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Research Abstract Summary: An Overview Of Relevant Academic Coach Research

Relevant Academic Coach Research

Change is the only constant in the world, and higher education is not immune. The daily challenges that universities face have resulted in far-reaching changes within the higher education space over the last few decades. Online education, in particular, has seen massive changes in staffing, teaching, and organizing, and institutions of higher education have been forced to investigate and implement new models over time, especially as interest and enrollment increase for online education.

The Academic Coach Model has emerged as a new and innovative approach to empowering faculty. However, there are key differences between programs and numerous ways to utilize Academic Coaches successfully.  To help higher education institutions better analyze and implement Instructional Connections’ Academic Coach Model, IC has summarized a collection of abstracts on current and recent research of their services in partnership with their university partners. New research continues to be conducted into how their Academic Coach Model demonstrates its effectiveness and quality. These abstracts provide a quick summary of relevant research on our Academic Coaches. They will help you determine if Academic Coaches are the right fit for your institution.

Lived Experiences of Graduate Teaching Assistants in an Online Nursing Course

Author: Robert Williams, Ed.D

Institution: Argosy University

Year: 2012 Dissertation

This study examined the roles and perceptions of roles as online teaching assistants. Ten participants comprised the study, from one Registered Nurse to a bachelor of science course. Several common themes were identified: challenges, positive experiences, views of students, professional vs online roles, and others. Results support the idea of Academic Coaches as a viable alternative option for higher education institutions, although follow-up studies on different populations, differences between various types of courses, and measurement of retention and student satisfaction.

Characteristics of Academic Coaches in an Online RN-to-BSN Program

Authors: Daisha Jane Cipher and Mary E. Mancini Institution: University of Texas Arlington

Year: 2018

Published -Journal of Nursing Education • Vol. 57, No. 9, 2018

This study analyzed Academic Coaches teaching those enrolled in an online RN-To-Bachelor Science course and data collected from Academic Coaches, enrolled students, and faculty members. This study captured data from over 90 Academic Coaches who taught over 160 online courses, and evaluation data was collected from 12,000 students. Overall, most Academic Coaches received high marks from both students and instructors. The study concluded that Academic Coaches can help contribute to a high-caliber educational experience while retaining high levels of student satisfaction.

Use of Academic Coaches to Promote Student Success in Online Nursing Programs

Authors: Lisa Broussard, DNS, RN, CNE ⁎, Debra White-Jefferson, DNP, RN

Institution: University of Louisiana Lafayette

Year: 2018

Published – Teaching and Learning in Nursing 13 (2018) 223–225

The number of RN-to-BS courses continues to rise in the US to capture increased demand for online student courses in this course of study. However, many higher education institutions need more faculty bandwidth to limit student capacity. Academic Coaches are one potential strategy to free up instructor time and increase student outcomes and satisfaction. This study analyzed how one institution of higher education utilizes Academic Coaches to improve course outcomes.

Managing the Large Online Classroom Using the Academic Coach Model

Authors: Debra White-Jefferson, Lisa Broussard and Helen Fox-McCloy

Institution: University of Louisiana at Lafayette College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions Year: 2019

Unpublished

This study continues to explore how Academic Coaches are a viable solution to counter challenges in the RN-to-BS online education space. This study concluded that while Academic Coaches are a great solution, certain factors increase efficacy. Clearset expectations, academic oversight, and smooth onboarding all help improve the Academic Coach experience.

Academic Coaching in an Online Environment: Impact on Student Achievement

Authors: Melissa J. Hawthorne [Principal Investigator] and Jesse V. Sealey

Institution: Louisiana State University-Shreveport and Newman University Year: 2019

Published – Proceedings of IConSES 2019 – International Conference on Social and Education Sciences (pp. 122-126). Denver, CO, USA

Massive Online Open Enrollment Courses (MOOCs) shifted academic debates around remote learning and increased interest in successful strategies to amplify the efficacy of MOOC instructors. However, doubts about retention and student outcomes lingered, and many in the academic space needed to be more convinced of the effectiveness of MOOCs. Academic Coaches emerged as a successful strategy to tackle both challenges and increase adoption and success within MOOCs.

Partner With Instructional Connections

Are you looking to support and scale your online courses as an institution of higher education? Partner with Instructional Connections to better support your faculty and their students! All our Academic Coaches are graduate degree-qualified and prepared to maximize the efficacy of your faculty.

Our Academic Coach Model is comprehensive. Our academic coaches are all subject matter experts who help your faculty provide their classes with the best resources and support possible. These Academic Coaches help your faculty members by completing faculty-assigned routine tasks and freeing up the faculty’s time to focus on the curriculum, learning objectives, student interventions, and more. Tasks like grading per the rubrics and faculty directions and some routine correspondence can be assigned to Academic Coaches. At the same time, faculty members focus on improving course outcomes, individualized at-risk student interventions, and staying up-to-date with current research. The result is a more impactful course for all involved.

Reach out to Instructional Connections to discuss this further today!

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Research Summary: What Motivates Academic Coaches

Motivates Academic Coaches

Academic Coaches, aka online education teaching assistants, are a fast-growing and underutilized resource for higher education institutions. These third-party professionals are a vital support system for overworked and overcommitted faculty members. They can help higher education institutions by providing much-needed support for larger online classes. 

The specific needs will vary from class to class and institution to institution. Still, Academic Coaches can assist with everything from grading assignments to managing discussion threads and helping post-approved course announcements. Institutions of higher education looking to support their online courses have been turning to the Academic Coach model more frequently in recent years to improve student outcomes.

However, while the Academic Coach model is becoming more utilized, the motivations and goals of Academic Coaches have been understudied aspects of the model.  It’s also a critical piece of the Academic Coaching model; as more students turn to online education, the role of Academic Coaches will become increasingly intensive. 

The motivation of Academic Coaches is critical to help them endure intensive online education alongside their other responsibilities, which significantly impacts student outcomes. Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke investigated this specific question and unveiled some unique research through surveys and interviews with Academic Coaches. This research offers institutions of higher education glimpses into why Academic Coaches chose the role and what motivates them, with implications for overall online education courses. 

Literature Review 

Past research into what motivates a person is critical to understanding why Academic Coaches choose their line of work. The study examined extrinsic and intrinsic motivators as viable facets of a motivated individual. Self-determination theory, in particular, is a valuable paradigm for understanding process and behavioral outcomes, as different motivations can lead to different results. Various levels of internalization on the autonomy continuum can lead to varying levels of identification with any task, and this backdrop was considered when developing interview and survey questions. 

The last element of pertinent literature to consider is the idea of prosocial motivation. The desire to help others is a key motivator, and other research suggests that prosocial motivation leads to greater identification with one’s work. 

The Questions: What Motivates Academic Coaches?

The interview questions focused on three specific questions:

  • Why Did You Start Working as an Academic Coach?
  • What Will Give You More Motivation to Work as an Academic Coach? 
  • What Makes You Want to Stay and Work as an Academic Coach?

For the first answer, financial compensation was a top motivator. Over half of all respondents (57%) considered financial compensation a critical motivation to begin working as an Academic Coach.

One respondent noted, “It’s a good supplement to my income because I am at a small university, and they don’t pay well, and I’m a single mom.” However, other motivations were noteworthy. Flexibility, the ability to work online, and the chance to educate without working as a lead instructor were motivations for many Academic Coaches.

However, other motivators were identified by research outside of these external regulation motivations.  Many Academic Coaches identified staying in their field and experience as key reasons they stayed with Academic Coaching. 

The opportunity to work directly with students was also a top answer, with 69% of respondents choosing this option as a critical motivator. Similarly, 46% of respondents considered helping students a key prosocial motivator. 

Results & Limitations

This research helps understand the specific motivators behind Academic Coach behavior and ties this behavior to broader research on prosocial motivation and outcomes. Ideally, this research can be an excellent backdrop for instructors to contemplate when interacting with Academic Coaches or their higher education institutions when developing online courses. 

Regarding limitations, it is worth noting that this research is only as good as its method. Surveys and interviews are very much dependent on the answers provided by respondents. This research still offers good insight into the extrinsic and intrinsic motivations of Academic Coaches, but what was true for these respondents might only be valid for some Academic Coaches.

 Ideally, future research would integrate instructor impressions of Academic Coaches’ performance to determine if there was a perceived lift in performance associated with specific motivations. 
This research was funded by a grant from Instructional Connections, the top provider in the Academic Coach space. The entire presentation and results can be found here for further study.

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The Changing Landscape of Online Education Report No. 4

Changing Landscape of Online Education

If you’ve worked in higher education, you know that change is inevitable. It’s a fact of life in many industries, but higher education has seen meaningful changes in the last few years. A massive rise in online education has placed new strains on higher education institutions. Many education leaders struggle to keep abreast amidst this changing landscape of online education.

The Changing Landscape of Online Education Report, also known as CHLOE, is a report that helps online educators understand the current state of the industry and future trends. To help maximize your time and allow you to better prepare for the continually evolving online education industry, Instructional Connections noted some key findings from CHLOE Report 4. The original research can be linked here but read on for some topline summaries. 

Specific & Unprecedented Challenges For Higher Ed

The coronavirus emergency forced higher education institutions to change their online infrastructure in days and saw a massive shift to online education. This lateral brought thousands of students into online education who might not have otherwise considered it. 

While many have returned to the classroom, the infrastructure to support massive online education is still up and running. More institutions are offering a more significant number of online education courses. Students, particularly non-traditional students, are increasingly leveraging these courses as they fit into busy lives better than in-person learning. 

The Changing Landscape of Online Education Report 4

CHLOE 4 attempts, like previous CHLOE reports, to shed more light on higher education institutions’ priorities, challenges, and successes as they navigate a constantly evolving online education environment. 

Previous CHLOE reports have noted that online education has continuously evolved – considerably in the past few years – and there is no single way of mainstreaming online education. New needs and challenges force online education leaders to respond and adapt, and CHLOE attempts to chronicle those adaptions. 

The Chief Online Officer Role 

The title of Chief Online Officer is a crucial focus of online education studies. This role suggests an organization committed to interweaving online education as part of the fabric of its modus operandi. Research has highlighted that most of these positions were created within the last decade. While some 15% of roles were established before the millennium, most were created post-2010. 

The rise of this role is in line with the specific duties and responsibilities that Chief Online Officers face. CHLOE 4 looked at self-reporting work duties of Chief Online Officers and found that some 61% of Chief Online Officers found their tasks and workload increasing. Only 4% found their duties decreasing. This research shows that Chief Online Officers are becoming increasingly important in online education. 

CHLOE 4 analyzes third-party Online Partner Managers (OPMs) as a potential resource for higher education institutions. Some 24% of the CHLOE sample used third-party OPMs in the latest sample, up from 15% from CHLOE 1 in 2017. 

Upon further investigation, the reasons Chief Online Officers turn to OPMs appear varied. The most common reasons higher education institutions turn to OPMs include additional OPM expertise, rapid scaling of online education programs, and rapid development. Indeed, the function of the OPM partners used by online education providers is even more diverse in the CHLOE 4 sample. Depending on the specific partner, OPM duties varied from marketing online programs to helping faculty build programs to proctoring exams. 

Learnings & Next Steps

The critical goals of CHLOE 5 are varied. Student needs for online education, specifically by region, institution, and type, will be analyzed further. CHLOE 5 also aims to investigate where the most significant potential for future online education lies, and CHLOE 5 will study differences in field of study and degree type. 
Instructional Connections is proud to sponsor this research and is thankful for the opportunity to support the CHLOE studies.

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The Role of Our Academic Coaches: A Guide

Academic coaches working on a computer

Online learning is becoming increasingly popular, and it’s easy to see why. Many factors, such as technological advancements and an increase in the number of working professionals seeking career advancement through education, have all combined to make online learning a viable and more desirable option for students. 

Higher education institutions are investing more and more resources into properly supporting and scaling their online learning environments. That’s a wise decision. All relevant forecasts suggest that online learning will only continue to rise in subsequent years, and higher education institutions would do well to invest in their online learning methodologies, processes, and partners. 

However, every opportunity presents new challenges. Many higher education institutions have turned to new avenues to help properly support their faculty and instructors in managing larger online learning environments. Instructional Connections’ Academic Coaches are one such method. These dedicated and highly qualified instructional support staff offer unique benefits to the institutions, their faculty members, and the students within the online courses and programs. Read on to learn how our Academic Coaches help higher education institutions maximize their faculty and provide the best possible classroom experiences and outcomes. 

Problems Institutions of Higher Education Face

Larger Class Sizes

A larger class size is certainly a good problem, but can pose a problem nonetheless. Larger class sizes come with a broader assortment of tasks and responsibilities for the faculty member. This is true whether in person or online. 

However, online courses can typically allow more students to enroll than traditional in-person classes with physical space limitations. A typical in-person classroom setting might be confined to only 20-50 students, while an online course could accommodate up to 100-200 students. As a result of these larger class sizes, faculty members might find themselves overwhelmed and struggling to keep up with the rigorous demands associated with supporting and managing the increase in student enrollment. 

Decrease In Quality

Rushing to enroll students in online learning can come with challenges. The more students there are in a course, the harder it can be for the faculty members to meet their needs adequately. The volume of emails, messages, and grading necessary increases with every student, and many faculty members cannot run the course the way they would if they had fewer students. The result is that the course might become more streamlined, auto-graded and simplistic. This makes the class more straightforward to manage but can lessen the quality of the class if it is not done with intention and in alignment with the best practices to assess each student’s learning properly.

Delays

Virtual communication is critical to online learning. Digital forms of communication help give students answers, impart feedback, and keep classes abreast of deadlines. However, while digital communication makes many an online learning course, it can quickly become overwhelming for the faculty member. 

An online learning course instructor could receive dozens and dozens of emails from students. Keeping up with that volume of work in and of itself can be a daunting task. It quickly becomes too much for many faculty members as they also are trying to grade, plan coursework, attend continuing education, and teach while having some semblance of a personal life. This usually results in delays in responses, which can hurt student outcomes and leave students feeling disenfranchised. A question left unanswered about course material can leave a student discouraged and disgruntled. 

This becomes especially problematic when leading an online learning course with non-traditional students (working professionals). These students are much more likely to send emails/questions late at night or over the weekend, which is usually when faculty members are trying to catch up on grading and make time for their family life. Understandably, instructors may be less likely respond to email questions in a timely manner over the weekend. Still, it’s understandable that students might be frustrated if it takes a few days to answer a simple question. Even more so, if the student is unable to get an answer regarding an assignment before that assignment is due.

How Our Academic Coaches Can Help

Saving Time

Our Academic Coaches are an additional asset for the faculty member to provide some instructional support, which multiplies their effectiveness as a course leader and faculty of record. When pressed about their challenges, course instructors are likely to put lack of bandwidth as a critical challenge. When an Instructional Connections Academic Coach works under the direction of the faculty, the Academic Coach can assist with some forms of correspondence with students, grade assignments per the faculty rubrics and inter-rater reliability, and aid with some of the more tedious and time-consuming course tasks. This frees the instructor to focus on being more strategic with their course, ensuring academic integrity, increasing student satisfaction, improving student outcomes, and making the class more enjoyable for all parties involved. 

Increasing Quality

With this amount of time back, instructors can focus on improving the quality of the course. What was the average score on the last test? How does that compare to past tests? What areas are students struggling to comprehend? Do I need to work directly with the identified at-risk students and/or need a referral to other university resources? With additional time, instructors can focus on higher-level concepts to improve student outcomes.

Providing Quicker Responses and Grading

An online course can go by in the blink of an eye, especially if it is not a traditional semester, 15-16 week course, but an accelerated course (5 to 9 weeks long). Delays in providing instruction support or grading assignments an additional week or two can significantly impact student outcomes. Many higher education online courses will have one or more assignments and graded discussion threads due each week. Failure to provide feedback promptly might result in students making the same mistakes on consecutive assignments. Instructional Connections Academic Coaches provide additional instructional support to ensure that grading and substantive feedback are given in a timely manner as assigned using inter-rater reliability activities prescribed by the faculty, resulting in a more streamlined and effective course. 

Partner with Instructional Connections

Are you an institution of higher education looking to support your faculty within their online courses? Our Academic Coaches are perfect for supporting your instructors and improving student outcomes and experience.

Our Academic Coaches are:

  • Industry Professionals with graduate degrees in their area of expertise/subject matter area.
  • Fully Vetted and Contracted by Instructional Connections
  • Approved by the university and programs for which they are assigned with the online courses.
  • Strategic partners to our institution’s leadership and their faculty members.

Interested in learning how our Academic Coaches can help your institution better student outcomes? Contact Instructional Connections today to learn more!

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4 Common Remote Learning Mistakes

Common Remote Learning Mistakes and their fixes

Remote learning is the wave of the future for institutions of higher education, and improvements in technology have only increased the frequency of virtual learning in recent years. Students are also interested in utilizing online learning, especially if they are non-traditional students or working professionals returning to school. An institution that cannot utilize remote education in its curriculum is one that will struggle to drive results for its students.


However, many higher education institutions still struggle to use online education, even as more courses move to digital delivery formats only. The result is that an increasing number of students are enrolled in courses with overworked, unprepared, and unfulfilled faculty members, and there seems to be no sign of this stopping soon. Poorly designed, planned, and executed online courses will only lead to burnout and dissatisfaction among top faculty members. 


The team at Instructional Connections has seen all sorts of remote education challenges over the years. Our Academic Coaches have worked within a number of online courses, and that familiarity gives us unique insight into the most common problems within online education. Read on to learn about the common mistakes institutions make with virtual learning and how to rectify these problems. 

Too Little Faculty Bandwidth 


Saying that leading a course of 100 students is difficult is putting it mildly. Even the most seasoned instructors can struggle to keep up with the demands of teaching this many students. It’s completely understandable that bandwidth can become a precious resource for many instructors when faced with courses of 100 or more students.  Faculty work life balance can also suffer when teaching online programs, as many students in these courses work fulltime and will often send emails and reach out for support on weekends or after hours. This tends to lead to severe faculty member burnout. 


It’s incredibly easy for instructors to find their bandwidth drained by the urgent but tedious duties of instruction. Administrative duties, answering emails, grading, and a thousand other operational tasks are a part of teaching, but these duties can pull seasoned instructors away from their more important strategic goals. The more bandwidth the instructor has, the more they can focus on staying up-to-date in their field, bettering student outcomes, and more strategic focuses. Plan accordingly if your institution offers online courses. 


Another issue to be aware of with online courses, especially with larger enrollments, is that faculty may begin to design the course to maximize their already scarce time. This is a natural response to bandwidth, but the result is usually a drop in the quality of assignments and an increase in busy work that might not help students increase their mastery of the subject. It’s a crucial problem within online learning to be wary of; low faculty bandwidth actively threatens the quality of the course and student learning. The more mundane tasks that can be removed from your instructors, the more efficient and impactful they will be, and student outcomes will be better for it. 

Unclear Communication Channels


Small, in-person courses offer students opportunities to contact their instructors frequently. In this format, less-than-optimal communication channels don’t tend to make or break a course. If a student has a question, they can ask in class or after class, after all. This works fine for smaller class sizes. 


However, in an online course, an instructor could receive emails from 50-100 students at any given time. When time is scarce, and the student-to-instructor ratio is high, inefficient communication is not an option. Instructors need to figure out how to communicate efficiently and effectively with their students in order to be impactful online educators. 

Delayed Feedback & Grading


Students expect to know where they stand when they take a course. Most have become accustomed to knowing all pertinent information about their position in the course, whether good or bad. Delays in feedback and grading put this in jeopardy. Unsurprisingly, problems grading accurately and quickly are a huge source of frustration for most online, non-traditional students. Failure to receive a grade quickly can leave the student discouraged. If too much time passes, a new assignment or test could be assigned, and the student’s errors might be repeated. 


Prompt grading and feedback allow students to seek assistance, whether through the university or from the faculty member, and adjust accordingly.  Failure to provide prompt feedback can leave students feeling surprised by their marks and lower their satisfaction with the online course. Institutions of higher education need to give faculty members the resources necessary to offer quick grading for students. 

Failure to Properly Scale the Course


Not all college courses are the same. This seems intuitive, but far too many instructors and institutions treat all courses similarly regarding structure and mode of delivery. This can often be a holdover from past courses. If an instructor is accustomed to teaching a certain way,  it can be easy for them to default to what has worked in the past. There is nothing wrong with this approach, but modern online education often demands different approaches. 


A well-designed and planned course can still begin to falter if the existing processes are not adjusted. A large class might need additional support if the course enrollment grows too quickly. That’s a good problem to have! However, it is something that institutions of higher education should be aware of. The existing protocols and procedures for current courses might not scale forever, and institutions need to be flexible in order to deal with growing course enrollments. 

Partner with Instructional Connections


Are you an institution of higher education looking to support your faculty members? Contact Instructional Connections to learn more about whether an Academic Coach is right for your course!
Our Academic Coaches offer high-quality support services to colleges and universities teaching online courses!  Our Academic Coaches…

  • Can Reduce Instructional Delivery Cost by 20-30%
  • Serve More than 50,000 students at 50 Universities and 75+ Programs.
  • Are Available in a Variety of Disciplines
  • Give Instructors Time Back to Focus on Student Outcomes

Learn more about our Online Teaching Assistants and Academic Coaches today!

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How Higher Ed Institutions Can Increase Student Satisfaction with Distance Learning

Student Satisfaction with Distance Learning

Distance learning continues to be a dominant trend within higher education. Institutions are increasingly taking stock of student experience with distance learning and evaluating how satisfied students are with the process. 


It’s a valid and critical ask – distance learning can be difficult for some students, and even highly motivated students can quickly disengage when poorly conducted. More and more institutions are investigating how to increase student satisfaction with their distance learning, and some critical trends in student satisfaction deserve closer consideration. 

Responsiveness


No one likes to wait for an answer, whether in a class, on a helpline, or in a physical store. The same is true of non-traditional students in an online course. Students expect to see answers to simple questions about coursework, content, or industry-specific topics in a timely fashion. 


Unfortunately, this can be extremely difficult when instructors have 50-100 students in an online course. Higher education institutions can mitigate student dissatisfaction with distance learning by equipping instructors to respond to student queries promptly.


Timely Grading & Review


One of the main benefits of distance learning is that higher education institutions aren’t bound by the physical confines of a room. The upper size limit of a class is now much higher without the constraints of room size. Some non-traditional distance learning programs can see quite a few students enroll, and digital class sizes over 100 are not uncommon. 


However, this can make it extremely difficult for faculty members to grade, review, and post announcements. This is a natural consequence of the rising digital class size but significantly impacts student satisfaction. The ability to understand one’s progress on exams, coursework, and essays is a crucial piece of any distance learning program. Institutions of higher education that struggle to keep up to date with grading and student feedback will see corresponding dips in student satisfaction. 

Communication Through Self-Guided Learning


Another significant benefit of distance learning for non-traditional students is that their learning is often self-guided. Busy professionals attempting to balance work and family appreciate the ability to learn remotely. However, a downside of this learning style is that self-guided learning can be isolating. 


A solitary distance learning environment will lack the connection, collaboration, and discussion that in-person learning does, which can negatively impact student learning. 


How, then, can institutions of higher education confront this problem? Additional support can help faculty members improve student outcomes and give students clear direction and support as they navigate through online learning. Assistance with grading, approved announcements, and day-to-day tasks can help provide students with clear guidance. These clear channels of communication serve a couple of purposes. Primarily, students are given clear communication about course material and the opportunity to communicate with course instructors and other students. However, faculty members also benefit from additional support in these areas. Improved communication about the progression of the course gives students clear directions and feedback on the self-guided process and frees up faculty time to focus on developing the course.


Flexibility 


Any seasoned instructor can tell you that flexibility is critical when leading a digital classroom of over 100 students. Exams sometimes must be moved, power outages derail submissions, and emergencies occur. This is just a fact of life, even outside of the classroom. However, few faculty members can simultaneously respond to these challenges when instructing that many students. The ability to provide flexibility to every student can become a challenge. 

Faculty Mentorship


Distance learning is not merely coursework. Students will often have questions about their field of study, career prospects, and industry trends and may want to contact faculty members for their insight. While Academic Coaches don’t personally provide mentorship opportunities, higher education institutions offer mentorship, along with other student development services, to all students, including traditional, non-traditional, online, and in-person. Participation in these types of services causes an increase in student satisfaction and better student outcomes for all. 

How Academic Coaches Can Assist 


Faculty members understand what they must do to improve student outcomes and satisfaction. However, as with many things, the devil is in the details. Delivering a great course is hard enough in and of itself. Offering flexibility, timely grading, and clear communication to over 100 students is a big ask. That’s where an Instructional Connections Academic Coach can assist.


Keep in mind, though, that while  Academic Coaches are there to assist, they are only permitted to engage in such activities as directed by the faculty of record. At the direction of the faculty, Academic Coaches can help with everything from posting approved announcements to replying to emails and grading. However, grading is always completed as assigned and through the use of inter-rater reliability activities as prescribed by the faculty. 


Our Academic Coaches are highly qualified, experienced professionals in the appropriate academic discipline. Each has earned at least a Master’s or Doctoral degree from an accredited university. On average, IC Academic Coaches have 14 years of industry experience and a minimum of a Master’s degree. 


Each Virtual TA possesses the academic credentials and experience to become an immediate asset to the faculty and students. Our Virtual TAs are tremendous resources to students in their related fields. Additionally, we align with your goals completely, listening to your institutional priorities and following your leadership and the direction of faculty. 


Interested in exploring if an Academic Coach is right for your institution? Call now!

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Changes in How Students Are Learning

How Students Are Learning in online education

If you’ve been paying attention to the higher education industry, you’ve probably seen many changes over the years. However, few eras of student learning will involve such dynamic change as the past few years. Higher education has radically transformed over the last few years, and it doesn’t look to show any signs of slowing down. Due to the vast changes in the way students are learning, savvy higher education professionals would do well to pay close attention and adjust their modes of teaching.


To help you stay abreast of these changes, the team here at Instructional Connections assembled their thoughts on some of the most critical ways education is changing and how proper utilization of resources is pivotal for success. 

Stage or Side Instruction? 


Before we dive in, it’s important to take a closer look at two competing paradigms of educational philosophy.


The first is the “sage on a stage” model. In this model, the educator’s primary purpose is to be a subject matter expert, and educators ought to work to use that expertise to impart knowledge to their pupils.


In the “guide on the side model,” self-learning is the name of the game. In this paradigm, educators are mainly guides who help students engage with relevant content through projects, applied training, and classroom discussion.


There is utility to each of these philosophical models, but higher education professionals need to appreciate just how their roles in both paradigms have shifted over the last few years. Educators who have historically relied on their expertise within a given area may now find themselves having to diversify their curriculum. Likewise, guides may find that relevant expertise in defined content areas might help guide students through confusing or contradictory self-learning. 


The “guide on the side model” is also a much more common model for distance learning, merely due to the nature of the model. Most distance courses rely on students to be self-directed and capable of engaging with content critically. Most curriculums expect faculty to help students engage with and think critically about content and projects, not distill and spoon-feed all education to their pupils.

However, many faculty members find themselves thrown into the deep end when teaching remotely. 


If faculty members do find themselves migrating to virtual instruction and struggling with the transition from a sage on a stage to a guide on the side, it’s imperative that their institutions find ways to support them. 

The Rise of Non-Traditional Students


In that same vein, the rise of non-traditional students is another significant change in how students learn. These students are typically older, have some experience in the workforce, and have different schedules. They are thus quite different from the average college student, who is usually full-time and has more time to attend in-person classes. Non-traditional students also are much likelier to attend virtual classes since this type of education meshes well with their busy schedules. 


Non-traditional students, since they tend to be older and more experienced, are often much better at regulating their schedules and coursework. However, their dependence on virtual learning does pose challenges. Faculty instructors not used to virtual learning might struggle to adapt to this sort of teaching. 

Early Exposure to Professional Communities 


At one point, education was perceived as all a student needed to succeed. This was never entirely true, but it is becoming increasingly necessary to realize that a degree in and of itself is not a golden ticket. Students now are encouraged to begin networking early and connect with professionals in their vocation while still in school. Faculty instructors now realize that their role is not just to be a sage on a stage or a guide on the side. They also need to help students explore the ins and outs of their craft and make lasting connections to their vocational community. Work experience and familiarity with a vocation are huge boons now for faculty instructors looking to help their pupils network early. 

Academic Coaches & Changes in Learning 


Student learning will always continue to evolve. That’s just a fact. It’s imperative now that faculty instructors are prepared to showcase their expertise, guide through distance learning, and support non-traditional students. 


An Instructional Connection Academic Coach can be a great way to support faculty members through these challenges and maximize the potential of the faculty member. 


Our Academic Coaches all have at least a Master’s Degree and are experts in their field.  Their expertise and familiarity with their craft also make them an excellent resource for the students in their courses, who often see their Academic Coach as a peer and trusted mentor. This expertise in the subject matter lets our Academic Coaches free up time for faculty members to focus on what they do best: teaching! 
Our process is simple. 

  • Understanding Your Needs: Every course, every university, every faculty member is different. We begin by sitting down and understanding what you need in an academic coach. It is essential that we understand your unique needs before diving into the next steps in the process. 
  • Assigning the Right Academic Coach: Next, we assign you an Academic Coach. This Academic Coach will be contracted, paid, and managed by Instructional Connections. This eliminates the need for additional human resource workers or additional lifts on the part of the institution. 
  • Support Throughout the Semester: We will be in the wings the whole semester to ensure that your Academic Coach is properly supported and meeting your needs. 

The classroom is ever-evolving. Help your faculty members stay up-to-date and prepared for these changes with an Academic Coach from Instructional Connections. 

Contact Instructional Connections To Learn More!

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How To Support Non-Traditional Students

academic coaches Support Non-Traditional Students

Non-traditional students may feel like a paradox for universities looking to maximize their working professional students. On one hand, they are students in every sense of the word and have the responsibilities of traditional students. However, their age, work experience and busy lifestyles separate them from the rest of campus and mean non-traditional students might never actually interact with the campus at large.  Institutions of higher education who want to support their non-traditional students are thus increasingly recognizing just how distinct the issues and concerns of non-traditional students are.


Their educational background and familiarity with the working world means they’re more prepared for their study. Their time spent in the workforce or in the military have trained them well and they’re ready for their coursework. Any instructor who has taught a non-traditional student course knows that it’s worlds away from an undergraduate course in terms of composition and understanding of subject matter. 


Still, while institutions might not need to invest as many resources into non-traditional students, it is imperative that institutions of higher education properly structure their non-traditional programs. Failure to do so dramatically increases the odds of faculty member burnout and less-than-impactful programs for non-traditional students. 


To help support non-traditional students, institutions of higher education are turning to Academic Coaches AKA virtual TAs for maximum results. The right Academic Coaching model improves academic outcomes for non-traditional students by equipping faculty members and freeing up instructor time. Read on to learn how the Instructional Connections Academic Coach Model helps support non-traditional students. 

Networking Opportunities


Non-traditional students often return to university to pursue a specific work-related course of study. They tend to have more work experience and, thus, are likely to have some familiarity with the subject at hand. However, many non-traditional students understand that networking is a key factor in success in the working world and often are much more interested in networking than traditional students.  After all, their time in the working world has shown them just how crucial industry connections are. Non-traditional students are thus likely to be interested in any networking opportunities or knowledge about their industry their faculty instructor can provide outside of coursework. 

Flexibility


Few college students have an abundance of time, but non-traditional students, in particular, struggle to balance their responsibilities. Research has determined that non-traditional students particularly benefit from self-guided learning. Video resources and recording of lectures are two great examples of this. Non-traditional students can regulate their pace when engaging with course materials and can watch online lectures anytime, whether at 5 AM or 5 PM. Empowering your faculty to use self-guided online pedagogical tools is a great way to support non-traditional students. 

Support Through Hybrid Or Distance Learning


Distance learning has made a huge splash on the education stage, but it has become incredibly popular among nontraditional students, who are much likelier to learn remotely. Many non-traditional students find remote learning more conducive to their busy lives and packed schedules, as most balance school with work, marriage, and other responsibilities. 


However, remote education comes with its own challenges, and non-traditional students are not exempt. Many non-traditional students struggle with the isolation of remote learning. Others may not comprehend the material as well as they would in person and may see their performance struggle while attending a distance learning program. The nature of non-traditional learning means that few students will ever be in a physical classroom to ask questions or stay after to clarify a subject. Many programs for non-traditional students see larger enrollments, due to the lack of physical constraints. Between the nature of distance learning, the size of a non-traditional remote program, and the business of professional life outside of class, many non-traditional students can get lost in the shuffle. 


While distance learning has many benefits, universities need to intentionally provide resources that help streamline the distance learning or hybrid learning experience for optimal student outcomes. 


Support Non-Traditional Students With Instructional Connections


Many institutions of higher education leverage Academic Coaches or Virtual Teaching Assistants to help assist faculty members of record when supporting non-traditional students. These Virtual TAs help empower faculty members by grading assignments, posting approved announcements, and helping with day-to-day management tasks. This frees up faculty member time to focus on student empowerment and improving student outcomes, leading to great results. In many graduate programs, our Academic Coaches assist in seeing retention rates over 80%!  


Our Academic Coaches have at least a Master’s Degree and an average of 14 years of experience in their field, which helps them relate with non-traditional students. Many of our IC Academic Coaches are also potential networking opportunities and industry knowledge resources for non-traditional students. Consequently, our Academic Coaches are able to help students learn about their industry, streamline distance learning, and aid faculty members through their instructor-assigned duties. 


The Instructional Connections Academic Coach Model is simple. We start by understanding the needs of our university partner fully. The better we understand their goals and unique situation, the better equipped we are for our next step. We recruit, screen, and vet an Academic Coach for the unique situation of our university partner, pending the partner’s approval. From there, we train our Academic Coaches or Virtual TAs on the system, programs, and processes they need to know to be impactful. This reduces the administrative costs on our partner’s side and empowers our Virtual TAs to be the best they possibly can be. Instructional Connections also provides continuous support throughout the semester for our university partners, resulting in better student outcomes, increased employee and faculty satisfaction, and higher retention rates.

Supporting non-traditional students can differ greatly from supporting traditional students, but the right Academic Coach or Virtual TA can aid immensely. Contact Instructional Connections to learn more!

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Effective Practices In Using Academic Coaches: A Research Summary

Academic Coaches research

Maximizing faculty is always a difficult task for any university, The research shows, time and time again, that student outcomes are better when their instructors have more time to focus on the subject matter over administrative tasks. As digital learning tools become more common, instructors find themselves needing support to facilitate successful distance learning. To help support their faculty and improve student outcomes for online learning courses, many institutions of higher education turn to Academic Coaches to help their faculty members shine. 

However, while the use of Academic Coaches is critical to successful instructional courses, little research has been conducted into how Academic Coaches are used. Successful application of Academic Coaches has huge ramifications for faculty success, but few universities know what practices will help their faculty use Academic Coaches well.

To help with this goal, Instructional Connections funded original research by Tracia M Forman and Jessica M Sanchez into the best practices for Academic Coaches at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. These findings were later presented by the two aforementioned researchers at the Texas Distance Learning Association’s 2022 conference. The goal of this research was to understand the behavior, preferences, and opinions of faculty who utilize Academic Coaches, with the aim of developing best practice guidelines for the future use of Academic Coaches. 

About UTRGV

The University of Texas Rio Grande is one of the largest primarily Hispanic universities in the country. The University has campuses across the Rio Grande Valley of southernmost Texas, mostly in McAllen, Harlingen, and Edinburg. The institution is unique as 54% of its students are first-generation students, and over 90% are Hispanic. The University of Texas Rio Grande, like other institutions of higher learning, was trying to maximize its faculty’s impact via distance learning. This became the perfect backdrop for Sanchez and Forman’s research into what makes a great Academic Coach. 

What is an Academic Coach? 

An Academic Coach, in the context of this research, was a trusted resource for University of Texas Rio-Grande Valley faculty members, an additional layer of support for UTRGV instructors. All Academic Coaches were employed by Instructional Connections, and all were subject matter experts within their field of study. All Academic Coaches have, at minimum, a Master’s Degree, although oftentimes, Academic Coaches may have other postgraduate degrees. The main purpose of an Academic Coach is to assist at the course level and help support students through more administrative tasks, tasks that eat up instructor time. 

The sample size that  Forman and Sanchez used to glean more insight into best practices around Academic Coaching consisted of 14 female instructors and 2 male instructors. A variety of disciplines were represented, with liberal arts being the most common. 

The main vehicle for this research was interviewing faculty about their experiences with Academic Coaches. That interview script can be accessed here. 

Forman and Sanchez investigated how Academic Coaches were being utilized at UTRGV to ensure that all Academic Coaches were being utilized in similar ways across the college. Typical responsibilities of Academic Coaches, according to the consulted faculty members, usually included grading, leading discussions, and answering student questions, although this varied from instructor of record to instructor of record. Most faculty members found few student complaints about their Academic Coach, and when student complaints did arise, grading was the main area of concern. 

The most common way of aligning with Academic Coaches was to hold a pre-course meeting to review standard operation procedures, expectations, and the types of assignments. Shadow sessions around grading were also scheduled by some faculty with their Academic Coaches to align on how grading ought to be conducted. 

Findings 

The research concluded that several Academic Coach strategies stood out as more effective. Those included…

  • Constant Communication
  • Clear Grading Rubrics
  • Detailed & Comprehensive Agendas

Forman and Sanchez also recommended several strategies for using Academic Coaches be discontinued. These included….

  • Offtopic Virtual  Meetings
  • Use of Unfamiliar Digital Learning Tools in the Classroom
  • Not Aligning on Grading Expectations Early

It is important to note that the UTRGV faculty members were, all in all, quite happy with their Instructional Connections Academic Coaches, aka Virtual TA. Their feedback did, however, note when Academic Coach utilization needed improvement, and the three aforementioned topics were the most common strategies Forman and Sanchez recommended be discontinued. 

From this research and discussion with the sample size, Forman and Sanchez were able to create a list of advice for instructors to maximize their use of Academic Coaches.

  • Clear Ground Rules & Expectations at Onset
  • Regular Cadences for Communication
  • Detailed Rubrics for Grading to Prevent Misalignment
  • Listen to Coach Ideas and Feedback to Improve Student Experiences  

Summary

This research found that clear expectations, communication, and meeting cadences all helped maximize the use of Academic Coaches at UTRGV. The issues that did arise were usually around grading, and the instructors interviewed found that clear rubrics could help alleviate these student complaints. 

Forman and Sanchez did find some areas of improvement for future research. Namely, incorporating direct feedback from Academic Coaches and developing a line of questions to further understand grading responsibilities were identified as areas of further research.

Instructional Connections would like to thank Forman and Sanchez for their tireless work and all UTRGV participants for their time and insight. The use of Academic Coaches and virtual TAs at institutions of higher learning is an understudied practice within the higher education community. This research helps all parties understand how to best support course instructors and improve distance learning.

The full research can be found here. 

For More Information, Contact Instructional Connections

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How To Maximize University Faculty

University Faculty working on a project

Knowing how to maximize university faculty can be difficult. It’s easy to understand why universities might be interested in improving outcomes for their faculty. If done right, your faculty are more likely to stay with the university, invest more in their students, and be more involved on campus. These benefits aren’t just for your university faculty. Improvements in how your faculty relate to their work greatly impact your students. Studies routinely show that students see better outcomes working with happy and engaged faculty. There clearly are huge benefits for your university when your faculty are happy, invested, and committed to their jobs. 

But how do you actually improve outcomes for your university faculty? We put together some thoughts on how universities can maximize their faculty. 

Keep Them Engaged

Engagement can be a difficult term to define. We all know that engaged workers are good; the research repeatedly corroborates that fact. Imagine when you worked for an employer who kept you engaged. (Or maybe you still work for this employer; if so, good for you!) You probably were a lot more intrigued by your work and a lot more creative. 

  • Over 80% Of Workers are More Engaged When Communication is Clear
  • Engaged Workers Lead to Increased Profitability 
  • Disengaged Employees Actually Cost Employers 

The problem, however, is that engagement can be difficult to define. What might be hyper-engaged for one employer may be lackluster for another. This is certainly an issue. However, we do have some idea of what engagement looks like for most workers. 

Give Them Time Back

Time and time again, university faculty members are learning what their most precious resource is…. And it’s time! This makes sense. No one enjoys feeling like they’re spread too thin, and that’s especially true for faculty members. Research consistently demonstrates that giving faculty members more time lets them think outside the box, get more strategic, and problem-solve. Again, not a huge surprise. People tend to be able to think ahead when they’re not trying merely to keep up with their work. 

Help Them Identify Problems

The age of “punch-in and punch-out work” is gone for many of us. It never existed for faculty members, regardless. To be successful, faculty members aim to have a real impact on their students and drive student outcomes. That’s a hard task!

Some quick stats on student engagement.

  • Over 90% of Teachers Say Student Engagement is a Key Stat in Predicting Outcomes
  • Disengaged Students Are More Likely to Produce Subpar Work
  • Disengaged Students Are More Likely to Be Absent

While the research suggests that a good professor can be a life changer for students, many students simply aren’t getting this level of care. The reason why is pretty simple; faculty members are dealing with more and more responsibilities, larger and larger class sizes, and more dynamic learning environments. It’s no wonder that faculty members are struggling to identify what students are at risk and are incapable of getting out in front of these at-risk students. They just don’t have the time and mechanisms to identify at-risk students and handle all of their administrative duties simultaneously.

Turn to Instructional Connections

At Instructional Connections, we understand that a university faculty member’s time is precious. Institutions of higher learning need to effectively maximize their university faculty to drive results and empower their students, but often, these institutions just don’t have the resources and time to do so. To help alleviate this problem, turn to Instructional Connections.

Our virtual teaching assistant model gives your faculty qualified, expert Instructional Connections academic coaches to help assist with their day-to-day needs. Depending on the course, the faculty member, and the institution, our academic coaches are able to assist with a number of different tasks.

Teaching is one of the most important and impactful vocations in our society; ensure that your faculty members are equipped to do it well with the help of an academic coach! 

Contact Instructional Connections Today!

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