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COVID-19 Statement and Resources

The situation with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a fluid situation that we are constantly monitoring. Businesses and institutions everywhere – both large and small – are feeling the impact. 

Thankfully, our business was built in such a way that all our staff, employees, and contractors work remotely – so we are all able to continue providing support to our partner institution with their instructional support needs – assisting with maintaining the quality and scaling of the online courses. There should not be any delays or interruptions on our end, but if you do have any questions please feel free to reach out.

We are thankful for you and your business and we are here to help in any way that we can!

Below are links to great resources for institutions, administrator,s and faculty regarding the transition to online/remote teaching and instructional continuity: 

Online Learning Consortium – https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/about/continuity-planning-emergency-preparedness-resources/

Quality Matters – https://www.qualitymatters.org/qa-resources/resource-center/article-resource/51

UPCEA – https://sites.google.com/view/covid19he/home

WCET – https://wcet.wiche.edu/covid-19-resources

SACSCOC – https://sacscoc.org/coronavirus-and-the-commission/

HLC – https://www.hlcommission.org/General/coronavirus-updates.html

Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions – https://www.c-rac.org/

American Council on Education – https://www.acenet.edu/

CDC’s Interim Guidance for Administrators of US Institutions of Higher Education – https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/

Categories
Reports

2020 CHLOE 4 Report: The Changing Landscape of Online Education (CHLOE): Navigating the Mainstream

2020 CHLOE 4 Report: The Changing Landscape of Online Education (CHLOE): Navigating the Mainstream (https://www.qualitymatters.org/qa-resources/resource-center/articles-resources/CHLOE-4-report-2020)

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Blog

Instructional Connections Research Grant Submissions Are Open for 2020

Instructional Connections wants to give back to our partners and help create a better educational experience for all. Which is why we are pleased to announce our 2nd round of research grants totaling in at over $33,000 are open for submissions and will be awarded to 4 partner institutions in the coming quarter.

Our research grants will directly support scholarly & public discourse & foster the next generation of research around academic coaching, long distance learning, & the potential for new online degrees & courses.

Our research grant opportunities are for research around the efficacy of Academic Coaching Models in an accelerated course environment across a variety of disciplines. Our ultimate goal is to improve and advance the understanding of online learning and how academic coaching can continue to improve the learning experience for all students.

Instructional Connections expects the research grant proposals to include:

  • Strong research designs and stringent analytic methods
  • Clear and compelling reasoning for the significance of the research
  • Conceptual framework and past related research

These research grants reflect our high commitment to innovation in education and working to provide better and move inclusive options for all students, faculty, and institutions.

Instructional Connections Research Grant Application & Submission

There are 8 parts to our research grant application process, and each applicant is required to complete all parts of the application in order to be considered:

Section I:

Principal Investigator Contact Information: We request that you provide complete contact information of the principal investigator at the beginning of your application.

Section II:

Employment and Educational Credential Information: Include your institute, job title, and educational credentials in order to be considered for our research grant. Only partner institutions are eligible.

Section III:

CV Submission: Please provide your curriculum vitae, showing the course of your work throughout your professional life. This can range from 2-6 pages and should be detailed enough that its viewer can understand the direction and advancements of your career path.

Section IV:

Research Interests and Methodologies: Include a detailed section that summarizes your research accomplishments, current work, and future direction or potential for your work. Your future research interests may discuss specific issues or broad categories.

Section V:

Proposal Summary: Please provide a concise proposal summary in which you overview your research. Your research proposal summary can be similar to a research proposal abstract.

Section VI:


Proposed Budget Allocation: Indicate how you plan on spending your research grant, if you should receive it, allowing for categories and the amount of your budget that will be used in each.

Section VII:

Proposal Submission: Please submit your full proposal, explaining your purpose, methodology, timeline (preferred under 1-year), and other pertinent facts that will affect your research.

Section VIII:

Signature/Submit: Please sign your proposal and submit it by no later than May 30th, 2020.

Additional Resources:

Additional proposal submission instructions can be found on the IC Budget Policy and IC Grant FAQs pages.

Instructional Connections Research Grant Proposal Evaluation Criteria

  • Overall presentation of a concise, cohesive, and compelling project proposal
  • Research which will add to scholarly literature currently available on the topic
  • Detailed information on the method which will be employed to analyze the data
  • Presentation of the educational significance, the research questions, and the proposed activities (data collection and analyses)
  • Presentation of a budget and timeline for the project that fits within a 1-year timeline

Evaluations:

Each of the criteria will be given a point value from 1-20 points. A maximum point value of 100 points can be assigned for any given proposal.

A committee of academic peers and Instructional Connections officers will review each proposal. Each committee member will submit their individual scores, which will then be averaged.

Once the decision is made, Instructional Connections will contact the grant awardee. Award decisions are conveyed within six weeks of the award committee completion of the review process.

Once the grant is disbursed to the institution, your time frame for the research begins. If an extension of time is required for completion of the research, you will need to submit a request in writing to IC at least three months prior to the end of the original date of completion, with a full explanation for why the extension is required.

Current employees (full-time, part-time or independent contractors) of Instructional Connections are ineligible to apply for grants.

Contact Instructional Connections for More Information

Questions about the grant process can be directed to: Dr. Harriet Watkins, Chief Academic Officer at [email protected].

Or visit our website to learn more about Instructional Connections, our grants, and our online academic coaches.

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Blog News

What is an Online Academic Coach? [3 Benefits]

Instructional Connections helps your online programs succeed by assisting your staff and enhancing student success and retention with online Academic Coaches. But what is an ‘online academic coach’ and what are the benefits and services they provide to your faculty, students, online programs, and University as a whole?

Let’s start off with a little background, because we believe a strong foundation leads to success!

“Instructional Connections provides Online Academic Coaches (AKA “Teaching Assistants”, “Course Assistants” or “Instructional Associates”), who directly support the Faculty of Record within the online asynchronous courses.”

Our online Academic Coaches can assist faculty of record of the course with the grading of assignments, managing discussion threads, answering emails, and handling other day-to-day issues. This frees up your faculty to focus on the bigger picture – the success of the class!

The specific assistance that each online Academic Coach provides is based on the directions given by University faculty. This allows each online academic coach to support in the most efficient and relevant way for each unique, online course.

Benefits of an Online Academic Coach

Our Academic Coaching Model adds a human touch to the online environment, encouraging students to learn and keep up with the demands of online course work.

1. IC Online Academic Coaches Are Highly Qualified

One of the major benefits of using an online Academic Coach from Instructional Connections is that each of our coaches has earned a minimum of a master’s degree in the area they assist in from an accredited University.

Our Academic Coaches have both real-world experience in the area of study of the online class and hold a graduate or higher degree in that area. This ensures that your online Academic Coach is able to truly contribute and help – having the background and knowledge necessary – in addition to the time and collaboration.

Most students view their online academic coach as a peer and respect the fact that their coach works in the same field they are looking to join. In fact, on average, IC online academic coaches have 14 years of experience in their field!

2. Our Online Academic Coaches Are Always Available

We employ over 4,000 online Academic Coaches across various subject areas. We also place, manage, supervise, and pay the Academic Coaches in support of University faculty, making the addition of an academic coach smooth and effective.

Your specific online Academic Coach will answer and respond to all inquiries and emails within 24 hours, 7 days a week during the course. So, your students have the information they need, and their questions acknowledged promptly. A swift reply will always be supplied, even if it is just to let the student know that they will have to research the answer or consult with the faculty.

3. Our Online Academic Coaches Are Flexible

When we begin the process of matching an online Academic Coach to a new program or institution, we learn of the academic credential requirements. We then discuss what the needs of the specific discipline or University are relative to instructional support and other missions. We encourage the class faculty to decide and communicate what specific needs they have and what the duties of the online Academic Coach will be.

Some Academic Coaches mainly monitor discussion forums and answer emails, others facilitate discussions and grade assignments as directed by the faculty of record, while still others may do all of the above! This flexibility allows the online Academic Coach to meet what the faculty needs, not offer a one-size-fits-all for every course.

With the wealth of online courses being offered from different schools, with different faculty, it is important to Instructional Connections that we provide the services needed for each through flexibility, communication, and efficient use of time.

Instructional Connections Online Academic Coaches Offer Support for Your Faculty & Online Courses

We provide continual support to each online course from end to end.

If you are looking to expand your online course offerings or if enrollment is creating a need for additional support, contact Instructional Connections and learn more about our online academic coaches, our services, benefits, and more.