This report presents a cross case analysis involving faculty teaching online from off-site international and interstate locations. The study yielded enabling factors, benefits, communication systems, and challenges in the areas of administration, curriculum, communications, and faculty characteristics. The benefits included the opportunity to be…

Higher education plays vital role in developing the social, political, and economical situation of the Palestinian people. It is considered the main wealth of the Palestinian people in the absence of other natural resources. The main objective of this study was to investigate and identify the needs, challenges, and demands of our institutions,…

Online education opportunities continue to expand across the United States, as is evidenced at a regional institution in northeast Texas. Research literature supports that both administrators and faculty have concerns regarding online education. The authors conducted a study at this institution to investigate the concerns of university…

This study used an extensive online course evaluation inventory to analyze the subjects' perceptions of course effectiveness in the following subscales: flexibility, user interface, navigation, getting started, technical assistance, course management, universal design, communications, instructional design, and content. Survey results compared…

Communication in the virtual environment can be challenging for participants because it lacks physical presence and nonverbal elements. Participants may have difficulties expressing their intentions and emotions in a primarily text-based course. Therefore, the use of visual communication elements such as pictographic and typographic marks can be…

Previous research has indicated that instructor immediacy is associated with learning outcomes, satisfaction, and motivation. However, few researchers have examined instructor immediacy in the context of online learning. This study is the first large experiment (n = 433) to empirically investigate the effects of instructor immediacy behaviors…

Online instruction, courses, and degree programs are rising in popularity in higher education and corporations. Novice and experienced instructors face increased demands from administrators and students to teach online, in a higher education environment long noted for face-to-face, residence-based instruction. Viewing the shift from face-to-face…

Online education has become increasingly popular in higher education, which is a trend that will continue as more universities have begun to heavily invest in online teaching due to student demand. While best practices for implementing online instruction are well documented in previous literature, factors identified in this review of literature…

The purpose of the study was to empirically investigate the institutional approach to distance education, and examine whether the factors of concerns for program cost and faculty participation could statistically predict adoption of technology-mediated distance education (TMDE) among higher-education institutions. It is elusive to base the…

There are many factors that affect the e-learning process. Instructor, assessment and evaluation, communication, and technical support are among the leading factors. It is obvious that these factors influence the effectiveness of e-learning and may be related to different expectations of e-learners. Therefore, this study focuses on examining the…

Standards for academic and student support services (SSS) in distance education as identified by the University of Wisconsin System Administration Board of Regents were applied to the SSS provided by the Wawasan Open University (WOU). A student feedback survey conducted over 4 semesters confirmed that WOU's SSS had been positively received and…

This action research case study examines evidence of deeper learning principles as purposefully designed and evidenced in an online course and corroborated by the Distance Education Learning Environments Survey instrument. Findings indicate that even when deeper learning principles are used to design learning activities, other factors interact…

This study examined the selection process at the Sultan Qaboos University MBA program in relation to other respected institutions in the Gulf area and worldwide to determine the reason(s) for the high rate of attrition among students joining the MBA program. In addition, the study assessed the correlation between Graduate Management Admission Test…

Faculty develop intellectual property needed for online courses while employed by an academic institution. That institution has a claim on the copyright because the instructional materials developed by the faculty members could be seen as "works for hire." On the other hand, both tradition and case law have seen faculty as the copyright possessors…

The purpose of this study was to determine actions that colleges and universities can take to institutionalize their distance education programs. Thirty factors found to influence the institutionalization of innovations were identified from the literature. These were rated by distance education faculty and leaders as to their importance for…