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Blog

How Online Academic Coaches Help Nursing Students

According to the AACN (American Association of Colleges of Nursing), nursing is among the occupations experiencing the most job growth in the U.S, yet it is still predicted that there will be a shortage of registered nurses.

One of the ways this can be addressed is through online academic coaching specific to nursing programs!

Benefits of Online Academic Coaching for Nursing Students

An online academic coach understands the needs of colleges or universities and their students. They are highly qualified and experienced professionals. In addition, they have experience with online learning and know-how to enhance student success in distance learning and online programs.

Differences Between Academic Coaches and Mentors

Currently, one of the ways a nurse can gain experience and knowledge is through mentorship. A mentorship is when a more experienced nurse mentors another and acts as a teacher or supervisor to help the less experienced nurse achieve their goals.

Coaching seems similar, however, our online academic coaching model takes a more facilitative approach and promotes autonomy within students while they are in online courses for their degree.

A study was done on a coaching training course that was delivered to 148 healthcare professionals. Evaluations from the attendees suggested that coaching would create more learning opportunities and prompt students to become independent learners – two things that are greatly needed for online education and distance learning.

The Nursing Shortage

It is projected that there will be more registered nurse jobs available than any other job in the U.S. by 2022. Despite the rapidly growing number of registered nurses, there is a nursing shortage due to the aging population, the chronic conditions that come with age, and high turnover rates.

Causes

Advancements in medical science and quality of life have helped Americans live longer. However, this does not mean that they are healthier during old age. The baby boomer generation is entering old age, meaning they will need more health services as they age. And older persons are typically diagnosed with more than one comorbidity.

The workforce is also aging, and a third could be at retirement age in the next decade or so. This includes nurse faculty, meaning fewer nurses will train new ones, leading to enrollment limitations and fewer nurses generated by schools.

The difficulty of the profession also contributes to turnovers. Nurses work in an inherently stressful environment compounded by the threat of physical and emotional hurdles.

The Effect on Patient Care

An inadequate number of nurses will have a negative impact on patient care. It will lead to more uneven patient-to-nurse ratios, more fatigue and stress for nurses, higher chances of medication errors, lower patient care quality, and higher patient mortality rates.

How Online Academic Coaches Can Help

One study looks into how the shortage of nursing faculty and the increase of students is being addressed by using academic coaches in online programs.

Online academic coaches would be able to help nursing schools by providing the needed manpower for assisting students. They work to be assets for both the faculty and the students by managing discussion threads, assisting with grading, and various other tasks. This frees up nurse faculty to focus on engagement and teaching.

Help Your Staff and Your Students Succeed

Instructional Connections has been providing high-quality online academic coach support services to colleges and universities offering online courses since 2010. Improve your student success in online programs with our virtual teaching assistant services.
Call us at +1 888-221-2418 or submit an inquiry.
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Blog

The Role of a Virtual Teaching Assistant in Online Learning

More and more people are finally taking notice of online learning’s many benefits, with some finally accepting that many students perform better in this learning environment. However, there’s no denying how hard the shift to online learning is for some students and teachers.

This is an excellent opportunity for virtual teaching assistants to showcase how much their profession can contribute to this new way of learning in university and college courses.

But what exactly is a virtual teaching assistant’s role in online learning? This article discusses some of the essential roles virtual teaching assistants play in the online learning environment. 

Dealing with Online Course Documents

Online documentations have become a crucial part of online teaching. Whether that’s reports, assessments, records, and learning materials, all of these have moved into the digital space. Despite the shift to digital copies, these documents are still just as important as ever.

For virtual teaching assistants, one of their roles is to familiarize themselves with all the different types of digital files needed for their online learning course. These could be documents, spreadsheets, presentations, or PDF files.

Teaching assistants must know how online documentation works to help teachers troubleshoot issues, store documents to the Cloud, and do other tasks related to digital paperwork. They also maintain all compliance with federal and state laws regarding confidentiality and the security of protected information.

Fostering Student-to-Student Discussion & Interaction

One of the first possible casualties of online learning is student-to-student interaction. During an online course, most students are limited to interacting with the teacher only. Meanwhile, the teacher may be preoccupied with creating and delivering lessons.

Virtual teaching assistants are in the perfect position to lessen the teacher’s tasks and foster student discussion and interaction. Teaching assistants may help the teacher conduct student-to-student dialogue during the course.

Teaching assistants may help the teacher provide instructions for when, where, and how students can participate in virtual discussions.

It could be done by dedicating time from lesson delivery to activities like group discussions or turning a classroom session into an open forum. These activities may prove too much for teachers; teaching assistants can help in these activities.

Maintaining Clear Lines of Communication

Communication is an integral part of classroom education, even more so in the digital space. Students may have questions, clarifications, and feedback, but these can often be neglected due to a teacher’s hectic schedule.

Virtual teaching assistants can help maintain student-teacher communication by acting as the person in the middle. Teaching assistants can answer students’ questions, take note of feedback, report at-risk students or other issues for the teacher to address.

Teaching assistants can also monitor online class forums and message boards for any messages or posts. They can be the go-to person for students requiring clarification regarding projects and activities, which frees the teacher from extra tasks while providing students with someone they can reach out to.

Virtual teaching assistants are essential in modern education, especially since the world is quickly becoming digital. It’s more important than ever for teachers and educational institutions to invest in the many benefits teaching assistants can provide

.Instructional Connections is a leading provider of high-quality instructional support services to colleges and universities. If you’re interested in our virtual teaching assistants, contact us today, and our team will answer all your inquiries!
Categories
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

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

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Research

Determining roles and best practices when using academic coaches in online learning

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette recently had an article published in the Journal of Teaching and Learning in Nursing, entitled “Determining roles and best practices when using Academic Coaches in online learning.” The article acknowledges the continued growth of online learning and identifies the role that academic coaches maintain in an online learning environment, and highlights best practices when using academic coaches in an accelerated online course.

Teaching and Learning in Nursing. Official Journal of the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing.  Volume 15, Issue 4.  In progress (October 2020). This issue is in progress but contains articles that are final and fully citable.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1557308720300482?via%3Dihub

 

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Blog News

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
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.

Categories
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.

Categories
Research

Louisiana State University Shreveport, presents early research findings on academic coaching at international ICONSES Conference

Louisiana State University Shreveport, presents early research findings on academic coaching at international ICONSES Conference. https://www.2019.iconses.net/fulltext/pdf/IConSES050.pdf

Categories
Research

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

The peer reviewed Journal of Nursing Education recently published an article from the University of Texas at Arlington regarding the characteristics of coaches in accelerated online courses. The article researches the demographic composition of academic coaches in RN-to-BSN programs and examines the associations between coaching experience, years of licensure, and level of education and evaluations by faculty and students. The results were positive showing that academic coaches assist in providing a high quality educational experience for students and support to faculty.

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