Enhancing academic achievement in online open education

There is a wealth of both anecdotal and sound research evidence which demonstrates a clear link between a student's engagement with their learning community and their academic outcomes. Having a sense of connection and engagement with the institution, through their contact with lecturers, fellow students, other university staff, can make all the difference between persistence and academic success; and disillusionment, disappointment and abandonment of studies. With the expansion of online studies, an additional challenge for all of us working with tertiary students is to develop and implement strategies through the use of appropriate technology, by which students can be successfully engaged and supported. This paper discusses some of those challenges for the Student Success and Support Services team at Open Universities Australia and the strategies being developed in order to meet them.