CSUN has a distinctively proactive and comprehensive approach to providing support services to students in online programs. Because CSUN’s online programs are designed to create a supportive and engaging educational environment, CSUN assigns both a faculty academic lead to each program and a program support coordinator who works with each student in a given program from the initial contact and application process through to the student’s graduation and beyond. The academic lead works with the faculty to ensure that the curriculum and instructional plan go forward as planned. The coordinator provides a source of guidance, encouragement and a single point of contact to access CSUN’s wide range of support services.
Online students also receive a two-week intensive online orientation to prepare them for success both from the perspective of effectively using the digital technologies important for the program in which they enrolled and from the perspective of learning skills and study strategies that prepare them for success in a fully online program. The orientation also introduces students to the eLearning staff members providing the technical support for the program and to the personalized 24/7 library resources that they will be able to use throughout their educational careers.
Students in CSUN online programs begin their journey by building networks in program-specific online learning communities called “Hubs.” These encompass everything from resources to advisement and career opportunities to symposiums. The Student Hub is equivalent to a “student union – online,” which provides the most comprehensive online experience a university can offer as communities are formed and college experiences are shared.
Student Achievements and Graduation Rates
CSUN’s fully online programs have on-time graduation rates that average 70 to 80 percent, with some programs reaching over 90 percent. Graduates of CSUN online programs also regularly report both finding positions in their intended fields and getting meaningful promotions following graduation. Recent examples include Tom Lenahan, a Master of Public Administration (MPA) graduate taking a “command position” with the Burbank Fire Department in Burbank, Calif., and Erin Wade, an Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (ELPS) graduate, promoted to principal at Antelope Valley Learning Academy.
