Developing Relationships with Students in an Online World

“Hello – you’ve reached Student Services; how can I help you?”  The student on the other end of the line sounded clearly stressed about all that was on her plate. She rattled off several questions: “How long are the courses?” “How do I get my transcript; my deadline is in 6 months?” and “Is there any way I can register for 3 courses at once, even if I don’t start them all right away?”  It was a lot of questions, and hearing small, young voices in the background, I could tell that these courses were not her only focus.  I suggested that perhaps starting with one course and developing a schedule might be helpful.  To this, she nervously laughed, and said, “Yes, my kids are home from school and I’m trying to juggle it all; it’s challenging. That makes sense then to maybe register just for the one or two that I can handle at once now and then when I am close to being done, I can register for the next one.”  Meeting students where they are and helping to navigate the strains of adding school to already busy lives is what makes Portage Learning so unique – we provide an educational path that is adaptable to life’s demands!

Then there are the straightforward questions. Student number 2 sends us an email that reads, “This is my first time taking an online course, and I’m finding it difficult to take tests in the amount of time given.  I always needed extra time at my other school, and that helped.  Is there anything I can do to get more time?”  Of course, we are able to provide accommodations. Students have documentation from previous schools, and we can apply those to our courses as well.  Alleviating the anxiety helps students to focus on the real goal – mastering the foundational courses needed for their next step.

That is the heart of Student Services: helping students navigate online learning and more importantly, hearing their concerns. Sometimes, it is just a straightforward question, and sometimes there is a lot more behind the question that we can hear and be of help.  Our role is unique in that we engage students who are entering a virtual learning experience. They are not just a registration to us; they are the students we serve. We have a responsibility to listen to what students are saying and what they are not saying, as well as discern what is behind their questions and help to anticipate a concern or an unknown issue. The number of times that we talk to a student on the front end of registering and then again before they complete taking courses is few and far between, so to really listen and hear a student’s unspoken concern behind their call is a primary focus; i.e. “Can I really do this with 3 small kids at home needing me, and working from home on top of that?”