UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A new academic resource from Penn State World Campus provides on-demand access to an array of resources for students when they need extra help.
The Academic Success Kit is a suite of instructional modules containing study guides and learning techniques for situations like preparing for a test, taking notes in an online course, or working in a group.
The kit was developed by Penn State World Campus for its online learners to have immediate access to this kind of resource, especially when University offices are closed.
The kit is available in Canvas, the University’s learning management system. All Penn State students are free to use it, as students at University Park or the Commonwealth Campuses may find the study guides and learning techniques useful.
“The Academic Success Kit has essential strategies and tips about online learning that students may not realize they need until they are in a challenging situation,” said Michelle Wiley, director of academic development for World Campus. “We are excited to make the academic success kit available to our online learners and all Penn State students. It puts these resources in one place, so students do not have to scour the internet to find them, and they can enroll and use them right away.”
To enroll in the modules, students must log in using their Penn State credentials. Once they enroll in a module, they will see it in their Canvas profile along with their courses. Each module is self-paced and will track students’ progress.
A resource created with World Campus expertise
The Academic Success Kit was fully developed in house by World Campus staff, from conceptualizing the module topics, writing the lessons, curating content like videos to include with the lessons, and creating the modules in Canvas.
The topics of the modules came from feedback students have given about the kinds of additional resources they could use. There are 12 modules on topics including managing time, learning styles and strategies, and understanding the syllabus. More modules are in development.
Penn State World Campus staff members provided subject-matter expertise for the lessons. For instance, the academic coaches contributed to the module on note taking in an online course. A student success specialist with a doctorate in English contributed her expertise to the module on writing discussion board posts.
Staff on the World Campus learning design team created each module in Canvas to resemble the look of the courses that students are already familiar with.
A resource for all Penn State students
The precursor to the Academic Success Kit was developed shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic caused Penn State to shift its instruction to virtual and remote learning for the spring 2020 semester.
At the time, staff in the World Campus academic development services department curated a collection of student success resources and published them online on a new website so that all Penn State students could have access to them. The response was positive from the University community.
Penn State World Campus wanted to improve the quality of the original resource with expertise from its staff and make the resource available in Canvas, where students are already learning.
“The Academic Success Kit has been thoroughly developed with the expertise of our staff who are committed to helping students be successful learners,” said Dawn Coder, assistant vice provost in the World Campus office of online student success. “We believe that all 87,000 Penn State students, whether they are learning online or in a classroom at one of our campuses, will find this resource extremely useful.”
A Penn State education online
Penn State World Campus has been providing a Penn State education online for more than 25 years. It offers a comprehensive selection of more than 200 degrees and certificates from Penn State’s academic colleges and campuses.
Online learning takes place asynchronously, and students have access to a variety of academic resources, including academic advising, tutoring and the Academic Success Kit.
Learn more about the Academic Success Kit and other academic resources on the Penn State World Campus Student Central website.