What are some of the trends in the world of student services online? “There is certainly more of a trend toward interactivity,” says Patricia A. Shea, WCET’s assistant director. “We are seeing more live chat and other types of instant messaging.”
 
Overall, there is less resistance today to put student services online then there has been in the past. “I think most people have accepted the fact that they need to move in this direction, and I think there is more of an understanding that it is not just information that you put online, but it is also actual services that you can put on the web,” Shea says, adding that many academic advising services, in particular, are starting to include degree audits that can be conducted in a web-based environment.

The less-resistance factor could be the result of many proprietary institutions being recognized as leaders and innovators in the field of student services provided online. Gary Langer, MnSCU’s associate vice chancellor for academic programs, says he frequently hears educators comparing themselves to institutions such as Capella University and the University of Phoenix, asking why these proprietary institutions have much more sophisticated student services onlne. “Especially on a systems basis, the public sector is not quite there yet,” says Langer, “but it is continually making improvements.”

Langer adds that some public institutions are “very close” to providing the same level of student services online as the leading proprietary institutions. “It depends on the resources and the leadership at institutions.” Even when the situation is ripe for change, Langer estimates that it takes “about three years” to get all the agreements and go-ahead resources in place to get student services online to a level of sophistication that can match the desires of today’s Internet-savvy market.