Remote Student Support During COVID-19: Perspectives of Chief Online Officers in Higher Education

Authors

  • Bettyjo Bouchey National Louis University
  • Erin Gratz
  • Shelley Kurland

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v25i1.2481

Keywords:

student support services, student retention services, student tutoring, student advising, Chief Online Officers, COVID-19, higher education, online learning

Abstract

In order to understand the nature of online student support services during the COVID-19 pandemic, 31 chief online officers representing a range of colleges and universities were interviewed in late Spring 2020. Findings highlighted issues of access and equity in online student support services, the rapid expansion of student services due to the pandemic, and how strength in online programming enabled a more seamless pivot to emergency remote operations.  This study adds texture to the literature on the gaps between support services offered to face-to-face versus online students, and also provides a foundation for important questions regarding the future of online student support after COVID-19.  The study also begins a dialog into the long-term ramifications of siloing online organizational units at institutions of higher education.  

Author Biography

Bettyjo Bouchey, National Louis University

Dr. Bouchey is Associate Professor and Associate Dean, College of Professional Studies and Advancement at National Louis University where she also serves as Director of Online Academics for the university.  Dr. Bouchey has enjoyed a long history in higher education and online leadership serving in roles at smaller institutions ranging from Vice President of Operations, Provost, and Dean, to her most cherished role as faculty member.  Dr. Bouchey has had the opportunity to lead all aspects of an online campus in her career and spends time each week in deep dialog with an engaged personal learning network discussing the evolving nature of online education.      

Dr. Bouchey holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University at Albany, an M.B.A. in Entrepreneurship from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a Doctorate in Education from Northeastern University.  Dr. Bouchey is proud OLC member where she is a graduate of the Institute for Emerging Leaders in Online Learning (IELOL), was awarded a Bruce Chaloux Scholarship for Early Career Excellence, and is a co-chair for the IDEA Committee for Innovate 2020.  She is also a member of the leadership subcommittee for the National Coalition on Online Education (NCOE, part of UPCEA). 

Dr. Bouchey is a co-founder of the CORAL Research collaborative focused on online leadership and scholarship.  Her personal research interests include the nature and future of organizational structures of online units in institutions of higher education, as well as inventive and high-impact pedagogical practice in online teaching.  Dr. Bouchey writes and is widely quoted in the academic and popular press; her articles and curriculum vitae can be accessed here: www.drbouchey.com.

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Published

2021-03-01

Issue

Vol. 25 No. 1 (2021)

Section

Section I: Investigating Teaching, Learning, and Student Supports in the U.S.

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