health and wellness offerings include advocates on issues of discrimination and harassment, counselling services, and social supports and events.  Their Elder in the House program provides students with personal consultation, conversation, guidance and mentorship where elders use traditional Indigenous life skills perspectives and methods including ‘talking circles’ and elder knowledge.  The Mentor program assists new Indigenous students so that they can successfully transition to university life. New students are matched with a mentor, who is a self-identified Indigenous student at least 18 years of age and has at least one-year post-secondary experience.  Mentoring is provided in different forms, including one-on-one, groups, events and workshops and is also based on the individual student’s needs.

The second recommendation I had was to create two additional positions to support these virtual services – an additional Learning Strategist – Indigenous Liaison dedicated specifically to OL students and an Indigenous OL Program Advisor to assist students with program planning and support.  Both jobs already exist at the TRU.  The Learning Strategist – Indigenous Liaison position role exists within the Office of Indigenous Education.  The position supports students through the development of life skills programming, connecting students with internal and external resources and coaching Indigenous students through their post-secondary journey.  The Program Advisor role exists within OL and provides “advice to students with respect to education planning, academic goals and course selection”.  The position works with students from pre-admission inquiries straight through to graduation and is proactive in encouraging students to complete OL credentials in a timely manner. 

As the infrastructure resources were already put into place because of the pandemic, the only additional expense was that of funding the two positions.  I recommended that those positions could be funded through TRU’s Coyote Project, as they fall under the goals of the project to address recruitment, retention and completion issues for Indigenous students. 

For the evaluation component, I was able to refer to the evaluation process that TRU already has in place.  As TRU is a publicly-funded post-secondary institution and a member of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), it already has official mechanisms in place for accreditation and evaluation, as noted on their website. 

Looking back on this project, I have a sense of pride for the work that my institution has done to help support Indigenous students.  It has all been done in with oversight from local Indigenous communities so that it is done in a way that is appropriate, respectful, relevant and responsible.  It is, in my eyes, a humble approach, because as an academic institution, we have reached out to those who are the experts, or we have brought in the experts, and have not come in with the attitude that we as settlers can tell them what student success looks like.  We haven’t tried to conform Indigenous students into a “post-secondary” box, forcing them into our ways, but rather embracing their culture and incorporating it into the university culture and community.  It’s a step in the right direction, there is still a substantial amount of work to be done, but it’s a step towards inclusion as it should be and I hope to see more of it in the future.