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Tag: Online Education

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Event

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

Distance Learning Administrators Annual Conference at Jekyll Island, Georgia

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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Event

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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Event

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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Blog

What Do Students Want From Online Programs?

online programs for education

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

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

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

Timely Communication 

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

Support

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

A Positive Technology Experience 

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

Assessment

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

Enter Instructional Connections

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

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

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

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

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Research

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

students working on a Solid Distance Learning Model

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

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

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

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

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Blog

What Do Faculty Members Want Out Of Online Education Programs?

Online Education Programs

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

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

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

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

Faculty Training & Support

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

Manageable Workloads

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

Work-Life Balance

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

Partner With Instructional Connections

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

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

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

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Blog

What Deans & Chairs Want From Their Online Education Programs

Online Education Programs

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

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

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

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

Challenge 1: Budget Cuts

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

Challenge 2: Declining Enrollment & Increasing Course Withdrawals 

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

Challenge 3: Competition

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

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

Partner With Instructional Connections

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

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

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

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

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Blog

What to Expect at the 2024 QM Connect Conference

2024 QM Connect Conference

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

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

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

QM 2024 Schedule

Pre-Conference Workshop Options

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

The World of AI  

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

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

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

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Who Should Attend?

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

How Do I Get Approval? 

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

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

What Is the Newcomer’s Breakfast? 

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

Where Should I Stay When Attending the Conference? 

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

Find Instructional Connections at the 2024 QM Connect Conference

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

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Blog

Research Into Academic Coaching & Further Research Needed in the Space

Academic Coaching online

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

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

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

Academic Coach Initiated Technology-Enhanced Feedback in Online Nursing Education

Author: Char Miller

Institution: Ohio University – College of Health Sciences 

Year: 2023 

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

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

Assessing Teaching Readiness Online Programs

Author: Aziza Zemrani 

Institution: University of Texas Rio Grande Valley 

Year: 2020

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

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

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

Author: Amanda Hawkins and Dr. Britany Grissette 

Institution: Columbus State University 

Year: 2023 

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

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

Partner With Instructional Connections 

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

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

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

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

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Blog

The Changing Landscape of Online Education Report No. 4

Changing Landscape of Online Education

If you’ve worked in higher education, you know that change is inevitable. It’s a fact of life in many industries, but higher education has seen meaningful changes in the last few years. A massive rise in online education has placed new strains on higher education institutions. Many education leaders struggle to keep abreast amidst this changing landscape of online education.

The Changing Landscape of Online Education Report, also known as CHLOE, is a report that helps online educators understand the current state of the industry and future trends. To help maximize your time and allow you to better prepare for the continually evolving online education industry, Instructional Connections noted some key findings from CHLOE Report 4. The original research can be linked here but read on for some topline summaries. 

Specific & Unprecedented Challenges For Higher Ed

The coronavirus emergency forced higher education institutions to change their online infrastructure in days and saw a massive shift to online education. This lateral brought thousands of students into online education who might not have otherwise considered it. 

While many have returned to the classroom, the infrastructure to support massive online education is still up and running. More institutions are offering a more significant number of online education courses. Students, particularly non-traditional students, are increasingly leveraging these courses as they fit into busy lives better than in-person learning. 

The Changing Landscape of Online Education Report 4

CHLOE 4 attempts, like previous CHLOE reports, to shed more light on higher education institutions’ priorities, challenges, and successes as they navigate a constantly evolving online education environment. 

Previous CHLOE reports have noted that online education has continuously evolved – considerably in the past few years – and there is no single way of mainstreaming online education. New needs and challenges force online education leaders to respond and adapt, and CHLOE attempts to chronicle those adaptions. 

The Chief Online Officer Role 

The title of Chief Online Officer is a crucial focus of online education studies. This role suggests an organization committed to interweaving online education as part of the fabric of its modus operandi. Research has highlighted that most of these positions were created within the last decade. While some 15% of roles were established before the millennium, most were created post-2010. 

The rise of this role is in line with the specific duties and responsibilities that Chief Online Officers face. CHLOE 4 looked at self-reporting work duties of Chief Online Officers and found that some 61% of Chief Online Officers found their tasks and workload increasing. Only 4% found their duties decreasing. This research shows that Chief Online Officers are becoming increasingly important in online education. 

CHLOE 4 analyzes third-party Online Partner Managers (OPMs) as a potential resource for higher education institutions. Some 24% of the CHLOE sample used third-party OPMs in the latest sample, up from 15% from CHLOE 1 in 2017. 

Upon further investigation, the reasons Chief Online Officers turn to OPMs appear varied. The most common reasons higher education institutions turn to OPMs include additional OPM expertise, rapid scaling of online education programs, and rapid development. Indeed, the function of the OPM partners used by online education providers is even more diverse in the CHLOE 4 sample. Depending on the specific partner, OPM duties varied from marketing online programs to helping faculty build programs to proctoring exams. 

Learnings & Next Steps

The critical goals of CHLOE 5 are varied. Student needs for online education, specifically by region, institution, and type, will be analyzed further. CHLOE 5 also aims to investigate where the most significant potential for future online education lies, and CHLOE 5 will study differences in field of study and degree type. 
Instructional Connections is proud to sponsor this research and is thankful for the opportunity to support the CHLOE studies.

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