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Tag: online academic coach

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April 16-18, 2026: AAC&U Conference on Learning and Student Success (CLASS)   

In an era of profound questioning about higher education's value and purpose, the 2026 Conference on Learning and Student Success stands as a beacon of renewal and possibility.
The AAC&U Conference on Learning and Student Success (CLASS) explores strategies for transforming student learning and reimagining the undergraduate experience. Building on the legacies of the Conference on General Education, Pedagogy, and Assessment and the Conference on Diversity, Equity, and Student Success, CLASS fosters collaboration across disciplines to address the most pressing issues in higher education, including general education reform, equity in student success, and the connections between curricula and career outcomes.

April 16-18, 2026

AAC&U Conference on Learning and Student Success (CLASS)   

Tucson, AZ

The American Association of Colleges and Universities is a global membership organization dedicated to advancing the democratic purposes of higher education by promoting equity, innovation, and excellence in liberal education.

CLASS will showcase proven practices foundational for learning—such as evidence-based teaching, data-driven truth-telling, and high-impact educational practices (HIPs) that consistently elevate student outcomes.

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March 23-25, 2026: TxDLA 2026 Annual Conference

2026 Annual Conference | Riding the Wave of Innovation
The TxDLA Digital Learning and Training Conference is Texas's premier EdTech event. Our dynamic three-day experience connects 300+ education technology professionals with the latest trends and tactics in digital education. Plus, join 100+ additional professionals at our virtual conference experience. With inspiring keynotes, educational breakouts, hands-on workshops, and unique networking experiences, it's the essential event for advancing your education technology career.

April 23-26, 2026

Galveston, TX at the Moody Gardens Hotel.

TxDLA’s 2026 Annual Conference | Riding the Wave of Innovation

Instructional Connections is a Bronze Sponsor and Exhibitor.

Grow
Join Texas’s premier digital learning conference. Gain expertise through focused sessions and implement actionable insights in your work.

Connect
Join an engaged community of 400+ administrative, education, training, and instructional design professionals passionate about digital learning.

Get Inspired
Hear from industry-leading speakers and leave TxDLA feeling inspired and equipped to tackle new challenges with a different perspective.

Have Fun!
Immerse yourself in a 360° experience that offers top-notch education, vibrant community-building, entertainment, wellness, and other surprise and delight moments on-site.

 

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Nov. 17-20, 2025: OLC Accelerate Conference

Online Learning Consortium's Annual Accelerate Conference | Accererating Online Learning Worldwide
OLC Accelerate showcases groundbreaking research and highly effective practices in online and digital learning across K-12, higher education, and corporate L&D. This event is designed to empower and support leaders, instructional designers, educators, and training professionals by offering a wide range of sessions and activities.

November 17-20, 2025. OLC Accelerate. Orlando, FL at the Swan and Dolphin Resort.

OLC Accelerate showcases groundbreaking research and highly effective practices in online and digital learning across K-12, higher education, and corporate L&D. This event is designed to empower and support leaders, instructional designers, educators, and training professionals by offering a wide range of sessions and activities.

Instructional Connections is delighted to be presenting:

Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, at 9:45 AM-10:30 AM (ET) in Oceanic 2   .

Building a Strong Bass Line: Foundations for Online Student Success

  • Dr. Jacquelyn Cato, Chief Stratgey Officer

This session explores the essential support structures that promote achievement and well-being in digital learning environments. As online enrollment continues to grow, this session highlights the challenges students face—such as isolation, disengagement, and time management—and offers actionable strategies to address them. Designed for educators, administrators, and policymakers, the presentation emphasizes the transformative role of academic coaching in fostering connection, resilience, and academic success. Like a bass line in music, these foundational supports provide stability and depth, helping institutions create equitable and impactful online learning experiences.

Thursday, November 20, 2025 at 7:45 AM – 8:15 AM (ET) in Asia 2.

Unlock the Power of WELLNESS: A Journey to a Healthier You!

  • Dr. Jacquelyn Cato, Chief Stratgey Officer

Unlock the Power of Wellness: A Journey to a Healthier You invites participants to explore holistic well-being through the lens of the Wellness Wheel—a framework encompassing physical, emotional, social, spiritual, environmental, intellectual, financial, and occupational dimensions. This interactive session begins with a foundational overview of wellness and a brief video introduction to the Wellness Wheel. Attendees will complete a personal wellness assessment, reflect on their strengths and growth areas, and develop a customized wellness plan with achievable goals. Designed to foster self-awareness and actionable change, the session concludes with a Q&A to deepen engagement and share insights, empowering participants to take ownership of their wellness journey.

 

Please join us to reimagine faculty workload, student engagement and success through academic coaching!

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Nov. 3-5, 2025: QM (Quality Matters) Connect Annual Conference

Quality Matters Connect Conference
Quality Matters Connect Conference | Impact Through Quality Connections

November 3-5, 2025. QM Connect Conference. Tuscon, AZ at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort. 

QM Connect features thought-provoking keynote speakers, engaging panels, and helpful poster sessions that showcase important work, research and developments in online education. Network with a diverse group of like-minded peers, experts and practitioners to exchange ideas and experiences on how to implement and evaluate quality assurance processes and standards.

Instructional Connections is delighted to be presenting on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, at 10:50 AM-11:40 AM (MT) in Salon G.

Game of Engagement: Match, Reflect, & Transform with Academic Coaching

  • Dr. Jacquelyn Cato, Chief Stratgey Officer
  • Dr. Harriet Watkins, Chief Academic Officer & Lecturer at UTRGV
  • Jessica Sanchez, UTRGV Dr.
  • Dan Keist, UTPB

You are invited to our interactive game show, where you can test your knowledge, engage with peers, and win exciting prizes while gaining actionable strategies to improve the online student experience. Learn how teaching and social presence foster motivation, build community, and drive success in higher education. Please join us to reimagine engagement and success through academic coaching!

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Three Major Causes of Faculty Burnout

Burnout is the word on every tongue in 2025. Gurus of self-care extoll us to practice self-care specifically to mitigate burnout on social media platforms, oftentimes with the goal of selling us quick and simplistic fixes. Employers seek to prevent burnout among their workforce by providing increased access to support resources, often with limited effectiveness. 

Clearly, burnout is a significant contributor to dissatisfaction and employee turnover in the American workforce, and higher education is no exception.

The challenges posed by burnout in higher education are unique. The loss of a qualified instructor or a decrease in student outcomes is a risk that an institution of higher education just cannot afford. However, the causes of faculty burnout are complicated and involve a myriad of factors. Instructional Connections explores the causes of faculty burnout and what institutions of higher education can do to mitigate or even reverse its effects. 

1. Uncertainty

The modern age is nothing if not uncertain. Across various industries, business and community leaders are assessing the evolving situation and seeking to determine the best way to position their sphere of influence for optimal results. Higher education, in particular, is a uniquely situated industry. The political and economic uncertainty that has become the prevailing theme of 2025 is particularly pronounced within higher education circles. New legislation concerning institutions of higher education, as well as media controversy surrounding campus decisions, can all contribute to an increased sense of stress among faculty members and administrators.

Additionally, budgetary concerns have a significant impact on many faculty members. Funding cuts, grant loss, and stricter review due to budget size all negatively impact many course leaders. This sense of palpable uncertainty and listlessness leaves a mark on campus instructors and exacerbates burnout. The political and funding landscape may change for better or worse, but the damage is certainly not going anywhere in the short term. Administrators should not expect positive changes to reverse this feeling of uncertainty in the meantime. 

2. Evolving Technology 

Every new technological medium comes with a learning curve. This was as true of the printing press as it was of the Internet. In the same vein, instructors will need to invest some hours to become proficient in a new technology to remain relevant to their students. While this has always been the case, generative AI, in particular, poses unique challenges. Many instructors are now finding themselves at the forefront of the collision between generative AI and higher education, often without much AI experience of their own. Instructors are now spending more time on plagiarism checks, revising lesson plans to accommodate shorter attention spans, and struggling to incorporate AI into their courses. What’s more, they often confront these challenges without much guidance or framework from their institution of higher education. The technology of AI has progressed much more quickly than the campus bodies that guide institutional policy on its use. 

This tension between confronting AI in the classroom and doing so without much institutional support can be a massive catalyst for burnout. Administrators must do everything in their power to support faculty members as they navigate the evolving world of AI.

3. Increasing Class Size

The shift to online education has massively increased the number of students that many instructors teach in any one course. While new technologies supposedly make instructors more efficient, the increasing number of students in any one course is accompanied by a parallel rise in routine maintenance work. With each additional student, the number of emails, questions, and papers to grade rises. Faculty members can do their best to keep up, but there is only so much they can do to support their students. 

Support and technological advancements can help, but many faculty members still struggle to keep pace with the increasing class sizes. There is no one-size-fits-all model for solving this conundrum, but administrators would do well to be aware of the impacts of increasing the student-to-instructor ratio before it’s too late. 

Prevent Burnout With Instructional Connections

Faculty burnout can have serious consequences and dramatically impede student and campus outcomes. Administrators should work to address burnout within their departments as soon as possible. There are several methods that campuses should consider deploying. 

  • Monitor Classroom Size: The ideal number of students per instructor varies by department, but administrators should still be aware of and monitor classroom size for sudden spikes. 
  • Offer Artificial Intelligence Upskilling: Access to training and educational resources can mitigate burnout and frustration with unfamiliar technologies. 
  • Address Funding Uncertainty When Possible: While this may be easier said than done, administrators should strive to be open and honest with faculty members about financial and grant funding. 

While these are all noble initiatives, institutions may need to offer additional course support to reduce faculty workload. The Academic Coach model from Instructional Connections is one research-proven method for improving both faculty satisfaction and student outcomes. 

Our Academic Coaches are experts in their field with years of experience. By deploying Instructional Connections Academic Coaches, institutions of higher education offer their instructors additional support. 

The addition of the Academic Coach allows routine tasks like grading, course maintenance, and student correspondence to be taken off the instructor’s plate. This, in turn, will enable instructors to focus more on higher-level work and strategic initiatives. Call now to discuss our Academic Coach model and how it can help reduce faculty burnout at your institution.

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July 27 – 30, 2025: DLA’s Annual Conference

July 22 -24, 2025, Distance Learning Administration Annual Conference  (in person) in Jekyll Island, Georgia. 

Instructional Connections is delighted to be an exhibitor and presenter at the 2025 DLA Conference.

2025 Distance Learning Administration (DLA) Conference, taking place at the renowned Jekyll Island Club Hotel, nestled in the beauty of Jekyll Island, Georgia, from July 27th to 30th. This pivotal event is tailor-made for individuals who hold a keen interest or play an active role in the strategic planning, governance, implementation, and performance assessment of distance learning programs.

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July 22-24, 2025: UPCEA’s SOLAR Annual Conference

July 22 -24, 2025, UCPEA’s SOLAR Annual Conference  (in person) in Denton, TX. 

Instructional Connections is delighted to be an exhibitor at the 2025 Summit for Online Leadership and Administration (SOLAR) Conference being held July 22-24, 2025, in the verdant city of Portland, Oregon. 

SOLAR 2025 will focus on the core themes of digital transformation, innovation, and strategic leadership. Whether you are a senior leader, an emerging professional, or an instructional/learning designer in—or aspiring to a leadership role—SOLAR offers a unique opportunity to explore strategies and best practices that are crucial to navigating the dynamic landscape of online education.

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March 30 – April 2, 2025: TxDLA Annual Conference

Leap to the Future, TxDLA Annual Conference, 2025
Leap to the Future, TxDLA Annual Conference, 2025

March 30 through April 2, 2025, Texas Digital Learning Association‘s Annual Conference (in person) in Denton, TX. 

Instructional Connections sponsors this conference and will have a booth for attendees to stop by and learn more about us. Additionally, Dr. Jacquelyn Cato will host a poster presentation of her dissertation research, ‘An Approach to Help Achieve Faculty Work/Life Balance’.

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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.