Academic Support Programs: How To Adapt Your Assessment Plan During A Crisis
On-Demand Training
Assessment is not going away just because we face a crisis. This webinar will prepare academic support program personnel to present their unit as relevant and impactful no matter how the quantitative data is compromised or diminished by unexpected calamity challenges.
The challenge is counting and access. Catastrophic events are likely to throw out our usual assessment instruments:
- Those we are observing and/or surveying are not available in the way they once were
- The criteria for these original assessment instruments may no longer be what is most relevant
- Attention to reconfiguring a process for counting metrics may take time away from that which is suddenly far more critical such as the comfort of clients in their new online environments
- The flexibility of tutors to adapt to students who don’t have internet, or a place to study, or textbooks; and the adaptability of the trainers and coordinator for the learning center
Institutional assessment may focus now on new questions such as these:
- When faced with unprecedented obstacles, how did your unit maintain services (even as they migrated online in a matter of days)?
- How did your unit stay aligned with the university (as its stand may have shifted daily)?
- How did your unit continue communication with faculty, students, and coworkers (even when no one was left on the campus)?
This webinar will facilitate a discussion for such questions.
In the fall, we knew our normal—our learning outcomes, our assessment instruments, our criterion of success, and action plans. We collected the data according to the usual timeline. Team members knew their role in the process, but COVID-19 changed all of that for spring. Our colleagues in the field of learning assistance often referenced “the new normal,” but no one knew what that was. Every day seemed to present different challenges, and no routine, touchstones, or cycle emerged, but the day is coming when that annual report will still be due.
And what administrators want to hear in those annual assessment reports in these extraordinary circumstances may be very different than what they wanted to know before.
While COVID-19 is a catastrophic event without comparison, there have been hurricanes, fires, campus shootings, and the like which have brought our universities to an abrupt stop and given us pause as to how to push through nonetheless. So what we will learn in this webinar will be valuable now and to any future disasters for which we must respond.
The main lesson is to align with the university’s movement to present a positive perception of how well the university has adapted to the crisis. That ability to adjust successfully will translate into successful recruitment and re-enrollment. If our assessment contributes to that movement, we are valued.
- Explain how their unit responded favorably to a crisis
- Identify mistakes in their response
- Emphasize the import of qualitative data
- Develop annual reports and soundbites that administrators and university marketing can use
- Demonstrate relevance and success
- Tutoring Program Directors
- Supplemental Instruction Coordinators
- Peer-led Team Learning Coordinators
- Learning Center Professional Staff
- Administrators
- Any educator interested in learning more about adapting assessment plans
Adapt and innovate and you will motivate!

M.E. McWilliams is the director of the award-winning Academic Assistance and Resource Center (AARC) at Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas. For this center, she is responsible for over 260 peer tutors who offer innovative and collaborative learning to 6,000 clients who collectively accumulate 75,000 visits annually. M.E. is a veteran workshop presenter and a teacher in the higher-ed classroom for over thirty years. She has served on a number of first-year experience committees and co-wrote the proposal for the newly established Student Success Center at SFA. She has taught the SFA freshman success course since 1997 and has been actively involved in the provisional program of SFA since 1995. She has served as an external reviewer for a number of other learning centers. M.E. completed her English degree at Baylor University and her masters in English at Stephen F. Austin State University. Her approach to presenting and teaching is mixed and unexpected, like her interests: fishing, football, bowling, basketball, art, and ballet.
What is a live webinar?
A live webinar is an interactive online training. Participants can communicate with the presenter(s) during the event via a live chat feature.
What is an on-demand webinar and how do I get access?
An on-demand training is a previously recorded webinar available online which can be accessed anytime, anywhere. You can register for on-demand trainings at any time. You will receive the recording the week following the live event. The recording is a campus access license and is available for one year from the purchase date.
How long are the webinars?
Webinars range from 60-90 minutes. Please check each training for the exact timeframe.
How do I register?
You can register online by adding the product to your shopping cart. You can also register by fax (1-866-508-0860), email (support@ieinfo.org), or mail by completing the paper-based registration form. The paper-based registration form is unique to each webinar and is available on each product page.
How do I request accommodations?
For captioning or any other accommodation, please contact us 7 days in advance. 303.955.0415 or support@ieinfo.org
When do I register?
You can register at any time, even the morning of the live event. If the live event has occurred, you can purchase the on-demand training (recording) of the session. You can register for on-demand trainings at any time.
What is the process for attending a live event?
The process is as follows:
- You will receive the login information within 5 minutes of registering for the webinar.
- The presentation materials will be available before the live event. Please check the link in the login information email.
- On the day of the live event, participants can log in 30 minutes prior to the start time. Once logged in, participants can see the PowerPoint slides, ask questions, and make comments via the chat feature.
- We email participants a link to the recording the Monday following the live event.
Is there a recording available? And how long is the recording good for?
Approximately one week after the conclusion of the live webinar, participants will receive a link to the recording which can be forwarded to all faculty and staff for viewing anytime, anywhere. The recording is a campus access license and is available for one year from the date of the live event.
What are the technical requirements?
Innovative Educators uses Zoom as its web conferencing provider. If you have not previously attended a Zoom event, please Join a Test Meeting to make sure your computer is compatible with Zoom. Be sure to complete this test prior to the live event.
What are the benefits of online training?
Cost-Effective: No travel required. Online Training is an innovative way to provide your entire faculty and staff with a variety of professional development opportunities for one low price! The more you train the more you save, as the registration fee is per institution, not per person.
Easy: You will receive a detailed list of instructions via email. If you run into any problems, we're always here to help.
Practical: Our training sessions focus on the most critical and relevant issues facing educators today. Our primary goal is to provide participants with the information, training, and skills necessary to immediately implement positive change at their institutions.
Top-Notch Presenters: Our presenters are subject matter experts and recognized in their field.
Value Added: When you purchase an online training, you also receive a campus-wide access license to the recording for one year. Faculty and staff can access it as often as they like from any location.
Satisfaction Guaranteed: Our online training is 100% guaranteed. If you are not satisfied, we will give you a credit for a future webinar or on-demand training of your choice (of equal or lesser value).
How can we use these trainings?
Flexible Training:
- Live: Promote and attend a live webinar and debrief immediately following.
- Hybrid: Distribute the recording to all faculty and staff at the beginning of each month and plan a discussion session at the end of the month to determine how you will implement the strategies presented.
- On-Demand: Distribute the recording to faculty and staff so they can watch anytime, anywhere.
In-Service Training: Plan an in-service around a live webinar or schedule a day and time to show the recording in a lecture hall or large conference room and invite faculty and staff to brainstorm and discuss implications for your institution.
Online Faculty and Staff Learning Communities: Distribute the recording to faculty and staff so they can watch anytime, anywhere.
Staff Recognition: Develop a program around the webinar with monthly themes and recognize the staff members that implement the best idea related to the theme.
Team-Building: Utilize these trainings to develop cross-functional and cross-discipline teams to foster collegiality.
New Employee Training: Include the online training as part of your new employee training program to ensure consistency.
Implementation and Follow-Up: Use the guide and evaluation materials provided by Innovative Educators to plan, implement, and track your progress.
How much does a live webinar or on-demand training cost?
1 Training (Live Webinar or On-Demand Training) - $425 Unlimited connections, campus-wide access license to the recording for one year.
Package Pricing
- 2 Trainings - $645 Unlimited connections, recording for one year (campus-wide access)
- 3 Trainings - $900 Unlimited connections, recording for one year (campus-wide access)
- 6 Trainings - $1500 Unlimited connections, recording for one year (campus-wide access)
What type of payment do you accept?
You may pay with a credit card (American Express, MasterCard or Visa), PO, check, or electronic transfer of funds. You can email us (support@ieinfo.org), call 303-955-0415 or fax 1.866.508.0860.
Payment terms are net 90 days.
Where do I send payment?
Please mail checks and POs to our mailing address:
Innovative Educators
3277 Carbon Place
Boulder, CO 80301
What is your cancellation policy?
Below is a breakdown of our cancellation policy.
- 30 days prior: Full refund
- 14 days prior: $100 processing fee
- Fewer than 14 days: Credit toward another IE event. Please note that registration for the live webinar includes access to the recording which you can share, as it is a campus access license. We email the recording the Monday following the live event. For questions, please email us or call 303.955.0415.
What is included in the Go2K Membership?
All live Webinars and over 100 pre-selected, on-demand webinars.
Is the price for Go2K a one-time fee or an annual fee?
The purchase price for Go2K is an annual fee, which includes access to over 150 live events/year and 100+ on-demand trainings.
Are their certificates of completion available?
Your on-demand portal includes automated certificates of completion and can be printed or downloaded after completing the training. The live events do not include automated certificates. However, we can provide you a fillable certificate PDF to share with faculty and staff.
What kind of reporting is included?
For your on-demand trainings, we provide you with a monthly usage report as well as an evaluation report. Upon request, we can provide annual or bi-annual registration reports for any live orders.
How do I register for a live event?
After you purchase your Go2K membership, we will email you an institution specific password that can be used to register for any live event.
Can we share the registration coupon code with everyone at our institution?
Yes. Feel free to share the coupon code with anyone at your institution. Please do not share with anyone outside your institution. We recommend registering 24 hours in advance of the live event.
How do I access my on-demand trainings?
After you purchase your Go2K membership, we will email you a link to your on-demand portal that you can share with your entire institution.
How are colleges using Go2O?
Colleges are using Go2O in a variety of ways:
- As a stand-alone online orientation
- As an online complement to their face-to-face orientation
- As an online orientation for their distance learners
- As an online enrollment checklist to ease the registration process
Does purchase of Go2O include completion reports?
You can receive completion reports two ways:
- Automated delivery (ftp dump, email, webhook)
- Instant access via administrative login
What is the registration checklist and is it included in my Go2O purchase?
The online enrollment checklist is designed to walk students through your enrollment process ensuring they make it to the first day of class! The registration checklist is one of the modules available with Go2O. Based on your purchasing level, the module can be a selection or will be included.
Are there various pricing options available for Go2O?
Yes, we have 4 pricing levels available.
- Starter
- Pro
- Premium
- Custom
Is Go2O ADA compliant and responsive?
Go2O is ADA accessible and fully responsive on any mobile device, tablet, or computer.
How are colleges using SL?
- Recruitment
- Probation/Interventions
- Career Readiness
- Learning Centers
- TRIO Programs
- IX Training
- IV Grants
- With Advisors & Counselors
- Extended Learning Institute
- FYE & Student Success Courses
- Orientation
- Online FYE Seminar
- Extra Credit
- Financial Aid Appeal
- College Level English Requirement
- Supplemental Instruction
- Target Online Learners
- Student Disability Office
- Writing Center
- Can be required by faculty
- Student Success Course
Which workshops are your top rated?
We take quality seriously, and so all of our workshops are top notch in terms of content and look. However, if we know how you plan to use StudentLingo (FYE, Retention, Probation, TRIO, etc.), we can make workshop recommendations.
Funding is a little tight, how many workshops can I get for $XX?
You can buy the entire StudentLingo package (50 workshops) or we offer several a la carte options. Unlike a lot of other software companies, we don’t charge per user, so we can work with any budget. We recommend talking to other departments on campus to increase your purchasing power and to share the cost. Also, we do have a pay model whereby students pay directly. If you are interested in learning more about this option, give us a call.
Is there an admin view?
This is a feature of our platform, but comes at an additional cost. With the admin view, you get access to more advanced reporting, and you have it in real time. With the standard membership, you get monthly reports.
How have other schools leveraged reporting?
- One of our partners, College of Southern Nevada, used StudentLingo to measure learning outcomes. in a study, one class had access to StudentLingo and the other cohort did not. 92% of the cohort with access to StudentLingo earned a whole letter grade higher than the cohort without StudentLingo.
- A lot of our partners use the data to justify funding for grants, operating dollars, or for new program development.
- The evaluation data is particularly useful in identifying what type of learning students prefer and the qualitative takeaways from viewing the workshop.
- Some of our partners use the data to connect with their student information system, like Banner or Peoplesoft.
- I think a great way to get started on how you want to use the data is to ask yourself some questions:
- How will I know if StudentLingo was successful?
- What do I hope students will gain from access to StudentLingo?
- What data is important for me to know in order to show that StudentLingo is a worthwhile purchase?
What is TutorLingo?
TutorLingo is a series of 9 online training modules that prepare tutors by providing the basic skills necessary to support their peers in becoming more independent and strategic learners.
Should the TutorLingo trainings be viewed in any particular order?
No, each training is a stand-alone workshop, and they can be viewed in any order.
What is the CRLA?
The CRLA is a group of student-oriented professionals active in the fields of reading, learning assistance, developmental education, tutoring, and mentoring. In 1989, the CRLA created a training program that is considered ‘best-practice’ for tutor training. A fews years ago, Innovative Educators partnered with the CRLA to create supplementary training modules. Our training supports learning centers in achieving level 1 certification through CRLA.
Do CRLA members receive a discount on TutorLingo?
Yes. CRLA members receive a 10% discount on TutorLingo.
Is there an admin view?
Yes. The admin view is an upgrade and costs $500, but gives you the ability to access completion data more efficiently and in real time. If you don’t want the admin view, we provide monthly usage reports.
What is ParentLingo?
ParentLingo is a go-to resource that institutions can easily share with parents to encourage student independence, growth & success. ParentLingo is a shared resource that recognizes and includes parents as partners in the educational process.
What is the cost?
Please contact us for pricing information. Email kristen@ieinfo.org or 303-955-0415.
What features are included?
Standard package:
- 8 Targeted Modules For Parents Branding (Logo On Every Page)
- ADA Compliant & Responsive Design
- Promotional Materials
- Registration (First Name, Last Name, Email)
Premier Package:
- 8 Targeted Modules For Parents Branding (Logo On Every Page)
- ADA Compliant & Responsive Design
- Promotional Materials
- Completion Reports & Standard Evaluations
- Custom Branding (Logo & Institutional Photos)
- 3 Additional Registration Points
- Add & Edit Custom Content
- Customizable Evaluations & Surveys Advanced Reporting
- Designated Instructional Designer
- Flexible Pricing (College Payment Option Or Parents Pay Directly)