Supporting Online Students (PDF)

Supporting Online Students shows how effective and efficiently
delivered support services improve academic success and course
retention for online learners. Drawing on a decade's worth of
research, Anita Crawley describes the scope of services from
admissions and registration to advising and student engagement. The
book includes guidelines and standards, planning and
implementation, innovative practices, and describes specialized
services needed by particular online student groups.

"Effective student support is the single most important factor
in sustaining high-quality online learning programs. Anita Crawley
presents the most effective guide to achieving that success. Her
book is a blueprint for building thriving online programs through
comprehensive student support." --Ray Schroeder, director,
Center for Online Learning, Research and Service, University of
Illinois Springfield

"As distance learning continues to grow, this book addresses the
often neglected other side of the coin: online student services.
This book provides a great introduction and overview of the
research, literature, and innovative practices for planning,
implementing, and evaluating support services for online learners."
--George Steele, director, eStudent Services, OhioLearns

"Anita Crawley has crafted a splendid volume on a topic of
increasing importance in contemporary higher education. Her book
promises to be the foundational piece for those who work with
students in an online environment. Her thinking and analysis are
superb and undoubtedly will provide the basis upon which to develop
online programs and services in the future." --John H. Schuh,
Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy
Studies Emeritus, Iowa State University

"Bringing together extensive examples of innovative practices,
summaries of current research, and a wealth of experience in
student services, Anita Crawley's comprehensive guide to supporting
online students is a rich resource for institutions with existing,
growing, or new online programs. --Diane J. Goldsmith, former
executive director, Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium