Hello Melissa...
I actually agree with your assertions that students may become disengaged due to technology challenges. One thing that I have noticed at one of my prior institutions is - when there is a strong IT department and an on-boarding process that includes an introductory course (self-paced, non-credit)....students tend to fair better. Many of the students return to what is referred to as the "sandbox" for issues and frequently asked questions. That has really been a huge benefit for those who are not technology savvy. In addition, there were weekly live labs held to help new students navigate the learning system and that too has been an enormous success. Of course there is a student advisor that helps to facilitate the process so that students know how to access these resources. Students leave school for reasons that are associated wtih the most basic technology skills such as attaching assignments, using the message system, and accessing assignment instructions among others....so, having a synchronous component to navigating the system as well as an asynchronous option for learning to navigate the course has proven to be effective in my experience.
