When marketing online degrees, institutions are simultaneously telling a story about what it means to be a student at that institution and about what it means to be an online learner. This study is an attempt to investigate and interrogate those stories, to examine the discourses of online learning as marketed at public universities in the United…

The purpose of this study was to benchmark the workload of online instructional designers as third-space professionals at 4-year, public institutions. Interview data regarding design team composition, courseload, responsibilities, and decision-making processes was gathered from managers of online learning units offering a "white-glove"…

As online courses and degree program offerings at colleges and universities continue to grow, further exploration of the unique characteristics of distance education faculty is warranted. For example, research suggests faculty job satisfaction can impact the overall quality of online courses (Bolliger & Martindale, 2004; Bolliger et al.,…

Due to advancements in information and communication technology and the increasing student demand for online education, online learning units and their leaders are becoming central to the future of the larger institutions in which they reside. The current study was motivated by the imperative to understand how senior leaders influence the ability…

This research assesses the extent to which asynchronous online STEM courses at a public university integrate Merrill's First Principles of Instruction. Through a quantitative content analysis of thirty unique online courses within the College of Arts and Sciences, the study investigates the extent, if any, to which these courses embody principles…

Background: Utility-value (UV) classroom interventions typically involve students completing assignments that involve writing about the usefulness of the course material. They are widely recommended and have received some empirical support. Objective: This study tested the effectiveness of a UV intervention in an online research methods course. It…

Instructional designers at a medium-sized, public, comprehensive university in the Midwest investigated student perceptions of online course design elements in terms of whether they experienced the elements and the importance they placed on those elements to address the issues of inconsistent gathering of student evaluation feedback in online…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the relative effects of three facets or connectors argued to be vital for learners in successful e-learning outcomes in developing economies. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected through a survey involving 130 learners. A stratified sampling technique was employed. Regression analyses…

The purpose of this non-experimental, comparative, quantitative study was to determine if there were significant differences between the perceptions of male and female community college students about the importance of sense of community (SoC) in online classes and sense of instructor presence (IP) at eight southern, public, community colleges…

Online course quality is a prominent issue due to the increasing number of online programs and courses offered by institutions of higher education. To ensure the best student outcomes, it is necessary to implement effective systemic support for quality assurance in online learning. Providing faculty with the environmental supports required to…

This research study explores the mentoring experiences of graduate student and early career instructors who teach online courses at a mid-size public university in the United States. As members of a centralized online learning unit that works with instructors teaching online courses across a range of disciplines, we sought to better understand the…

Online teaching and learning focus on the dissemination of knowledge and information to students who reside in different geographical locations. After the COVID-19 pandemic, online teaching and learning became a popular strategy in all higher learning institutions around the world to continue the interrupted teaching and learning process while…

Objective: This study determined the frequency, reasons for, and side effects of energy drinks (ED) consumption among online students. Participants: Students attending an online university. Methods: Participants were recruited by email and completed a 59-question survey about their prior months ED practices using a combination of validated surveys…

The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated a global shift to fully remote learning via learning management systems (LMS). Despite this significant shift, there has been a paucity of research exploring how students of varying academic performance engage with online learning resources. This study investigates the utilization of LMS among students with…

Instructors who are new to online teaching experience negative emotions regarding the transition to online instruction and the experience of teaching online. Meanwhile, experienced online instructors find online instruction to be superior to traditional face-to-face instruction. An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was conducted at a…