**5.1 Program: Southwestern ESO**

282 International Perspectives of Distance Learning in Higher Education

student preparation for online study (C), student online course experiences (D), factors related to student success in online courses (E), and personal impact of online study (F). Based on this review, project explored the student online course experience in four segments: pre-

The purpose of this research is to describe the experiences of low income and working adult students who are enrolled in online undergraduate study. The research frames the experience in four segments: environment, pre-enrollment experiences, in-course

1. How do low income and working adult students enrolled in online study describe their

2. How do low income and working adult students enrolled in online study describe their

3. How do low income and working adult students enrolled in online study describe the

A qualitative case study design was used for this exploratory research. The case and participants were chosen using Patton's (1990) intensive form of purposeful sampling, in which information-rich cases that demonstrate the phenomenon of interest intensively are selected. The case was Southwestern ESO, an educational support organization serving lowincome students enrolled in online postsecondary study at a local four-year college and a local two-year college. Four program staff members were interviewed to capture the environmental conditions that characterized their students' online experience. Seven students were interviewed to capture their pre-enrollment experience, in-course experience, and personal impact of online study. Two of the students also served on the staff. Their interviews consisted of questions related to both of their roles. All interviews were of 60-90 minutes in duration. The interviews were recorded and transcribed. Pseudonyms were created for the program name, the staff participants and the student participants. The transcripts were analyzed using Merriam's (1997) process of coding and categorization with the qualitative software analysis program, NVivo. For triangulation, program documents, including program brochures and client/student orientation packets, were also collected

a. How has studying online shaped their perspectives of what it takes to be a

enrollment experiences (B, C) in-course experiences (D), and personal impact (F).

experiences, and personal impact. The research questions guiding this work are:

a. Why do these students decide to pursue online undergraduate study?

b. How do these adult students prepare for online study? c. How do these adult students finance their online study?

a. How do these students describe their teacher interactions? b. How do these students describe their peer interactions?

c. How do these students describe their course content interactions? d. How do these students describe their institution interactions?

**3. Purpose and research questions** 

pre-enrollment experiences?

personal impact of online study?

successful online learner?

b. How has studying online impacted their lives?

in-course experiences?

**4. Research methods** 

and analyzed.

The participants in the research study were staff and students of an on-campus educational support organization, Southwestern ESO, specifically dedicated to serving adult low-income students enrolled in postsecondary study. The organization provided computer training, tutoring and online study awareness.

Southwestern ESO is housed at Southwestern Flagship University, a Carnegie-designated Doctoral/Research University-Intensive institution with an enrollment of more than 27,000 students. Southwestern Flagship University is the premier university in a southwestern state with three universities and four community colleges. The vision of Southwestern ESO is to provide "An environment where every adult can successfully pursue a program of postsecondary education." Its' services include entry and re-entry counseling, academic advising, tutoring, and career planning. The ESO serves approximately 2000 clients (students and potential students) in a county with 1.7 million residents representing 70% of the state's population. The county includes a major metropolitan city, where Southwestern Flagship University and Southwestern County Community College are located, and a farreaching rural community that both schools serve.

Southwestern ESO has a staff of ten: a program director, an assistant director, two counselors, two advisers, an office manager, two student workers and a clerical support person. With the exception of the office manager and clerical support person, all members of the staff are directly involved in new client orientation, or "intake," as it is referred to by ESO staffers. Some of the intake sessions occur in the Southwestern ESO office on the Southwestern Flagship University campus, but many of them occur off-site at locations more easily accessible by clients. For example, one counselor conducts intake at a reservation about fifty miles from the ESO office while another visits a military installation about twenty miles from the campus. Because of the number of clients that the ESO serves, the intake sessions are typically group sessions with 12-15 clients. During these sessions, clients are provided an intake folder containing information about the program and its services, including a client application for ESO services form, an ESO program flyer, a financial aide booklet, an academic survival handout with tips for being a successful student, enrollment procedures for Southwestern Community College, and a survey assessing client readiness for online study. Because of the large Hispanic population served by the ESO, the ESO provides two versions of its intake folder: a general intake folder and an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) intake folder.

ESO clients ready for postsecondary education are typically directed to Southwestern County Community College or Southwestern Flagship University for study. Southwestern County Community College is a good option for most ESO clients because of its open admissions policy, low tuition (\$40/credit-hour) and robust offerings of online programs and courses. Enrollment directly at Southwestern Flagship University (\$96/credit-hour) is typically reserved for students with some postsecondary experience, recent high school graduates, and those without work demands. Of course, the ESO helps to facilitate student transfer from Southwestern County Community College to Southwestern Flagship University.

and work there until Wards closed. For the last eleven years, she has worked as a telephone customer service for the same company. She does not like her work so she is going back to school to prepare for a job that will take her into retirement. She wants to study psychology and start a private practice. She has dial-up Internet access at home and her Internet

*Omar* is a 38-year old career military (17 years in) Black male. He has an associate degree in personnel administration and munitions systems from the Air Force. He is a noncommissioned officer (NCO) working in personnel systems, where he maintains training records of Air Force personnel. After retiring from the service in three years, he knows he will need a second career and wants to become a teacher and maybe get into radio. While he knows a lot, he feels he needs the credential of a degree to enable him to get a "good paying job" when he gets out. He wants to have that degree in hand when he retires. He has dial-up

*Martha* is a Caucasian female senior citizen, who refused to give her age because people "make assumptions when they learn your age." She retired to her current state 12 years ago with her husband of 40 years after living in California for more than 30 years. Her husband died five years ago leaving her alone and confused. After about two years of grieving, she decided, "He ain't comin' back. And so, I had to get on with my life." She decided to go to school to learn Word and Excel "just to keep myself busy," but taking a class turned into getting a degree when one of her teachers encouraged her to take a Math class. She's almost finished with a database programming degree at the community college and has started a degree in business at the local university. Before she graduates, she would like to get a job at the university so that she can begin working her way through the system to a full-time permanent position in the computer department as a database person. She is concerned about age discrimination. Before she started school she owned a Mac, but purchased a PC recently because "that's what all the school people were using." She has cable Internet service and goes online when she needs information, but she is not "sitting there, clicking all

*Paul* is a 40-year old Caucasian male. He graduated high school in 1982 and spent about two years in a California community college in 1991-92, where he left before attaining any credential. In Spring 2003, he decided to quit his full-time job, take a part-time job (20 hours/week) and go back to school full-time. He is in a nuclear medicine program and plans to go into radiation therapy. His primary mode of Internet access is cable modem service for

*Wendy* is a 28-year-old Caucasian female. She graduated from a Washington college in 1997 with a degree in speech communications with a minor in technology. Life situations brought her to her current state where she "fell into social work" by taking a job as a resource manager and case worker at a non-profit organization that helps the working poor get the basic education they need in order to get those higher paying jobs that have opportunities for advancement. Because she enjoys her work so much, she decided to pursue a master's in social work. After she gets her MSW, she wants to pursue a career in social work administration where she can shape social policy at the national and state level. She is now taking her first online class. She does not have a home computer, nor does she have Internet

\$29/month, including a \$10/month discount offered by the community college.

access, but she has both at her parents' home and at her job.

service at home. His wife is taking online classes through the University of Phoenix.

experience consists mostly of conducting transactions on eBay.

the time."
