A Review of Accessibility in Online Higher Education

Reviewed by: Misbehavior Online in Higher Education: Cutting-Edge Technologies in Higher Education ed. by Laura A. Wankel and Charles Wankel Miriam L. Frolow, Ph.D. Laura A. Wankel and Charles Wankel (Eds.). Misbehavior Online in Higher Education: Cutting-Edge Technologies in Higher Eucation. Bingley, England: Emerald Publishing, 2012. 444 pp. Cloth: $79.99. ISBM: 978-7805-2456-6. As more of the college experience takes place online, it is imperative that faculty, students and administrators take time to understand the opportunities and challenges for learning and communicating through different online media. Misbehavior Online in Higher Education: Cutting-Edge Technologies in Higher Education is a timely and relevant book focusing on three key topics: cyberbullying, social media, and academic integrity. The most discussed form of misbehavior online was cyberbullying, the negative behavior intended to harm others through an imbalance of power that has taken place online. "Cyberbullying is not a new issue on campus, yet practitioners are just now becoming aware of the devastating impact it can have on campus" (p. 235). Victims find it difficult to get away from the attacks, especially since the audience is larger than in a face-to-face confrontation with a bully and since the posted messages can continue to circulate (p. 109). Unintentional cyberbullying can occur due to misinterpretation and miscommunication (p. 295) as a result of a lack of nonverbal cues. Technology can intensify the impact because of the potential anonymity of the bully and the absence of consequences (p. 138). Cyberbullying and incivility also occur in the online classrooms. It is here that faculty and administrators can be more proactive in establishing clear guidelines and expectations in the syllabus and through discussions with students. Cyberbullying in the classroom raises "issues of student [End Page 112] conduct, safety (both in the learning environment and in cyberspace), privacy, [and] the institution's responsibility to monitor and to intervene" (p. 166). To minimize the chance for cyberbullying, faculty should provide ongoing and quality feedback throughout the class. In an online class, Joanne C. Jones and Sandra Scott recommended that faculty should establish a balance between giving student teams the chance to work through their differences, as part of the learning process and preventing conflicts from escalating to the level of cyberbullying (p. 170). The range of student misbehaviors against faculty can go from rudeness to aggression that threatens the faculty's well-being (p. 381). When cyberbullying occurs, it may become difficult for faculty to overcome the perception that they are unable to manage classroom issues and seek help. Institutions must also consider policies, procedures, and best practices for addressing online misbehaviors involving students, faculty, and administrators, even if the inappropriate behavior doesn't happen on campus. Multiple chapters, and especially Chapter 10, outline what faculty and administrators can do to prevent, prepare for, and handle cyberbullying situations. Both proactive and reactive strategies are required. Policies found in the Student Code of Conduct, Information Technology Usage, and other related documents should be updated to include how to address cyberbullying and other online misbehaviors, rather than creating new and separate policies. "If you have an appropriate policy dealing with in-person harassment, for example, it should cover cyberharassment as well" (p. 193). Legal issues surrounding university policies relating to privacy and free speech must be included in these plans. The goals of institutional training programs should be "to increase awareness of cyberbullying, judicial actions against the perpetrators, and support activities for targets" (pp. 224-225). The second area of misbehavior is with social media (especially Facebook), which have become an integral part of the higher education experience. Such media are used "to support communications within and between institutions and their students as well as a mechanism for teaching and learning" (p. 53). Debra Bateman and Julie Willems argue that faculty need to be conscientious about academic integrity issues and their interaction with students (p. 57). Institutions cannot ignore that most of the online misbehavior happens outside their control, including in a forum like Facebook which "exposes academics and students, and the work that they undertake to a risky, volatile, and ever changing virtual space, with unknown and often unseen audiences" (p. 72). Another area of...

BackgroundDigital knowledge sharing (DKS) communities have emerged as a promising approach to support learning and innovation in online higher education. These communities facilitate the exchange of knowledge, resources, and ideas among educators, students, and experts, creating opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and lifelong learning. However, the impact and role of DKS communities in online education are not well understood, and further research is needed to explore their potential benefits and challenges.PurposeThis multi-objective qualitative study aims to investigate the impact and role of DKS communities in online higher education, identifying the factors that promote student success and the implications for the development of online education. The study collected data from 20 informants who have experienced teaching online during and after the pandemic. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. The informants were selected through theoretical sampling.MethodologyTo explore the impact and role of DKS communities in online higher education, this study employed a multi-objective qualitative research method. Data were collected through in-depth interviews conducted with 20 informants who possessed experience in teaching online during and after the pandemic. The informants were selected through theoretical sampling to ensure diverse perspectives and insights. The collected data were subsequently analyzed using thematic analysis, allowing for the identification of key themes and patterns.FindingsThe findings of this study provide valuable insights into the impact and role of DKS communities in online higher education. These insights encompass various aspects, including the benefits and challenges of DKS in online education, the factors that contribute to student success, and the implications for the ongoing development and innovation of online education.ConclusionsIn conclusion, this multi-objective qualitative study sheds light on the significance of DKS communities in online higher education. It underscores their potential to enhance collaboration, innovation, and lifelong learning. The findings also emphasize the importance of addressing challenges and fostering an inclusive and supportive online learning environment. These insights inform best practices and contribute to the continuous development and innovation of online education, particularly in the post-pandemic educational landscape.

Online higher education (OHE) is an evolutionary and flexible way of instruction that evolves from traditional forms of distance education incorporating pedagogical advances, information technologies and computational developments. This chapter presents a Soft Skills framework for OHE. It discusses the Soft Skills research context. The chapter also presents OHE research and issues related to Soft Skills with both foci: how Soft Skills can be analyzed and how OHE settings can improve the development of Soft Skills. It discusses the conclusion and proposes venues for the forthcoming OHE future. Soft Skills research is considered an evolving field. The OHE educational experience requires students to excel in Soft Skills including cultural sensitivity, social relations and communications to succeed in a framework of collaborative and digital work that impacts student performance and achievement. There are three categories of Soft Skills that are relevant for OHE: social soft skills, methodological soft skills, personal soft skills, and communication soft skills. The COVID-19 pandemic is adding new needs for faster development. Moreover, the exponential growth of OHE worldwide is challenging system application to meet needs and sensibilities of students and teachers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

The existing steady and continual rise of online learning in higher education has been accelerated by COVID-19 and resulted in a move away from solely on-campus teaching. Prior to the pandemic, online education was providing higher education to students who were returning to study to up-skill, are employed full-time, caring for family members, living rurally or remotely and/or for whom otherwise face-to-face campus learning was not a preference or option. To understand how we can better support online students in their unique circumstances and create an optimal learning environment, we must understand the factors associated with academic achievement within an online setting. This systematic review involved a search of relevant databases published between January 2009 and May 2021 examining factors and constructs related to academic performance in online higher education settings. Across 34 papers, 23 (67.6%) explored factors and constructs related to student characteristics including cognitive and psychological, demographic, university enrolment, and prior academic performance. Twenty-one (61.8%) papers explored learning environment factors including engagement, student experience, course design, and instructor. Our overall synthesis of findings indicates that academic performance in online learning is most strongly associated with motivation (including self-efficacy), and self-regulation. We propose three main implications of our review for online learning stakeholders such as educators and designers. Firstly, we argue that the wellbeing of online learners is important to understand, and future research should explore its impact on students’ experience and success in online higher education. Secondly, we emphasise the importance of developing and designing online courses utilising relevant frameworks and evidence-based principles. Finally, we propose an approach to promoting improved student cognitive and psychosocial experiences (such as self-efficacy, self-regulation, and perceived support) could be achieved by creating and incorporating an online learning orientation module at the commencement of enrolment.Systematic Review Registration: (website), identifier (registration number).

Referral Marketing (RM) has only recently sparked the interest of marketers in the online higher education (OE) sector, with distinct gaps identified in the literature. This concept is closely linked with consumer brand engagement, relationship marketing and student loyalty. The researchers selected a for-profit multinational OE organisation, which offers tertiary UK programmes and implements an incentivised RM strategy. Given that loyalty behaviour is linked with consumer experience, integrated marketing communications throughout the consumer journey are also believed to impact RM. The aim of this case study was to broaden knowledge and understanding of RM in this unique sector by identifying sectoral trends and investigating constructs of consumer brand engagement, employee engagement (EE) and integrated marketing communications through the lens of the OE sector. Through a mixed-methods design, combining elements of grounded theory and a constructivist paradigm, two discovery-oriented studies were conducted – namely qualitative interviews with 22 OE executives, and quantitative surveys with 100 OE students. Template analysis and quantitative statistics were implemented with an interpretive approach and methodological triangulation to ensure validity and reliability. Findings suggested a student-centred, bottom-up approach to IMC could be most successful, with employee ‘Belief in Strategy’ as a unique element of EE impacting on RM success.

The purpose of this essay is to critically and philosophically explore the role of and impetus for quality assurance regimes in online education and their most salient manifestation, the Quality Matters program. The author argues that online courses are particularly vulnerable to autopsic quality examinations under neoliberal rationality as a result of their corporeal, digital nature. This essay will also consider the implications for faculty and others who must abide by and perform quality in online higher education and will consider ways in which those facing the incursion of quality assurance in online education can resist its threats and coercions, leveraging the promise of the liberatory aspects of distance education.

Online higher education is in demand, so much so that even face-to-face higher education is applying digital technologies to achieve greater motivation in the classroom. However, this does not mean that online education has everything won; it must continue to innovate in its methodologies to motivate students. The authors offer a proposal for the implementation of an educational escape room as a way to achieve greater motivation in the learning process through a playful experience. Although its use in educational contexts is increasingly common, until now it has not been applied in areas related to the study of consumer behavior. Thus, an explorative, innovative, and didactic escape room is provided based on consumer behavior subject. Several learning activities are employed, and guidelines for assessing and measuring learning are proposed. It is expected that this chapter will serve as a basis for those professionals interested in applying this methodology.

As both universities and students demonstrate an increasing interest in offering and taking online courses, a better understanding of the causes of student outcomes, such as student achievement has become increasingly important. This study investigated an additional variable, the role of the teacher, which has been hidden within and in many instances even left out of previous studies. A multivariate linear regression indicated that the instructor qualities of years of experience, level of education and practical experience predicted 5.6% of student achievement, while an instructor’s level of training predicted 2.1% of student achievement in online courses of higher education. Although the amount at which these teacher qualities make up the overall formula for student success is small, this study has added to our understanding of additional factors impacting student success in higher education online courses.

With the help of qualitative content analysis approach, this study reviewed 45 published studies and research on online teaching and learning since 2008, primarily focusing on how theories, practices and assessments apply to the online learning environment. The purpose of this paper is to provide practical suggestions for those who are planning to develop online courses so that they can make informed decisions in the implementation process. All around the world, educational institutions are looking toward online learning platforms to continue with the process of educating students. The new normal now is a transformed concept of education with online learning at the core of this transformation. Today, digital learning has emerged as a necessary resource for students and schools all over the world. For many educational institutes, this is an entirely new way of education that they have had to adopt. Online learning is now applicable not just to learn academics but it also extends to learning extracurricular activities for students as well. In recent months, the demand for online learning has risen significantly, and it will continue doing so in the future.Based on the findings, the authors argued that effective online instruction is dependent upon 1) well-designed course content, motivated interaction between the instructor and learners, well-prepared and fully-supported instructors; 2) creation of a sense of online learning community; and 3) rapid advancement of technology. In doing this, it is hoped that this will stimulate an on-going discussion of effective strategies that can enhance universities and faculty success in transitioning to teach online. Under current debates on the cost and quality of higher education, this study could help for the improvement of higher education and student enrollment and retention. Keywords: online education, online teaching, online learning community, asynchronous learning, cognitive presence, social presence, teaching presence, online higher education.

The increased availability of technology in higher education has led to the growth of online learning platforms. However, a significant concern exists regarding dropout rates in online higher education (OHE). In this ever-evolving landscape, student attrition poses a complex challenge that demands careful investigation. This systematic literature review presents a comprehensive analysis of the literature to uncover the reasons behind dropout rates in virtual learning environments. Following the PRISMA guidelines, this study systematically identifies and elucidates the risk factors associated with dropout in online higher education. The selection process encompassed articles published between 2013 and June 2023, resulting in the inclusion of 110 relevant articles that significantly contribute to the discourse in this field. We examine demographic, course-related, technology-related, motivational, and support-related aspects that shape students’ decisions in online learning programs. The review highlights key contributors to dropout like the quality of the course, academic preparation, student satisfaction, learner motivation, system attributes, and support services. Conversely, health concerns, financial limitations, technological issues, screen fatigue, isolation, and academic workload, emerge as significant limitations reported by online learners. These insights offer a holistic understanding of dropout dynamics, guiding the development of targeted interventions and strategies to enhance the quality and effectiveness of online education.

The development of new educational environments based on the use of ICT has enabled the possibility to improve access and involvement for students with disabilities at the university level. Hence, this systematic review attempts to synthesise the main findings of previous interventions aimed to promote the inclusion of these students in Online Higher Education, as well as to analyse their contribution on the students’ academic success, by considering the principles of both Universal Instructional Design and Universal Design for Learning. A systematic search was conducted in four databases (WOS, Scopus, ERIC, and ProQuest) following the PRISMA-P statement. This search yielded 15 articles according to the defined criteria. Four thematic categories were identified throughout a thematic synthesis: Accessibility, support, socialisation, and academic success. The findings show that both accessibility and support are important factors for promoting the disabled students’ academic success in Online Higher Education but also highlight the need to apply the Universal Design in the whole system. Furthermore, the issues of academic support, inclusive pedagogical practices, and socialisation should be deeply analysed to inquire about their contribution to the students with disabilities’ academic success. Lastly, the limitations of this study and future implication for research are discussed.

This article explores the role of communication in instructor-student relationships within the educational context, focusing specifically on challenges and opportunities presented by online higher education. It delves into the significance of relational teaching approaches, highlighting the impact of communication on student learning. Moreover, it explores strategies for overcoming communication hurdles in online education, stressing the role of technology in fostering community, engagement, clarity, and feedback, thus enhancing the learning experience for both instructors and students.

In the past decade, enrollments in distance education, and specifically online education, have grown dramatically in the United States. According to the 2009 Sloan Report (Allen & Seaman, 2010), enrollments in online courses increased from 9.6% of total postsecondary enrollments in 2002 to 25.3% in 2009. Unfortunately, a number of barriers exist that may result in an inability of higher education institutions to provide quality online education programming in sufficient scale to meet the expected student demand. The Managing Online Education report (Green, 2010) identifies the resistance of faculty towards teaching in an online environment as foremost among ten factors that “impede institutional efforts to expand online education programs” (p. 1). An understanding of the factors that both motivate and discourage faculty member participation in online education programs is critical if institutions are to leverage their existing faculty to meet the current and future demand for online education. This case study first presents a number of motivating and inhibiting factors and then discusses how St. Bonaventure University leveraged these factors in an attempt to boost faculty participation in online education.

In the past decade, enrollments in distance education, and specifically online education, have grown dramatically in the United States. According to the 2009 Sloan Report (), enrollments in online courses increased from 9.6% of total postsecondary enrollments in 2002 to 25.3% in 2009. Unfortunately, a number of barriers exist that may result in an inability of higher education institutions to provide quality online education programming in sufficient scale to meet the expected student demand. The Managing Online Education report () identifies the resistance of faculty towards teaching in an online environment as foremost among ten factors that “impede institutional efforts to expand online education programs” (p. 1). An understanding of the factors that both motivate and discourage faculty member participation in online education programs is critical if institutions are to leverage their existing faculty to meet the current and future demand for online education. This case study first presents a number of motivating and inhibiting factors and then discusses how St. Bonaventure University leveraged these factors in an attempt to boost faculty participation in online education.

Although much research has focused on factors that contribute to effective online education in higher education (HE), insights remain scattered. In this study, we provide a more holistic perspective on how to facilitate effective online HE by concurrently examining factors that were hitherto treated separately. In our meta-review, we synthesized insights from 47 literature reviews and meta-analyses published between 2010 and 2022 concerning factors that contribute to effective online HE. Factors were identified at the level of the course (i.e., a clear structure; challenging, authentic, and inclusive learning activities; high-quality online interaction; and multiple assessment formats), student (i.e., high self-regulation skills, sufficient digital literacy, and a positive attitude towards online education), teacher (i.e., online teaching competences and professional development opportunities), and institution (i.e., an institution-wide vision on online education, adequate technological infrastructure, and accommodating student and teacher support). Further research is needed to better understand how these factors may interact with each other.