Evaluating a Blended Tutorial Support Model: Implications for Community College Student Success

Ongoing innovations in technology invite campus instructional support leaders to consider the utility of blending online tools and traditional strategies for student success. This session presents findings from a recent study examining community college student success outcomes for pairing an online tutorial support platform with traditional face-to-face individualized tutoring. 

Presenters will provide audience with an overview of innovations in online instructional support technologies, with emphasis on the Smarthinking platform. Session attendees will be introduced to the benefits of online and face-to-face tutoring, and will learn more on their individual and coupled linkages to student success metrics (e.g. course pass rates, retention). The presenters will share the findings of a recent investigation examining student success outcomes for students attending a suburban mid-Atlantic community college. The study examined the relationships among race, gender, income, and program usage, and course success and retention. Findings suggested participation in a blended (online and face-to-face) tutoring programs yield better students success outcomes.  Implications for African American, Latino and low income students will be offered.

Learning Outcomes

By attending this session, participants will:

• learn more about the linkages between online and face-to-face tutoring for student success; 
• share and reflect on the utility and effectiveness of blended tutorial support programs and the specific implications for narrowing achievement gaps for African American, Latino, and low-income student populations; and
• identify strategies for engaging students in a blended tutorial support program.