| Undergraduate students enrolled in online classes at the University of Wyoming (UW) completed a 61 item online survey. The survey probed student use and interest in current UW support services including orientation, e-mail, financial aid, library resources, bookstore, writing center, disability support, and technology assistance. Student use and interest in proposed services were also surveyed. Proposed services included student newspaper, student government, leadership opportunities, clubs and organizations, community and voluntary service activities, personal counseling, mentoring, career advising, academic advising, tutoring, study skills support, and time management resources.;The survey included a combination of yes-no, Likert, demographic, and open-ended questions. The students (N = 1,154) comprised the accessible population of online undergraduate students. Nearly 46% ( N = 526) of the accessible population responded. Approximately 87% (n = 459) of the respondents were Caucasian, Non-Hispanic, 74% (n = 390) were female and 57% (n = 302) lived outside of Laramie, where the main campus is based. The survey produced three major findings. In order of importance they included: academic advising must be improved and offered online; online technology support for students must be expanded; and online students have little interest in cocurricular activities.;Based on the findings, online academic advising could be improved by assigning students to an advisor who also serves as a case manager. This recommendation supports recent work by Burnett and Shea (2007). The case manager/advisor would connect online students to an academic advisor and also to financial aid, tutoring, university libraries, and the Writing Center.;Survey results also support a recommendation for expanded technology service hours. Students expect to have 24-hour, 7-day access to technology services supporting their questions about hardware and software. To understand how and when students use technology services, an institution must conduct ongoing formative and summative assessment to determine the times of day students need technology services.;Finally, the results of the survey demonstrate that online undergraduate students have little interest in campus involvement. This finding refutes recommendations of LaPadula (2003). Rather, institutions should direct resources to focus on academic advising and technology assistance that students identify as important. |
