A weekly professional learning community (PLC) was established for faculty members within a special education department for the 2020-2021 academic year. The goal of the PLC was to support the transition to online classes and to maintain the workplace community. Pre and post surveys using the Sense of Community Index-2 (Chavis et al., 2008b) and…

Since the late 1990s, internet-based distance-education programs have attracted students and instructors who could be geographically distributed: they could learn and teach from anywhere. However, the model for the staff who support distance-education programs was overwhelmingly the traditional place-based office with co-located physical and human…

HyFlex courses offer multi-layered learning spaces that can create complex interpersonal connections among participants. This study examines the classroom climate in these layered spaces as perceived by students through the lens of small group dynamics. To do so, we administered the Connected Classroom Climate Inventory (CCCI) survey to students…

Developing a sense of community (SoC) in college is vital due to its positive impacts on learning and student success. In this study, the researchers examine students' perceptions of SoC in synchronous and asynchronous online courses, with specific interest in the experiences of regional campus students who are often considered to be…

To shed light on factors that encourage retention among active-duty military and veterans as they pursue degrees, a mixed-methods exploratory study was designed. A random sample of active-duty military and veterans enrolled in online degree programs at one private institution was invited to participate. Students were interviewed in online focus…

Since the 1990s, online learning and distance learning have proliferated rapidly. The purpose of this study was to explore recruiters' perceptions regarding nurses with online degrees versus face-to-face (f2f) degrees at the baccalaureate level. This study used a qualitative research approach with a phenomenological research design. A total of ten…

This study explored academic advisor use and perceptions of values, motives, and institutional support of SMS texting as a communication channel with students. Theoretical concepts in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and adaptive leadership guided the study as well as existing survey research on Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) in…

The pandemic has changed the way we look at our professional development opportunities. UNG's Distance Education & Technology Integration (DETI) made the decision to completely revamp our professional development options. In 2012 we first developed a self-paced fully online workshop to onboard new online/hybrid faculty quickly and efficiently.…

The COVID-19 pandemic has had substantial impacts on all types of higher education institutions. The common thought is that the shift to online would be a benefit to existing online education providers. This paper examines the market as a whole, as well as the performance of publicly-traded online higher education providers against the market…

This paper describes the design and development of a competency model for online instructors based on literature reviews, student surveys, and other artifacts. The first development phase included a literature review centered around researched-based competencies for online instructors and existing theories used to evaluate online instructional…

Faculty development for online teaching is an opportunity to reflect on and revise teaching perceptions and instructional practice. This study found written reflection activities aided instructors in questioning their instructional decisions. This, combined with dialogue with colleagues, became an avenue for instructors to think deeply about…

The purpose of this explanatory mixed methods study was to assess dissertation chairs' current practices to support doctoral students in an online practitioner program from the students' perspective. Findings from a 2020 study on dissertation chair experiences and current practices for meeting with and providing feedback to doctoral students…

The wash-rinse-repeat model of refreshing courses each term might be a financially beneficial model for the institution, yet is it serving students the best educational experience? If all that is monitored in the pre-flight check is for broken hyperlinks and refreshed dates, who is ensuring the quality delivery? Many institutions proudly boast…

This study attempted to determine if placing videos in an asynchronous course influenced the learning experience. Data were examined for an introductory college statistics course comparing results pre and post implementation of videos in support of discussions, assignments, homework, quizzes, and exams. Frequency of external tutoring was…

The purpose of this study was to survey undergraduate students of a management statistics course about their perceptions on the usefulness of a series of instructional videos with embedded quiz questions created by their instructor to provide students with knowledge of Excel functions needed to understand the course materials and complete course…