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The Role of a Virtual Teaching Assistant in Online Learning

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!
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Five Major Trends in Online Education

student working in an Online Education class

Education technology has experienced steady growth and adoption even before the pandemic, with edtech investments reaching $18.66 billion in 2019. However, the COVID-19 crisis has affected around 1.6 billion students, most of whom migrated to online platforms to continue their education.

More than a year into the pandemic, online learning has seen enormous changes. And despite the crisis slowly receding, experts believe online education will continue to grow. 

Here are five major online education trends that will shape the learning landscape globally.

Nano-Learning

Nano-learning is a learning modality where the student receives condensed, bite-sized information across a shorter time frame. It provides learners with quick and entertaining content that holds on to their notoriously shortening attention span. 

Examples of nano-learning include short soundbites or one-minute videos seen on platforms like TikTok and Twitter. 

Researchers argue that nano-learning is effective because it follows the Pareto principle: 80% of learning outcomes result from applying 20% of effort learning. In addition, nano-learning supports different learning styles, including visual and auditory learning.

Micro-Credentials Powered by MOOCs

Massive open online classes or MOOCs saw exponential growth during the pandemic. Coursera, for instance, recorded 640% more enrollments from mid-March to mid-April 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. Meanwhile, Udemy also recorded a 400% enrollment surge between February and March.

MOOCs continue to gain traction among employees, who use online learning platforms to earn micro-credentials and nano-degrees — both qualifications that demonstrate mastery in specialized skills. 

MOOCs are a powerful tool for professional advancement that brand giants like Amazon and Google partner with Udacity, a popular MOOC provider, to give their employees an avenue to earn marketable skills. 

Gamification

Gamification is a strong contender in the future of online education. It’s the use of game-based elements like point scoring and competition to improve learning outcomes. And it has been enjoying steady growth. In 2015, the gamification industry was valued at $2 billion, but experts predict that that figure will increase to $11.42 billion by the end of 2021.

The factor that makes gamification effective is that it increases engagement. In a 2018 survey, 89% of participants said that if their task is gamified, they feel motivated to complete it. In fact, it gets them into a competitive mood!

Students also perform better when learning is gamified. A 2020 study showed that challenge-based gamification enhanced student performance by up to 89.45% compared to only attending lectures.

Open Education Resources (OER) 

Open Educational Resources or OERs are learning and research materials stored in the public domain or released under an open license. These can be used and distributed by learners at no cost and with no or limited restrictions. 

More and more higher education instructors are aware of OERs. And faculty awareness of OER increased by 5 percentage points from 2019 to 2020. These faculty also expressed a stronger belief in the quality of OERs.

With students paying an average of $1240 on books and supplies every year, OERs are expected to be an enduring online learning trend in higher education distance learning courses. And because OERs are free, students don’t have to deal with the effects of high textbook costs, like taking fewer courses or getting lower grades due to working more hours.

Artificial Intelligence

eLearning Industries predict that over 47% of learning management tools will be enriched with AI capabilities within the next three years. AI, after all, delivers a significant impact on online education.

  • 24/7 Access to Learning. One advantage of online education is that it lets students learn at their own pace. With AI, the student can revisit their learning materials without waiting for an educator.
  • Personalization. AI could make up for the decreased level of personalization when education shifted from face-to-face to online platforms. 
  • Quick Responses. AI allows students to receive a quick response to their questions. They don’t have to wait for their educators.

With these powerful trends in online education, it can be difficult for institutions to keep up.

To help you stay ahead of the curve, get high-quality online teaching assistants from Instructional Connections. We provide online TAs who are trained in the online education landscape and always in the specific industry or program needed. Inquire today!

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Online Teaching Assistants: What They Do & Why

Professional Online Teaching Assistants
Online teaching assistants from Instructional Connections can be hugely helpful for your online courses – and we’ve been doing this long before COVID-19 moved many University courses online.

Instructional Connections built a model of flexibility and customization by providing support for the online course and curriculum needs of our University partners through the use of our online teaching assistants.

Our online teaching assistants give your faculty more time to focus on student success! Through our innovative model, we are able to provide the highest flexibility for your faculty, as our online teaching assistants perform varied duties depending on your distance course needs.

But our high levels of customization often lead to questions about our services, such as what an online teaching assistant can do, what their duties are, how they can help transform an online course, and how our online teaching assistants can best help remote learning environments and student success.

What is an Online Teaching Assistant?

An online teaching assistant is meant to aid the faculty member of record, or professor, that is teaching an online course. This gives your faculty the time to focus on student success, engagement, and course delivery.

Additional responsibilities include any course issues as defined by your faculty or any needs that relate to online and distance learning. Our online teaching assistants are flexible – so your faculty member simply needs to provide us with instructions on their needs and expectations for the course, and our online teaching assistants deliver.

What Our Online Teaching Assistants Do: Duties, Roles, & Responsibilities

  1. Our online teaching assistants will complete any inter-rater reliability activities that are prescribed by your faculty. This ensures that that the TAs grade to the faculty’s standards and expectations.
  2. Our online teaching assistants are able to grade assignments per a detailed rubric and faculty direction. Our TAs grade materials with substantial feedback and return them within 72 hours of the due date. This means no more waiting for grades and no rushed grading for your faculty or missed deadlines for online submissions of graded assignments.
  3. Our online teaching assistants may monitor and participate in asynchronous discussion threads per the discretion and direction of your faculty. They will facilitate conversations, answer questions, and help the students discuss deeper into the subject matter. For many online courses that are largely writing and discussion-based, our online teaching assistants are invaluable! Our TAs save your faculty time while helping students understand the material.
  4. Our online teaching assistants will answer and respond to all inquiries, emails, messages, and calls within 24 hours, seven days a week! Even if their answer is to simply let the student know that they will have to perform their own research or consult with the faculty. No correspondence will be left unanswered for more than 24 hours, even on weekends.
  5. Our online teaching assistants actively participate in weekly faculty and online teaching assistant conference calls. That way, they may review the faculty’s expectations, grading, rubrics, failing or at-risk students. This also allows for discussing any issues in the class, scheduling, or upcoming needs and assignments.
  6. Finally, our online teaching assistants maintain compliance with all university policies and regulations, including FERPA.

Our Online TAs Are Tremendous Resources to Students in Their Related Field…

Under the leadership and direction of your faculty, our online teaching assistants may assist with grading, management of discussion threads, approved announcements, and day-to-day tasks. Additional responsibilities may include course issues related to distance learning, as well.

Plus, each of our online teaching assistants is a highly qualified, experienced professional in the appropriate academic discipline. Each and every one has earned at least a Master’s degree. Each teaching assistant also, has 14 years of industry experience in their field of instruction.

This means our online teaching assistants possess the academic credentials and the experience to become an immediate asset to your faculty and students.

Instructional Connections has been evaluated by regional accreditors during partner University site visits and is consistently found to be both innovative and effective for distance learning and student success!
Contact Instructional Connections for More Information on Our Online Teaching Assistants Today!
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Instructional Connections: History & Partners

Instructional Connections online course notes

Instructional Connections began in 2010 with the sole goal of facilitating better instructional support services for online courses of Universities and Colleges through our online teaching assistants or academic coaches.

No other North American company works how Instructional Connections does – even before Covid-19 and the shift to online education and distance learning. While many online support companies are solutions looking for a problem, we build our services around the missions of Colleges and Universities and provide support exactly where it is needed.

Our online teaching assistants and services are flexible enough to match each College and University we work with. Our partner Colleges and Universities are often asking for additional ways we can support them and expand our services! This means we aren’t a cookie-cutter option, but we see a need or gap and curate a specific and custom solution for each of our partners’ situations.

[H2] Our Partner Universities & Colleges

  • Arkansas State University – Jonesboro
  • Austin Peay State University
  • Boise State University
  • Bowling Green State University
  • Central Michigan University
  • Columbus State University
  • Eastern Washington University
  • Emporia State University
  • Florida A&M University
  • Florida Gulf Coast University
  • Florida International University
  • Lamar University
  • Louisiana State University – Alexandria
  • Louisiana State University – Baton Rouge
  • Louisiana State University – Shreveport
  • Montclair State University
  • Nevada State College
  • Northern Kentucky University
  • Northwest Missouri State University
  • Ohio University
  • Pacific Oaks College
  • Pittsburg State University
  • Purdue University – Northwest
  • Simmons University
  • Southeastern Oklahoma State University
  • Southern Oregon University
  • Southern Utah University
  • Texas A&M International University
  • Texas Wesleyan University
  • University of Alabama – Huntsville
  • University of Arkansas System – eVersity
  • University of Cincinnati
  • University of Delaware
  • University of Houston – Victoria
  • University of Louisiana – Lafayette
  • University of Maine System
  • University of New Mexico
  • University of North Carolina – Pembroke
  • University of North Carolina – Wilmington
  • University of North Florida
  • University of North Texas
  • University of Northern Colorado
  • University of Rhode Island
  • University of Southern Indiana
  • University of Vermont
  • University of West Florida
  • University of Texas – Arlington
  • University of Texas – El Paso
  • University of Texas – Permian Basin
  • University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley
  • University of Texas – Tyler
  • University of Wyoming
  • Youngstown State University

[H2] How Our Online Teaching Assistant Model Works

1. We Understand Your Needs

Our first step is always the same – to understand what each College or University needs relative to their online instructional support and programs. We strive to understand the missions that each school desires through in-depth meetings and close communication.

2. We Recruit Impressive Online Teaching Assistants

We recruit, screen, pre-qualify, and present online teaching assistant candidates that have been vetted and have extensive experience in the desired field, depending on the specific program and course. All of our online teaching assistants have a minimum of a Master’s or greater in their field.

3. We Train & Assign Your Online TAs

We assign university approved online teaching assistants and other support staff to your courses and programs. This is based on University, College, or even course-specific needs for your distance learning service needs.

We understand the hurdles and benefits of online programs and distance learning, which is why we work hard to help you manage your distance learning courses for optimal student success by training all candidates on learning management systems used by your University. This ensures they are oriented for courses and your specific distance learning programs.

4. We Organize Your Online Teaching Assistants

We independently contract, manage, and pay the online teaching assistants supporting your courses. We handle all organizations of staffing provided to fulfill the service needs on behalf of university partners. This eliminates universities from adding additional human resources and payroll overhead.

5. We Provide Accountability & Support Throughout the Year

To ensure accountability, we have supportive leadership staff who work directly with your University’s administration and faculty. This ensures that the faculty member’s expectations, rubric, and goals are fully met.

In addition, we provide continual support to each distance learning course where our online teaching assistants are requested and used. From start to finish – we are there throughout the semester for our university partners.

We strive to meet expectations through our services and our online teaching assistants. Contact Instructional Connections for More Information on Our Online Teaching Assistants!

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Instructional Connections’ Online Academic Coaches [Duties & Qualifications]

Instructional Connections’ Online Academic Coach

Our online academic coaching model gives your faculty more time to focus on student success! But what are their duties and qualifications? These are some of the most common questions we receive from our distance learning and online course clients.

Through our innovative model, we are able to provide the highest flexibility for your faculty, as our online academic coaches perform varied duties depending on your distance course needs.

What is an Online Academic Coach?

An online academic coach is meant to aid the faculty member of record, or professor, that is teaching an online course. This gives your faculty the time to focus on student success, engagement, and course delivery.

Additional responsibilities include any course issues as defined by your faculty or any needs that relate to online and distance learning. Plus, our online academic coaches are flexible – so your faculty member simply needs to provide us with instructions on their needs and expectations for the course, and our online academic coaches deliver.

Our Online Academic Coach Duties

Though they may perform many duties, some of the most common responsibilities are:

  • Grading assignments & essays
  • Replying to discussion threads
  • Handling course announcements
  • Managing day-to-day issues
  • Answering emails & messages
  • Facilitating course discussions
  • And more!

Graded materials with substantial feedback are completed and returned within 72 hours of the due date – which means no more waiting for grades and no rushed grading for your faculty or missed deadlines for online submissions of graded assignments.

All asynchronous discussion threads are monitored per the direction of your faculty, facilitating conversations, answering questions, and helping the students discuss deeper into the subject matter. For many online courses that are largely writing and discussion-based, this service from our online academic coaches is invaluable.

Our online academic coaches will also answer and respond to all inquiries, emails, messages, and calls within 24 hours, seven days a week. Even if the answer is to let the student know that they will have to perform their own additional research or consult with the faculty of record, no correspondence will be left unattended or unanswered for over 24 hours, even on weekends.

Our online academic coaches actively participate in weekly faculty and conference calls so that they may review the faculty’s expectations, grading guidelines and rubrics, failing or at-risk students, and discuss any issues in the class, scheduling, or upcoming needs and assignments.

Finally, our online academic coaches maintain compliance with all university policies and regulations, including FERPA.

Instructional Connections is the first of its kind to implement this online academic coaching model, which drives scale and helps assure high completion rates and student retention. The more tasks your faculty of record can delegate to our online academic coach, the more time they will have available for course success and student learning!

Instructional Connections and our model was carefully evaluated by regional accreditors during partner University site visits and was consistently found to be both innovative and effective!

Our Online Academic Coach Qualifications

Each IC academic coach is a highly qualified, experienced professional in the appropriate academic discipline. Each of our online academic coaches has earned at least a Master’s or Doctoral degree from an accredited university. Plus, on average, Instructional Connections’ academic coaches have 14 years of experience in their field!

Therefore, each online academic coach possesses the educational credentials and real-life experience to become an immediate asset to your faculty and virtual learning students. Our online academic coaches are tremendous resources to students in their related fields and are often able to help students outside of classroom questions as they have experience in the field that the student is hoping to break into after graduation.

Minimum Education Requirements for Online Academic Coaches

  • Undergraduate Level Courses: A minimum of a conferred Master’s Degree with at least 18 graduate hours in the specific course content area, additional experience in online education is preferred.
  • Graduate Level Course or Higher: A minimum of a conferred Master’s Degree in a related field with at least 18 graduate hours in the specific course content area. A Terminal Degree or actively pursual of a Terminal Degree is strongly preferred and may be required depending on the specific course or program. Additional experience in online education is preferred.

Contact Instructional Connections for More Information on Our Online Academic Coaches!

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How to Ensure Higher Participation in Your Online Education Courses

High participation in Online Education Courses

There have always been students who are more likely to participate in class and those who are not, but in online education courses, many students (even those who usually participate) are less likely to be a part of discussions, raise their hands, or comment. This can be due to a range of reasons, from feeling more anonymous online to discomfort with technology, audio lags, and more.

But instead of focusing on the problem, Instructional Connections provides tips on how to gain higher participation in your online education courses!

Tips to Increase Participation in Your Online Education Courses

Make Guidelines Clear

Make sure your class knows what is expected of them, participation, and engagement wise. Perhaps you think ‘participation’ means three to five comments in each discussion, but maybe the student thinks one will suffice. Make sure this disparity is taken off the table and explained so there are no misunderstandings.

Set your students up for success by providing clear guidelines at the start of the online education course. Define participation and your expectations, explain your grading, and lay it all out transparently for your students.

Start By Answering:

  • How often do your students have to be online?
  • Do you require formal or informal language in written discussions and responses?
  • How long does an answer or discussion response need to be?
  • What are the due dates for discussions and responses?

Use Chats to Check Understanding & Increase Participation

Every online platform has a chat feature, which means every online education course can use chat features to check for understanding of concepts to ease the class into speaking, discussing, and participating.

You could ask students to type a question or response into the chat, or even something as simple as a scale from 1-5 for understanding, interest, or a grade for the course lesson.

Utilize Small Group Discussion

It’s easy to hide in a large class, especially when it is distance learning online. But it is much more difficult (and less intimidating) to speak to a small group. You can keep the same small discussion groups every week, or mix it up so everyone in the class gets a chance to be in groups with every other student, but either way – smaller groups help facilitate better discussion and participation and prevent shyer students from staying silent.

Small self-led groups of three to five are often the best, as they naturally persuade everyone to improve their individual engagement levels.

Think, Pair, & Share

By giving a prompt, breaking the class into discussion pairs (even smaller than a small group), and then allowing them to discuss in their two-person pairs, it takes a lot of the pressure off and can make students more comfortable with each other, even without ever meeting in person.

Of course, as the professor cannot be with each breakout pair, ask each duo to write notes on a Google Doc to be sure they understood the prompt and discussed the topic.

After having all pairs return to the larger class, a volunteer from each group can share their answers in a lower-pressure ‘read’ format from their document notes.

Provide Actionable Feedback, Every Time

If you do not provide feedback (both in-depth and actionable) to improve your students’ work, then they may not see the point in turning in their work, or they may feel there is no way to improve or understand why they are receiving the grades they are.

Take the time to respond to assignments promptly and with actionable feedback that is more than a number grade. Give in-depth feedback that will help the student improve with their next submission, and lets them know you are truly reading each assignment and thinking of how you can help the student better absorb the material.

Comment on essays by section, discuss finer points of observations or discussion threads, and really dive deep into questions they may have misunderstood or only partially answered. Comprehensive, actionable feedback will give your students something to go back to and check before their next assignment or posting, and motivate them to remain engaged and keep reaching for a greater and deeper understanding of the topics.

Follow-Up & Check-In Often

If a student has a question, follow up. If they are struggling or received a poor grade, follow up. If they particularly enjoyed a lesson or topic, follow up. This may be more time consuming for you as the professor, but it will do wonders for classroom participation.

Be as involved in your online education courses as you can be, and if you need additional help due to time constraints – then reach out to Instructional Connections and our online academic coaches to help lift some of the burden of replying, commenting, long-form grading, and checking-in with each student.

Contact Instructional Connections for More Support for Your Online Courses & Distance Learning

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How to Set-Up Your Classrooms for Success in Distance Learning & Online Education

computer being used for distance learning and online education class

There are no doubts that online education can have large benefits – but there are also some hurdles that can take extensive planning and set-up to be successful. And as many Universities will be implementing new procedures for online classrooms and distance learning, it is important to get your set-up prepped and ready many weeks in advance!

Here Are Some of the Best Ways to Handle Your Set-Up Before Your Online Education Classes Begin

Be Comfortable with the Technology that Online Education Requires

Just because you teach online doesn’t mean you have to be a technical wizard, but you do need to be comfortable with the technology you will be using. From powerpoints to online quizzes, grading software, and video features, it helps to know how each piece of your technology works so you do not spend time in class troubleshooting.

But first and foremost, the right hardware and software will make this work much more smoothly, so be sure to not only know your technology but invest in good technology. You need a fast computer, strong internet service, and a good platform to meet your classroom’s needs.

Your Work Environment or Physical ‘Classroom’ Still Matters

We may all be working remotely, from home, or through distance learning, but our environment still sets the stage for our online course. Make sure you are setting a good example by showing a tidy and academic work environment. And just like you need certain things out of your physical office or classroom, you should also look to maintain (or create) certain things in the backdrop for your virtual classroom.

If possible, your workspace should be intended for work only – not a kitchen counter or from your couch. You want this space to be friendly and engaging, but also a productive space. Avoid distractions like television, other family members, pets and household chores, or outside noises. Natural lighting can be a great asset as well.

Communicate Regularly with Your Students to Ensure Everyone is on the Same Page

There may be miscommunications due to distance learning instead of face-to-face conversations, try to mitigate these instances by communicating often and clearly to your class. Many students are intimidated by online learning and may not ask as many questions, while others will view you as ‘always available’ via email or text. Make sure you explain your communication strategy early on in your online course.

It is good to explain the best way to reach you, your expected turnaround time for replies or answers, and where resources and answers are available before reaching out to professors or others. This way you can balance the need for frequent communication, with the possibility of running over into overcommunication or constant communication.

Though it is important to maintain a consistent online presence, this can be wearing for many professors, which is where an online academic coach from Instructional Connections can come in handy, as our coaches are able to handle the vast bulk of class communication to free the faculty’s time for planning and class execution.

Just as You Give Feedback, Make Sure You Ask for it & Recieve it as Well

Oftentimes your students are learning what online or distance learning looks like just as you are, so gain their feedback as well as your own. See what worked well, what didn’t work so well, what could work better in the future, and more.

Communication goes both ways, and so does feedback, so ask your students, other faculty, and other sources altogether about what worked and what needs improvement. Online learning is not new, however, the magnitude to which it is being used has never been seen before – make sure we are using this opportunity to expand and improve it every semester.

Ultimately, Planning Your Distance Learning & Online Education Classes Sets Your Students Up for Success

When your students are not physically in front of you, you have to plan and prepare even more to make sure you are using your time well and helping your student in the most effective ways.

However, this takes more time.

That is why an online academic coach from Instructional Connections may be the perfect answer to your extended distance learning needs.

Who Are Our Online Academic Coaches?

Our online academic coaches are highly qualified, experienced professionals in the appropriate academic discipline and have earned at least a Master’s degree from an accredited university. On average, our online academic coaches have 14 years of industry experience in their field!

Our academic coaches’ goals are fully customizable to your classroom and its needs. Because under the leadership and direction of your faculty, our online academic coaches can assist you with grading assignments, managing discussion threads, posting approved announcements, and managing day-to-day tasks and course issues in distance learning like communication.

And the best part? We have been doing this since long before COVID-19 and the push for online learning, so we have our process and systems perfectly in place already.

Contact Instructional Connections for Online Education Assistance or to Learn More About Our Distance Learning Academic Coaches & Support

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Begin Preparing for the New School Year with Instructional Connections’ Online Academic Coaches

student working with online academic coaches

With the Fall quickly approaching, it is important to be fully prepared for online changes and distance learning. Many Universities will be implementing new procedures and have new classroom needs, in addition to their normal online courses.

Luckily, Universities who are moving more and more into distance learning and online education are able to utilize Instructional Connections’ online academic coaches as a resource for their faculty.

The Process of Our Online Academic Coaches

Instructional Connections Works to Understand Your Needs

We first understand what each college or university needs relative to instructional support and other missions each school desires through in-depth meetings and research.

We Recruit Online Academic Coaches For Your Specific Needs

We recruit, screen, pre-qualify, and present online academic coach candidates that have been vetted and available in our pool for approval by university partners.

We Match & Assign Your Online Academic Coach to Your Program

We individually assign online academic coaches and other support staff to courses and programs based on university, college, or even course-specific needs for online courses.

We Work to Fully Train Your Online Academic Coach

We train candidates on the learning management system used by our university partners and orient them into courses and programs.

We Provide All Organizational Needs for Paperwork & Payroll

We independently contract with, manage, and pay the online academic coaches and other staff that are provided to fulfill the service needs on behalf of university partners. This eliminates universities from adding additional human resources and payroll overhead.

We Hold Our Online Academic Coaches Accountable

We ensure accountability by having supportive leadership staff, who work directly with the university’s administration and faculty, making sure that the faculty member’s expectations, rubric, and goals are fully met.

We Provide Support for Your Faculty Every Step of the Way

We provide continual support to each distance learning course where our online academic coaches are requested and used, from beginning to end.

Roles & Responsibilities of Academic Coaches

We are happy to work closely with faculty on the best practices of how to work with and use their online academic coaches, so that they understand our model, and we understand how course objectives and outcomes are met.

Each of our online academic coaches are highly-qualified, experienced professionals in the appropriate academic discipline and have earned a master’s and/or doctoral degree from an accredited university.

On average, Instructional Connections’ online academic coaches have 14 years of industry experience in their field and have earned a minimum of a Master’s degree.

Our Benefits

  • Online academic coaches focus on enhancing student success and retention in distance learning and online programs. In many graduate programs, we’ve seen retention as high as 80% or more.
  • Our online academic coaching model adds a human touch to the distance learning environment, encouraging students to learn and persist with the demands of course work.
  • Students often view their online academic coaches as a peer and respect the fact that they are experienced in the same field the students desire to join.
  • Instructional Connections can add additional leadership personnel to serve as a point of contact between the faculty and other online academic coaches for course management and communication as your distance learning programs grow.
  • Instructional Connections’ quality assurance program is consistent with the university’s commitment to providing the highest levels of the educational experience to each and every student.

Contact Instructional Connections to Prepare for Online Learning with an Academic Coach

Every area of support from your online academic coach is decided by your faculty and will vary from course to course depending on your faculty’s expectations. This level of flexibility allows your faculty to be in complete control of their online program at all times.

Our faculty partners love the support they receive from their online academic coaches and continually think of new and better methods to help educate students through distance learning with our assistance.

Contact us today to learn more about our online academic coaches, and how they can help your distance learning and online courses this Fall.

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What is an Online Academic Coach? [3 Benefits]

Students talking about an Online Academic Coach

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.

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P.O. Box 223696,
Dallas, Texas 75222-3696

Phone: +1 888-221-2418
Fax: +1 877-663-3439
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