IDENTIFYING STRATEGIES FOR PREPARING AND SUPPORTING FLORIDA COLLEGE STUDENTS IN ELEARNING: CASE STUDY OF A FLORIDA PUBLIC STATE COLLEGE’S STUDENT SUCCESS IN ELEARNING

eLearning continues to be the fasted growing segment of higher education. With this growth, challenges for higher education institutions have arisen. One of these difficulties is preparing students for learning online. A qualitative case study examined what strategies and processes contributed to student success in eLearning at a Florida public college based on the views of eLearning educators, faculty teaching online courses and the students who have taken online courses. The aspects reviewed were: 1. what contributed to student success, 2. what hindered student success, 3. what prepared students for learning online, and 4. what assistance was available for students that face challenges with online courses. The interviews and questionnaire were examined and compared from the perspectives of educators (eLearning staff and faculty teaching online courses), and students taking the courses, and documents reviewed from the site chosen, to show what are the most significant contributors and hindrances to eLearning success for participants at a Florida public state college.
The findings of this study show what helped student success, what hindered student success, what prepared students for eLearning, and what support was available to students while taking an eLearning course from the data collected through the student questionnaire, faculty and staff interviews, and document review. The data supports the finding that student motivation, student time management skills, eLearning course design, and the responsiveness and supportiveness of faculty contribute to the success of the student in eLearning courses. The data supports the finding that what hinders student success is when the student is overwhelmed, distracted, or lacks motivation or time management skills. Additionally, the design of the eLearning course can hinder the student and if there is a lack of faculty communication. The data supports the finding that what prepared students for eLearning was the College’s free eLearning orientation course that explains how to use the Learning Management System and the best practices of learning online. The data supports the finding that the support available to assist students that are enrolled in eLearning is College “Support”, Tutoring (both online and on campus), and their course professor.