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What Do Students Want From Online Programs?

online programs for education

For higher education institutions, online courses used to be a surefire way to increase student enrollment and remain relevant throughout change. As the Digital Age began, online courses were a great way for institutions to engage different types of potential students, students who might have otherwise not been interested in said institution. This proved especially true for non-traditional students looking to balance both work and education with personal matters. Those days are, however, long gone. Offering online courses isn’t a selling point anymore; it’s the bare minimum for any serious institution of higher education.

Many online education programs are failures across the board for many of their enrolled students. Whereas offering an online course might have been sufficient in the early 2000s, potential students today have many more options. Moreover, they likely don’t fully know what they seek in an online course. They will, however, know when their expectations have not been met. A poor experience with one online course will likely have ramifications for the student’s entire vision of the institution, not just the course, instructor, or department. Merely offering some online courses is not a viable option anymore; the courses offered need to meet some standards for the students in question.

Instructional Connections has identified several everyday demands prospective students bring to their online courses and has compiled those requirements for your review. By integrating these into your methodology, your institution of higher education can dramatically improve your student experience and take your online education to the next level.

Timely Communication 

Life happens, and delays will occur. Students appreciate this fact when interfacing with their course instructors. However, unnecessary delays in instructor responses to queries or routine class questions can be grating for even the most patient student. Unfortunately, too many instructors are bogged down and juggling too much, often making timely communication impossible. 

Support

Proper support for online students can mean a variety of different things. Library resources and tutors can be helpful here. However, many potential students expect more significant support from instructors, class TAs, and other professionals than the course can provide. Things like open office hours and hosted study sessions might not fit into the week-to-week of your instructors, but they likely would be helpful to your online students. 

A Positive Technology Experience 

Nothing is worse for an online student than feeling as if their education was impacted negatively by the decision to enroll in an online course. Unfortunately, tech malfunctions are all too common in online classes. These can stem from Wifi and technology issues, but many technical challenges can be caused by the additional administrative work needed to maintain an online course. Timely posting of content, clear instructions on a digital assignment, and as few technical challenges as possible are paramount to the student experience. However, low faculty bandwidth often prevents online courses from running smoothly. 

Assessment

Potential online students want to do more than merely show they memorized the required information. They want to show mastery and talent more meaningfully and frequently. More high-stakes and application-based assessments are great practice for any institution of higher education, but they are handy for online courses. Faculty and course designers must consider this when designing assessments for online programs. 

Enter Instructional Connections

Maintaining a positive student experience in online courses is critical, but it’s often easier said than done for many higher education institutions. Faculty burnout and workload are two challenges that institutions need to address to ensure the best possible student experience. 

Enter instructional Connections. Our Academic Coaches and Virtual Teaching Assistants are your institution’s way to improve your online course experience and keep online students enrolled and successful. Our process is simple. We provide an Academic Coach with the requisite expertise in the field to assist your instructors. 

All our Academic Coaches have Masters in their study area, which lets them quickly relieve your instructor of routine tasks. Elements like posting content, answering routine questions, completing administrative tasks, and grading assessments can quickly move off of your instructor to their Academic Coach. This allows your faculty to focus on higher-level strategic initiatives and add value to the student experience. This model of online educational support services reduces faculty burnout, frees up instructor time, and improves the overall student experience, oftentimes at 20% less instructional delivery costs. 

Call now to schedule your free consultation and learn how our Academic Coaches and Virtual Teaching Assistants can help your institution!

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What Do Faculty Members Want Out Of Online Education Programs?

Online Education Programs

A mere two decades ago, online education was an emerging trend within the higher education space, one that institutions offered to demonstrate their leadership in the field. 

At the time, this was a clear differentiator that helped higher education institutions differentiate themselves from the rest of the pack. Fast-forward two decades, and offering an array of online education courses is no longer a compelling reason for students to enroll at any given institution. However, in 2025, major higher education institutions will require online education.

The rise of online education courses has also dramatically increased the number of faculty members teaching them, a trend that has severe ramifications for student and faculty experiences. As more faculty members teach online classes, it becomes even more imperative that higher education institutions understand how to support their staff and ensure that their expectations are met. Failure to do so could dramatically impact faculty tenure, student experience, class outcomes, and department turnover. 

Instructional Connections has reviewed the education scene and identified a few salient expectations that faculty members demand out of their online education courses. Read on to learn more about how higher education institutions can support and assist their faculty through online learning. 

Faculty Training & Support

Many faculty members face new challenges in online education. They might struggle to implement new technologies or troubleshoot virtual education tools. Generative AI adds complexity to quality assurance and plagiarism protocols that many higher education institutions are still addressing. Staying current with the ever-changing world of online education requires additional training and support from the institution. Many faculty members are struggling to navigate uncharted waters in online education. 

Manageable Workloads

Online courses can increase the student-to-instructor ratio considerably. This allows higher education institutions to scale and educate more students, but it does come with tradeoffs. The spike in students any given instructor teaches comes with corresponding spikes in administrative tasks, email correspondence, and assessments. This leads to a sharp rise in workload and can contribute significantly to feelings of burnout and low job satisfaction among faculty members. What’s more, this rise in workload also impedes faculty from addressing core job responsibilities, such as student outcomes and curriculum management. Even worse, many instructors might not be able to keep abreast of their workload and let emails and routine asks from students sit for days or weeks, which can negatively impact student experience.  Institutions of higher education should be aware of the risk of burnout among instructors of online courses and address it accordingly. Failure to do so often severely impacts student outcomes and faculty tenure. 

Work-Life Balance

As mentioned previously, burnout is a severe problem in academia. Some 50% or more of college staff have seriously considered quitting due to burnout. A chief contributing factor to this stat is not only the ballooning workloads mentioned above. The porousness of the boundary between work and home life in the modern virtual classroom also drives burnout. Faculty members may find themselves working long hours and answering emails and routine student requests outside regular working hours. If left unchecked, this can exacerbate burnout and lead to high turnover within an institution. 

Partner With Instructional Connections

To assist your faculty members and ensure their expectations of their online programs are met, partner with Instructional Connections today! Our Academic Coaches and Virtual Teaching Assistants are online education support experts, all with degrees in the field of the course they’re assisting with. Introducing qualified, seasoned, and knowledgeable Academic Coaches breathes fresh life into any online education course. 

This extra resource helps your faculty members of record assign routine tasks like email correspondence, proctoring office hours, and grading assignments to their Academic Coach. This frees instructors to focus on strategic areas like revamping curriculum and improving student outcomes. 

Call Instructional Connections today to discuss how the Academic Coach or Virtual TA model can help your institution of higher education!

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What Deans & Chairs Want From Their Online Education Programs

Online Education Programs

Leadership in academia is ever-evolving, and as time goes on, those in leadership are met with increasing demands on their time. New and evolving programs, higher expectations, and rapidly changing technology exert new pressures on academic deans and chairs alike. 

Online education is one such responsibility that falls squarely on academic deans and chairs and can be difficult to navigate.  While the brick-and-mortar elements of their purview might demand more immediate attention, online education is possibly the aspect of their institution that comes into contact with the most students and prospective students. 

Failures in implementation, adoption, and student outcomes within online education can have a catastrophic impact on the overall health of any department. Everything from faculty turnover to student outcomes can fall precipitously when online education courses hit snags. 

The unique needs of deans and department chairs in online education have been largely overlooked. While leadership roles share some priorities with students and instructors, they also have distinct expectations from online courses. Instructional Connections is here to help you understand what deans and chairs seek in online education programs—and how institutions can better support them.

Challenge 1: Budget Cuts

Senior administrators often navigate budget cuts when attempting to improve online education courses.  Whether coming from the institution itself or due to reduced federal and state funding, changes in budget can upend a department’s priorities and initiatives. These sudden changes in funding mean that resources available to help support faculty through their online education courses might suddenly not be accessible. This can have dramatic impacts on instructor course satisfaction and, by extension, student outcomes and favorability ratings. 

Challenge 2: Declining Enrollment & Increasing Course Withdrawals 

Declining enrollment within higher education forces senior administrators to closely evaluate their online academic programs. In addition, these declining enrollment figures can further impacts everything from student-to-instructor ratios to course offerings. Student withdrawals can also exacerbate this once courses have begun. As enrollment declines, institutions must do all they can to improve course completion for both the good of the student and institution. Deans and other senior faculty members must be vigilant for potential hazards to student outcomes and correct course accordingly. While this is often easier said than done, senior faculty members must be working with their instructors to produce the best possible student outcomes. 

Challenge 3: Competition

At one point, offering an online course or two was a value proposition in itself for an institution of higher education. However, as more higher education institutions increase their online offerings, simply offering a course is not enough. With some 50% or more of college students taking at least one course online, senior faculty members must work to ensure their online offerings are poised to survive against increased competition. 

To ensure their departments can survive the rise in competition, senior administrators must ensure that their departments and institutions are offering the most robust catalog of online courses possible. This can often be easier said than done. Not all courses will be popular, and some will face steeper competition than others. Deans, chairs, and other high-level faculty members need to ensure that their online education programs are poised for success and optimized for the best possible student experience to stay relevant in a world where nearly every institution of higher education can offer online learning. 

Partner With Instructional Connections

Against this backdrop, it becomes clear that senior administrators must find scalable, effective, an, and qualified methods to improve student outcomes inne education courses. Instructional Connections’ Academic Coaches and Virtual Teaching Assistants are data-proven to help achieve educational excellence in virtual programs. 

Our process is simple. By providing your instructors of record with qualified Virtual Teaching Assistants or Academic Coaches, we help your institution improve your faculty bandwidth and online program class management. The addition of our Academic Coaches frees up faculty time to better invest in strategic initiatives like ongoing training, student outcomes, and curriculum management. 

Meanwhile, our Academic Coaches and Virtual Teaching Assistants work with your instructors to handle approved day-to-day items. Routine items like grading, email correspondence, proctoring, and other daily tasks can now be completed by an Academic Coach. This allows your faculty members to focus on more complicated tasks, all while improving department outcomes.

Call now to discuss the Academic Coach model and how it can better support your students, faculty members, and institution.

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What to Expect at the 2024 QM Connect Conference

2024 QM Connect Conference

Few industries are as fast-paced as higher education. The industry is constantly changing, whether due to new technologies, student enrollment trends, or funding priority updates. Staying connected with other educators and aware of broader industry trends is critical for faculty member success.  Understanding emerging tech and trends helps you identify threats and opportunities and can help your institution adjust pedagogically and methodologically. 

That’s why conferences and other events are so critical for educators. These events allow some of the brightest minds in their fields to connect, review, and discuss the significant changes in their field. 

The 2024 QM Connect conference will be in Chicago this November 3-6 and is poised to be one such event. This event boasts an all-star cast of speakers, informative lectures, and helpful workshops, all with the expressed intention of preparing the online education community for the future of virtual education. Read on to learn about what you can expect from the 2024 QM Connect conference and why we are so excited to attend. 

QM 2024 Schedule

Pre-Conference Workshop Options

The 2024 QM Connect conference will feature several informative workshops for your edification. Key focus areas include evangelizing quality assurance methodologies to the broader campus community, implementing and executing a quality assurance review, tying quality assurance efforts to accreditation, and determining how AI can increase your productivity. More detailed rubrics and agendas for workshops can be found here. 

The World of AI  

Generative AI looks to be the latest and greatest emerging technology of the 21st century. No industry will go unscathed by the AI Revolution, but digitally-driven verticals such as online education face unique challenges. Generative AI threatens to upend traditional quality assurance and plagiarism-prevention practices.  Institutions of higher education cannot merely ignore artificial intelligence. Students and their future employers won’t ignore AI, and institutions of higher education that don’t incorporate AI education and AI quality assurance into their coursework are doing their students a disservice. 

The 2024 QM Connect conference will feature several AI lightning talks, including the following:

  • Lightning Talks Part 1: 8:45 AM CT
  • Lightning Talks Part 2: 9:40 AM CT
  • Design Smarter, Not Harder: The AI Advantage
  • Employing AI to Create Just-In-Time Feedback that Supports Learner Success
  • Rapid, Quality Course Development: AI, Faculty Flexibility, and QM Synergy
  • The AI Authoring Advantage: Balancing Speed and Substance in Course Creation
  • The AI Empowered Instructional Designer
  • Using AI to Generate Engaging Course Content

Frequently Asked Questions

Key frequently asked questions are summarized below for your review. However, we recommend reviewing the complete list of FAQs here. 

Who Should Attend?

QM 2024 is open to all who are dedicated to quality assurance in education, whether as faculty, instructional support, administrators, or institutional higher-ups. 

How Do I Get Approval? 

The main benefits of attending the 2024 QM Connect lie in the tools and strategies you’ll receive from the event. The information you obtain from this conference will be extremely valuable for your organization, and you should return to your organization with proven tools and strategies to implement immediately. You’ll also connect with other educators and professionals in the space, giving your organization a broad list of contacts for future problem-solving and institutional problems.

We have found that specificity and passion are two crucial elements of the approval process, so be sure to incorporate these into your submissions to your institution. Please see a sample email linked. 

What Is the Newcomer’s Breakfast? 

The Newcomer’s breakfast is a chance for the conference to welcome all newcomers and give them the layout of what they can expect while at the conference. There is no fee for this event, but registration is required for all newcomers. 

Where Should I Stay When Attending the Conference? 

A block of rooms is reserved for attendees at the Loew’s Chicago O’Hare Hotel in Rosemont, IL. Availability is limited, so please reserve as soon as possible. 

Find Instructional Connections at the 2024 QM Connect Conference

Instructional Connections will have several speakers and attendees in Chicago this November 3-6, and we would love to connect with you if you are attending! The Sunday, November 3 reception is a great time to connect with the Instructional Connections team and learn more about how our Academic Coaches augment your institutional quality assurance initiatives. If this conference is not in the cards for you this year, stay tuned! More information about the 2025 QM Connect is expected to be announced in January.

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CHLOE 8 Learnings and What They Mean for Higher Education

CHLOE 8 education report

Online education has seen a massive resurgence in past years and has recently enjoyed some of its best moments in North American higher education. Many higher education institutions have poured more and more resources into fully supporting their online education programs, and these efforts are beginning to impact higher education. Still, the pace of change and adoption is not uniform. Different institutions and subcategories are at various stages of adoption, and many struggle with problems related to online education. Understanding the state of the online education environment is paramount for educators who wish to truly support their nontraditional students.

The CHLOE 8 report is one of the industry’s most trusted resources on the state of online education. This most recent installment in the series revealed some startling trends that educators and administrators would do well to keep in mind. 

Stagnation of Traditional Enrollment

Traditional college enrollment falters due to rising costs, high debt burdens, and uncertain employment prospects. Even without these stressors, the traditional four-year institution is not the best fit for every student. However, these macroeconomic conditions are leading more students to consider whether a traditional higher education is best for their specific needs. 

Student Preferences Are Evolving

Student preferences too are also evolving. Online education used to be an unpopular choice, but improved technology and access have made blended school an attractive option. Online education makes sense for many non-traditional students when faced with a busy schedule. The days of remote education before the internet could be isolating and lonely for many students. New and improved technology like video conference calls make virtual education a much more connected pursuit. As student preferences evolve and more and more students prefer the freedom of virtual school institutions of higher education, expect to see non-traditional enrollments rise. 

Institutions Are Adapting

Against this backdrop, it becomes clear that higher education institutions need to adjust their strategic initiatives accordingly. Chloe 8 reveals this is well underway within the higher education space. Some 50% of COOS report that their institutional strategic plans emphasize online, multi-modal education. However, several key challenges remain. Institutions that have traditionally been location-bound face considerable challenges when speaking to the need for online education for faculty, students, and alumni. This is then compounded by the challenges of training, retaining, and upskilling faculty members for online education despite the strategic emphasis on online education at most higher education institutions.  

Necessary Communication to Students

Quality assurance of online education programs is possibly one of the most crucial strategies institutions can employ to increase student outcomes. As new online courses emerge with new faculty, paradigms, and goals, institutions need to invest in ensuring the best possible educational outcomes for their students. This work will also continue to evolve as coursework evolves with new instructional resources and tools. Indeed, most COOs interviewed as a part of the CHLOE 8 report identify this quality assurance as key to their institutional success and are already investing in quality assurance. 

However, a mere 15% are actually alerting students of this approach. Failing to advertise the myriad ways an institution of higher education invests in online student outcomes is a grave misstep. More and more students judge potential higher education institutions on their investments in online education. Failure to disclose how your institution works to improve student outcomes in online education could have a disastrous impact on institutional branding and online enrollment. 

Different Institutions Are at Different Stages

Unsurprisingly, CHLOE 8 reveals that different types of institutions are at various stages of online education development and quality assurance. By and large, flagship four-year public institutions are ahead of private and liberal arts colleges in their online education development. Given the increased resources available to public institutions and their large student bodies, this is expected. However, community colleges are well ahead of the curve in instituting online education courses and subsequent quality assurance. This likely stems from the lack of place-bound traditional students at many community colleges and the increased appetite for non-traditional education in community college student bodies. 

Academic Coaches as a Quality Assurance Model

Is your institution of higher education investing in online education but struggling to scale? Is faculty member bandwidth a concern? Is your institution looking to implement methods to ensure student outcomes in online education?

Instructional Connections Academic Coaches or Virtual TAs offer institutions a way to scale their virtual education programs while improving student outcomes. Adding a subject-matter expert to your online courses frees up faculty member time for more strategic and higher-level course pursuits. 

Instructional Connections Academic Coaches or Virtual TAs are tertiary-educated course experts there to help support your faculty. Our Academic Coaches can assist with various tasks, from leading discussions to grading to answering routine class operations questions and freeing up your faculty members’ time. This has been proven to decrease faculty burnout, increase student participation, and improve overall course satisfaction for those enrolled. 

Are you interested in learning more about the Instructional Connections Academic Coach model? Contact us now to discuss more!

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Research Into Academic Coaching & Further Research Needed in the Space

Academic Coaching online

Institutions of higher education are always looking to understand what they can do to better assist their students, particularly those enrolled in large, online graduate programs. The higher education model has changed dramatically with the rise of the internet and the skills needed within the workforce, and institutions of higher education have poured resources into how to assist their programs to develop degrees and courses with their faculty and generate better student outcomes and better preparing their graduates for the workforce with knowledge and skills that employers are needing. 

Our Academic Coach/Virtual TA Model is one such resource, and academic research within the Academic Coach space allows institutions to understand our best practices along with perceptions. To help your institution better support your online programs and faculty with opportunities for an improved user experience, Instructional Connections has assembled some of the abstracts of the research directly related to our Academic Coach Model that has been completed or is expected to be completed within the next year.  This research has been conducted with and without small grants provided by Instructional Connections, LLC.

This research aims to help you better understand the benefits and processes associated with our Academic Coach Model and better determine if this model could be a solution for the online programs at your institution. 

Academic Coach Initiated Technology-Enhanced Feedback in Online Nursing Education

Author: Char Miller

Institution: Ohio University – College of Health Sciences 

Year: 2023 

New technology can certainly enhance the effectiveness of online learning, but it also can create a hurdle for educators navigating large and distant classes. This research examined how Academic Coaches could be a vector for increased student satisfaction with technology-enhanced feedback in an online RSN course. Previous research has indicated that audio or visual feedback on coursework allows students to understand instructor tone and body language and thus better comprehend the feedback received. 

A qualitative review determined that there were three consistent themes for receiving technology-enhanced audio feedback amongst the RSN students examined. Ultimately, more personalized technologically-enhanced feedback led to 1) increased engagement in the course, 2) increased connectedness to instructors, and 3) increased comfort in initiating interactions with instructors. 

Assessing Teaching Readiness Online Programs

Author: Aziza Zemrani 

Institution: University of Texas Rio Grande Valley 

Year: 2020

A surge in online enrollments has caught many institutions off guard. A 17% rise in the number of online students is an especially stark number when compared to the overall 1.2% rise in higher education student numbers.  Institutions of higher education facing economic and operational pressures are looking to better identify the gaps and shortcomings within their programs, problems that could damage overall student outcomes if unaddressed. 

This study assesses the readiness of various online learning programs at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley through the Smarter Measures readiness indicator. This research was then used to suggest remedial and supplementary measures to help the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley improve graduate program quality, especially given the average class size of online programs at this university. 

The Effect of Collaboration and Utilization of Academic Coaches in Online Learning Environments

Author: Amanda Hawkins and Dr. Britany Grissette 

Institution: Columbus State University 

Year: 2023 

This research examines how the University System of Georgia uses a Cooperative Academic Agreement to increase prelicensure enrollment across 13 schools. These online courses have been instrumental for all institutions involved in the University System. Still, Academic Coaches have remained integral to helping faculty members successfully instruct and manage their courses. 

The lead school in this system had a long history of utilizing Academic Coaches, while other institutions had far less exposure to the model. This research examines how the Cooperative Academic Agreement was enhanced by Academic Coaches and what other higher education institutions can learn from this example for their online education programs. 

Partner With Instructional Connections 

Is your institution looking to maximize your online instructors’ efficacy and free up bandwidth to better serve the learning objectives and student outcomes within your online program and degree offerings? If so, then consider our Academic Coach model as a viable solution.

Instructional Connections works with your faculty members with the support they need to create the best possible learning environment by providing them with a phenomenal Academic Coach. Instructional Connections’ Academic Coaches are all highly qualified, experienced practitioners in their respective fields of study, carefully vetted by Instructional Connections to deliver only the best to your online courses. 

Our Academic Coaches are trusted resources for their faculty members. By assisting with routine grading, correspondence, and class announcements, our Academic Coaches help to create a supportive learning environment for the students in their online classes. This allows faculty to focus on the learning outcomes, and course objectives and personally address any at-risk student and potential student inventions, leading to better outcomes for students, the faculty, and the institution. 

Are you interested in learning more about the Instructional Connections Academic Coach model?

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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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