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Academic Coaching in Modern Online Education. ISBN13: 9798337325828

Instructional Connections, LLC Release Date: October, 2025 Copyright: © 2026 Pages: 492 DOI: 10.4018/979-8-3373-2582-8 ISBN13: 9798337325828|ISBN1 https://www.igi-global.com/gateway/book/368807
Academic Coaching in Modern Online Education explores the utilization of online tools and applications in academic coaching. It examines innovative support system's scalability, empowering educational institutions to expand their online course enrollment without the need for additional faculty recruitment. This book covers topics such as higher education, professional development, and education technologies, and is a useful resource for educators, academicians, researchers, and higher education leaders.

In modern online education, academic coaching serves as a critical support system for student success, faculty workload management, and the sustainability of high-demand online programs.

Unlike traditional tutoring, success coaching, or career services – support systems offered outside and independent of the course and curriculum, embedded Academic Coaching provides personalized support within the student’s online course. As the popularity and demand for flexible online higher education opportunities continue to expand, the role of Academic Coaches becomes essential in bridging the gap between course content and student engagement. They offer instructional support to both the faculty of record and the students enrolled in the courses.

Faculty are no longer required to serve as the sole support system within the online classroom. By having academic coaches assist with routine course management tasks, their bandwidth is preserved for the high-value interactions, targeted feedback, and synchronous or strategic interventions.

Academic Coaching in Modern Online Education investigates the use of online tools and how this unique academic coaching model is applied. It looks at the support system’s scalability, enabling educational institutions to broaden their online programs and increase course enrollment without adding more FTEs or expanding the faculty pool.

It explores critical themes in modern education, including higher ed administration, online education, and educational technologies. Serving as a valuable resource for educators, scholars, researchers, and higher education leaders.

Instructional Connections, LLC

Watkins, H. E., & Williams, R. F. (2026). Academic Coaching in Modern Online Education. IGI Global.

https://www.igi-global.com/book/academic-coaching-modern-online-education/368807

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Research

White Paper – Strategic Integration of Academic Coaches in Online Learning

Strategic Integration of Academic Coaches in Online Learning
Enhancing Instructional Support While Reducing Faculty Burden

Online education continues to expand at an unprecedented pace, presenting universities with a dual challenge: maintaining instructional quality while managing the increasing workload of their faculty. To meet the evolving demands of online education, institutions are partnering with Instructional Connections and their Academic Coaches—experienced professionals who deliver targeted instructional support to faculty, ensure proactive, timely communication, provide rubric-aligned formative feedback, and monitor student activity to foster engagement and drive success.

Academic Coaches have emerged as a critical component in preserving instructional integrity, enhancing student success, and enabling scalable growth. Recent research by Forman & Sanchez (2025) confirms that, when deployed strategically, Academic Coaches not only improve student outcomes but also alleviate instructional strain on faculty.

This white paper (click to open and download) explores best practices for integrating Academic Coaches into online courses, drawing on the operational expertise of Instructional Connections and the latest evidence-based insights. It offers a leadership-focused framework designed to strengthen institutional capacity, support faculty well-being, and elevate the online learning experience.

 

Reference:

Forman, T. M., & Sanchez, J. M. (2025). Effective utilization of academic coaches for instructional support in online courses. E-Learning and Digital Media, 20427530241239395.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/20427530241239395

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Faculty Perceptions of Academic Coaches in Higher Education

Distance Education Concept. Above top view of female student sitting at desk, writing in notebook, taking notes, using laptop, having online class with teacher. Remote studying from home, quarantine

Online access to higher education has risen drastically over the past decade, allowing many students worldwide the ability to access educational opportunities. This method of delivering courses online has given students great flexibility in learning and pursuing degrees that they may not have been able to complete previously in a traditional classroom model. Despite the positive aspects of online learning, there are also challenges to this modality. One of educators’ most significant challenges is engaging students in online learning environments. The implementation and assistance of Instructional Connections’ academic coaches provide an extra layer of support to help guide students in their classes and help aid student retention and success. Additionally, the help academic coaches provide allows the instructor of record more time to focus on the course and student outcomes.

https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/txdla_jdl/vol5/iss1/4 

TxDLA Journal of Digital Learning. Volume 5 (2024) A Leap to the Future.

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Research

White Paper – Students’ Perceptions of Academic Coaches in the Online RN to BSN Program

Teaching Assistants Working with Your Curriculum

Instructional Connections’ Academic Coaches play a crucial role in the online RN to BSN program by providing prompt feedback, overseeing discussion boards, assisting with grading, and notifying faculty about students who may need extra support. Their involvement has the potential to improve program completion rates, which is essential for addressing the nursing shortage. Students have expressed positive perceptions of the support provided by Academic Coaches, viewing them as valuable resources in their online learning journey.

IC White Paper – Student Perceptions by CSU Research Grant 2022-2023

Reference:

Grissette, B., Hawkins, A., & Kuck, S. (2023). The effect of collaboration and utilisation of academic coaches in online learning environments. Advances in Online Education: A Peer-Reviewed Journal, 2(2), 160-169.

 

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Research

A study of activities and effective use as perceived by academic coaches in fully online higher education courses.

students working on a Solid Distance Learning Model

During Dr. Dan Keast‘s presentation at the Distance Learning Administrator’s Conference in Jekyll Island, GA, he discussed his study of coaches’ perceptions of their efficacy in online courses. Most notably, he found that coaches see themselves as most effective in giving quality feedback and responses to students – a sentiment that rated higher than grading or anything else.  Communication was key.

Title: A study of activities and effective use as perceived by academic coaches in fully online higher education courses.

Summary: The study was designed to investigate the research gap regarding the roles of academic coaches in courses for professors and students, solicit the coaches’ perceptions about the efficacy of their tasks, and gather their suggestions for best utilizing an academic coach. The study revealed that among other traits academic coaches see themselves as most effective in giving quality feedback to students. Academic coaches believe that providing quality feedback leads to increased student success rates.

The presentation can be found on page 53 of the conference proceedings: https://stdlapeus1.blob.core.windows.net/craftcms/proceeding-pdf/DLA-Proceedings-Digital-Cover.pdf

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IC Research Grant Abstracts 2024

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Download: IC Research Abstracts Summaries. July 2024

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Research

Effective Practices in Using Coaches in Large Online Courses

Virtual TAs on a laptop computer with a student

Tracia Forman and Jessica Sanchez, UTRGV

Presentation given at the Texas Digital Learning Annual Association Conference 2022, Galveston, TX

Increased online enrollment has results in the use of supplementary instructional support to enhance effective course delivery.  Use of an instructional team approach plays an invaluable role in student success.

UTRGV-TxDLA-Presentation-3.23.22[78]

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Research

Academic Coaches And Student Success In Higher Education: A Quantitative Study.

Building Online Education Programs on a laptop

Academic Coaches and Student Success in Higher Education.

Published in the Journal for Distance Education. May 31, 2023.

Nicole C. Letchworth, Summer Koltonski & L. Kathleen Sheriff (2023) Academic Coaches and Student Success in Higher Education, American Journal of Distance Education, DOI: 10.1080/08923647.2023.2210491

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08923647.2023.2210491 

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Research

What motivates an academic coach in an online accelerated course? Using a qualitative approach.

Here is a .pdf of the partial findings of this research that were presented at the North American Management Society virtual conference. The principle investigators are completing their research study and we will supply a full report in Q4 2021.

NAMS 2021 Presentation_Final

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Research

The effect of online academic coaches on supporting graduate students’ performance in intensive online learning environments: a three-course comparison

European journal of training and development graphic

Dr. Suyoung Park and her colleague Dr. Petra Robinson at Louisiana State University researched the performance levels of graduate students and the support that graduate students receive when they interact with academic coaches in intensive online courses.  They looked at students in three different online courses. Among their findings was the overarching ethos that academic coaches provide an effective framework for student support.

https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/EJTD-10-2020-0144/full/html?skipTracking=true#loginreload