Online Degree Programs Research Articles

Diversity and Grit: First-Generation College Students in Online Degree Programs

ABSTRACT First-generation college students (FGCS) show self-determination and resilience as they seek to become the first within their families to earn a higher education degree. Colleges are beginning to recognize these strengths as they recruit and keep a diverse student population, particularly within the expanding online degree programs. For better insight into FGCS experiences online compared to students enrolled in traditional degree programs, researchers examined a secondary dataset from an anonymous undergraduate survey conducted at a 4-year public university. Among 412 survey respondents who identified as first-generation, 71 were enrolled in online degree programs. This study examines scores on the Grit-S and Social Support scales and student use of campus resources. Results highlight online students’ pattern of self-reliance over seeking outside support. They also had less connection to campus resources. Increased social support can enhance their sense of belonging to the learning community as online FGCS. Improving support for online students starts with collaboration between educators and administrators. Focusing on increasing academic confidence we can develop opportunities for online students to connect virtually with tutors, mentors, peer study groups, and faculty.

Ed Tech in Adult Online Learning

Educational technology facilitates convenient access to online programs for adult students but also presents challenges. Using a conceptual framework of Knowles' andragogy process of program development and learner interaction theory, this study examined ed tech in an online degree program designed to serve adult students. Participants included adult educators and students from an online degree program at a large, public, Hispanic-Serving Institution in the Southwest region of the United States. Using qualitative methods, data collection comprised observations and documents, and data analysis used Creswell and Creswell's five-step process. Findings illuminate three major online facilitations: Ed tech facilitates an andragogical process of development for programs, traditional and new learner interactions, and the research process of adult students. The findings offer implications to develop the theory, practice, and policy of ed tech in online learning for adult students and educators.

Revolutionizing Online Higher Education: A Theoretical Approach

Understanding the theoretical foundations of online learning becomes increasingly important as education shifts online. This article examines the theoretical frameworks of constructivism and connectivism. The integration of these theories in the design and execution of online learning environments is examined, with a focus on student engagement, technological access, and knowledge networks. The importance of online learning in serving the different requirements of learners around the world is underlined, especially in terms of adaptation and accessibility. The COVID-19 pandemic increased the spread of online education, highlighting the significance of digital infrastructure and training. Accredited online programs, founded on solid theoretical foundations, provide high-quality education comparable to traditional degrees The advantages of online learning are underlined, including self-directed learning, digital literacy, and inclusion. The study takes a qualitative approach, combining literature analysis, interviews with educators, and personal observations to present a full examination of the quality and recognition of online degree programs. Educators may build effective online learning experiences that address the changing needs of modern learners by understanding and utilizing these theoretical frameworks.

Adoption of online degree programs in higher education in India: An exploratory study based on stakeholder perception and proposed policy measures

Adoption of online degree programs in higher education in India: An exploratory study based on stakeholder perception and proposed policy measures

AI’s Role in Enhancing Cross Cultural Competence and Leadership through Online Education Programs

Cross-cultural competence (CCC) is essential for any future leader. The paper analyzes and discusses the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to narrow the divide existing in online degree programs, a pivotal element in fostering leadership excellence and capabilities while ensuring universal access to technology. The study's methodology primarily involves an in-depth literature review of existing research and theories on AI, online education, and cross-cultural competence. It discusses the strengths and weaknesses of current online educational platforms and recommends introducing AI precision education to bridge the shortcomings of different platforms. The paper reveals some critical insights: CCC is essential for students and future leaders to function in a globalized, increasingly interconnected world; however, there has been a gap between students' assumed CCC and their actual CCC. The paper identifies shortcomings in their CCC curriculum and suggests improvement methods by analyzing the world's top ten STEM universities. The paper finds that AI's ability to accommodate cultural and cognitive differences promotes an inclusive educational environment and addresses broader digital access and equity issues. It concludes with a strong argument for integrating AI in online cross-cultural education to prepare future leaders with the skills necessary to thrive in a globalized, increasingly interconnected world.

The impact of online degree programs on employment opportunities in contemporary India

The contemporary global economy demands a highly skilled and adaptable workforce, yet a persistent gap persists between the skills sought by employers and those possessed by the workforce. Online degree programs have emerged as a transformative solution, offering accessible and flexible pathways for individuals to acquire the skills necessary to meet the demands of the modern job market. However, despite their growing popularity, there remains a research gap in understanding their effectiveness, particularly in India. This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of online degree programs in bridging the skills gap, preparing students for the workforce, and assessing the relevance of their curricula in meeting contemporary job market demands, particularly in India. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, including surveys with educators, students, and employers, as well as interviews with industry experts. The findings reveal that online degree programs play a significant role in closing the skills gap and fulfilling job market demands in contemporary India. The curricula of these programs are highly relevant and aligned with industry needs, offering practical learning experiences that enhance students’ employability. Moreover, online education provides an inclusive, flexible, and cost-effective approach to education, enabling individuals from diverse backgrounds to access quality education. Overall, this research underscores the importance of online degree programs in preparing individuals for success in a rapidly changing and competitive global economy. By leveraging the full potential of online education, we can create a workforce that is well-equipped to meet current industry needs and adapt to the challenges of the future.

Onboarding Students at Scale: A New Student Orientation Course that Prepares Students to Succeed in their Online Degree Programs

A new online orientation course equips students with the tools and skills to thrive in online programs. It welcomes them to the university, introduces the learning management system, fosters peer connection, and locates essential resources. Additionally, it teaches valuable strategies for time management, motivation, and success in online learning. This adaptable base course caters to the university’s diverse online programs while maintaining a core structure. Designed for efficient facilitation by Academic Directors, it also allows for a personalized touch. Surveys indicate the course effectively prepares students for their first online course. Notably, completing the orientation has become the strongest predictor of student retention and academic success. This award-winning approach serves as a valuable example for designing online student orientation programs.

A Framework for Evaluating Online Degree Programs Through Student Satisfaction

Student satisfaction is a key indicator in evaluating any degree program's performance. In light of the vast difference between online and traditional degree programs, the factors that affect student satisfaction may vary across different courses. Based on the previous literature, this study explores the factors that may affect student satisfaction with online degree programs. A structured framework is proposed for evaluating online degree programs, including six big categories of factors and three outcome variables related to student satisfaction. Data were collected from an online degree program in a large public university to assess the underlying relationships and identify the key factors affecting student satisfaction. In addition, students’ self-regulated learning behavior was identified as the primary factor leading to the significant difference among the three outcome variables. The implications to school administrators and accreditation bodies were also addressed.

Psychosocial Factors and Retention of Female Students in a Health Sciences Program: A Cultural Perspective

The problem was at a for-profit private institution in the year 2015-2016, 25% or 35 of the 142 students who withdrew from the university were from the School of Health Sciences. The purpose was to investigate the psychosocial factors that influenced retention in female students enrolled in online degree programs. The generic research design was the descriptive-survey design. Participants were 35 female undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in online degree programs. The data collection instrument was the Survey of Female Adult Learners’ Psychosocial Factors Related to Retention-Adapted. Data analysis for the two research questions included the computation of descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, frequencies, and percentages) and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Findings for Research Question 1 suggested specific psychosocial factors were critical to retention in online degree programs. For instance, 71.43% of students reported the psycho-social factor, I am a capable person, and 62.86% reported the psycho-social factor; with my ability, I will be able to succeed; were critical to retention. Findings for Research Question 2 indicated that, even though there were differences in the mean scores for the marital status subgroups (not married-single, divorced, and never married). ANOVA showed the differences were not statistically significant, F (1, 33) =.21, p=.65, partial eta squared =.006, for the marital status subgroups.

E-books in Spanish university libraries: An analysis of online social sciences degrees

This paper analyzes the availability, via both library lending licenses and open access, of digital versions of the monographs that professors recommend in online bachelor's degrees courses in social sciences at Spanish public universities. Monographs are the type of document most recommended by professors when it comes to teaching and learning in higher education. Digital format is most suitable for online degrees, considering the added effort entailed for libraries to get these documents owing to the geographic dispersion of the students.For this purpose, all the resources in the recommended reading section of the syllabi from a sample of online degree programs in social sciences for the 2022–2023 academic year were extracted. Then, the catalogs of the corresponding university libraries were consulted to check the availability of the monographs on the reading lists. In addition, the catalogs of the usual suppliers to Spanish university libraries were consulted to check the availability of lending licenses for libraries. Finally, types of digital lending platforms are analyzed.Monographs account for 85.6 % of the documents referenced in courses' recommended reading lists. Only 21.0 % of monographs are available in digital format, either through library lending (17.4 %) or open access (4.9 %). On the contrary, practically the entirety of reading lists is available for lending through university libraries in printed format. University libraries could make the effort to acquire even more digital lending licenses for a portion of the books recommended by professors, but in this way they could only obtain 40.9 % of the monographs in digital format.Therefore, the publishing industry is not currently meeting the needs of online university education in the social sciences, owing to a large part of its catalog – especially older works – not being offered in digital format as well as the lack of library lending licenses.

A comparative case study of the accommodation of students with disabilities in online and in-person degree programs.

Fully online degree programs are an increasingly important part of the higher education ecosystem. Among the many challenges raised by the growth of fully online courses and degree programs is the question: Are institutions providing online students with disabilities accommodations that are comparable to those provided to students in traditional in-person degree programs? To explore this question, we compared students in a fully online biology degree program to students in the equivalent in-person degree program at a large research university. For each group, we assessed the frequency with which students register with the disability resource center, the range of specific accommodations provided, and course grades. Results show that students in the in-person program were nearly 30% more likely to be enrolled with the disability resource center, and that students in the online program were offered a narrower range of accommodations. However, in relative terms (i.e., compared to students without disabilities in their degree program), online students with disabilities perform better than in-person students with disabilities.

Graduate Students as Leaders and Followers: Effective Practices for Mentoring and Being Mentored

Graduate student development depends heavily upon effective mentoring. The ideal outcome is a scholar and/or professional who can work independently, not simply following in the footsteps and example of their mentor(s). In many instances, the developmental process requires the graduate student to be a mentor to others, whether that be for less experienced scholars (e.g., undergraduate students) or in a reverse mentoring role (e.g., guiding their faculty advisor). Effective mentoring is particularly challenging when the relationship is mediated through virtual engagement, which is the case for many online degree programs. The current article illuminates important considerations and strategies for success when facing these challenges. Particular attention is given to the openness framework, which highlights the importance of being open to change, feedback, action, and accountability.

효율적인 온라인 학위과정 운영 방안을 위한 국내·외 대학의 교류협력 방안

효율적인 온라인 학위과정 운영 방안을 위한 국내·외 대학의 교류협력 방안

Reflections of Adult Learners in Asynchronous Online Degree Programs

The growing prevalence of online higher education courses has attracted millions of students, many of whom fall outside the traditional student demographic. This investigative study aims to close the existing knowledge gap about the experiences and preferences of adult asynchronous learners. The study was conducted as a series of semi-structured interviews with adult students enrolled in free-tuition online asynchronous programs (N = 26). The interviews were then coded using the content analysis technique. The findings suggest that the lack of consistent communication with faculty and university staff is the biggest issue faced by adult students online. Respondents also reported missing the sense of community. Despite that, it is the ability to do work on one’s own schedule and flexibility in choosing the format for learning materials and assignments that are valued the most by adult students. Other findings and their implications are discussed further in the article.

Refugees and Online Engagement in Higher Education: A Capabilitarian Model

There are almost 90 million forced migrants around the world, many of whom could benefit from online higher education, and yet there is evidence that displaced people face challenges in online learning environments. This paper reports on a study in the context of a UK university’s master’s-level distance learning program that offers Sanctuary Scholarships to forced migrants. The study’s aims were: (1) to identify practical ways in which higher education institutions can support displaced learners to engage in online learning, and (2) to add to our theoretical understanding of refugees’ and asylum seekers’ engagement in online degree programs. The methodology included a theoretical and an empirical component. In the theoretical analysis, the indicators from Redmond et al.’s (2018) Online Engagement Framework were mapped onto capability lists drawn from the literature on the Capability Approach, generating a set of proposed underpinning capabilities for online engagement. The empirical analysis, which was carried out in parallel, was based on semi-structured interviews with ten online Sanctuary Scholars. Thematic analysis of the empirical data showed how the research participants had enacted behavioral, emotional, cognitive, social, and collaborative engagement and revealed some of the ways in which engagement fueled further engagement, alongside the mediating role of personal agency. When combined with the theoretical analysis, the findings enabled the creation of a capabilitarian online engagement model. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for institutional policies and practices around learning design and delivery to support online engagement among displaced learners, and potentially also among other underrepresented students.

The redesign of the English language subjects in the online degree programs at the Autonomous University of Hidalgo State

A foreign language learner´s major goal is to be able to efficiently communicate in different situations. In traditional face-to-face classrooms, language lessons are planned to allow students with opportunities to practice and develop their communication skills through interaction with the materials and among peers. One of the main challenges of English language teaching is to permit the same opportunities for practice when a language course is delivered online, for that reason, the instructional design plays an essential role to allow effective communicative practice. The present article explains the limitations faced in the English language subjects in terms of the learning activities, materials, interaction, and evaluation in the Bachelor's Degree program in Marketing and the Bachelor's degree in Educational Technology, online programs offered at the Autonomous University of Hidalgo State. This work also describes the actions that were taken to redesign these online courses so they could meet the English language communication needs of the students.

Institutional, program, and professional community: a framework for online higher education.

This paper reviews theories regarding online learning communities in higher education and their relevance to online degree programs. While these theories are used extensively to promote and maintain community within online courses, little attention has been placed on broader factors that can influence perceptions of online community. Based on our research as well as an extensive review of the literature, this paper articulates limitations in current research and posits a framework to look at institutional, program, and professional layers. The framework also considers community salience from these layers at various points in a learner's program. Based on the layers presented, the framework proposes that true communities are shaped by myriad partners and that these partnerships should not be ignored in community research. Furthermore, it admonishes educators to provide guidance to learners regarding the purposes of community formation both during and beyond program completion. Lastly, the paper articulates needs for further research as online degree programs consider community development and maintenance through more holistic approaches.

Online Degree Courses: Issues & Challenges in Employment

Online degree programs are popular for their flexibility and convenience. Online degree holders confront employment obstacles. This study discusses job concerns for online degree holders. Online degree credibility is the first issue. Online degree recipients may be less employable due to company concerns about program rigor and quality. Online learning limits networking, which is essential for career prospects and referrals. Some online degrees lack practical experience. This may hurt your chances of getting hands-on jobs. Online degree holders must also demonstrate self-discipline and time management to allay company concerns about their professional success. Online degree holders are expected to use digital platforms and collaborative tools, thus employers may question their technology skills. Due to online education's growth, online degree holders compete for jobs. Online degree graduates can handle these issues by creating a strong professional network, acquiring practical experience through internships or volunteering, demonstrating transferrable talents, and effectively communicating the advantages of their online education. Online degrees are becoming more valued by businesses, despite hurdles. As technology advances and online education becomes more popular, online degree holders should have fewer employment hurdles and have more professional growth prospects.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Students from a Large Online Class

<p style="text-align: justify;">The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has affected people in multiple dimensions. In addition to the social, physical health, financial, and mental health impacts of the pandemic, many United States (U.S.) college students experienced an abrupt transition to online learning in Spring 2020, resulting in a significant disruption to their learning and life. In this study, we examined COVID-19 impacts as reported by college students enrolled in an online class in Spring 2020 via an extra-credit survey. Participants reported predominantly negative impacts, but positive impacts were also reported. A total of 61 aspects of impact were identified reflecting six major themes: academic, housing and travel related, physical health-related, financial and work-related, social life, and mental health related impacts. We found that females reported significantly more overall negative impacts and significantly more academic and housing/travel related impacts than males. Black students reported significantly fewer positive impacts compared to non-Black students in the sample. Asian students reported significantly more academic impacts than White students. In addition, participants in the fully online degree program had significantly fewer overall impacts and significantly fewer academic impacts than those in the residential degree program. Implications of the findings were discussed.</p>

Using virtual reality to support first-year online initial teacher education students

In Australia, online initial teacher education (ITE) has seen enrolments grow at six times the rate of other online degree programs, with 25% of all ITE students commencing studying fully online (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, 2020). Online learning provides increased accessibility and flexibility for students (He, 2014; Stone, 2012; Walker et al., 2020). The accessibility provided by online higher education has also been appreciated in the COVID-19 impacted environment; however, online study is different in character to on-campus study and this has raised issues in relation to student experience, engagement, and retention. Students studying online report feeling disconnected from their tutors, peers, learning purpose and higher education providers (Jaques & Salmon, 2010; Gillet-Swan, 2017). Low retention rates have been linked to students’ feelings of disconnection and exacerbated by poor study preparation for online learning (Elliot & Frost, 2018). This means that a critical factor in students’ online study success is orientation and study preparation tailored to their needs. Developing innovative approaches for transitioning online students into higher education is a challenge widely experienced across local, national, and global settings. The innovative use of Virtual Reality (VR) technologies is one approach that has had positive impacts on student engagement and motivation (Huang et al., 2021) and, as Yu (2021) identified in a meta-review of VR literature, promotes learner confidence and achievement. Whilst this emerging research indicates the benefits of using VR in learning and teaching, more exploration is needed to fully understand these and the barriers (Schott & Marshall, 2021). In the context of an online ITE program at an Australian university, research findings are presented from a single descriptive case study (Merriam, 1998) that investigated the impact of a created VR (2D and 3D versions) providing key study orientation information to Bachelor of Education Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary first-year students. The VR was incorporated into the online mandatory first-year technologies education unit and introduced to students in a supported way through recommended online learning and teaching activities. Quantitative and qualitative data that were collected through the online questionnaire Process of Learning with VR (Makransky & Petersen, 2019) examined participants’ experiences and barriers in using the VR (N = 20). Descriptive statistics and mean differences were calculated, and themes identified. Findings revealed participants felt confident using technology, preferred information to be communicated visually, and liked the option of 2D VR for home technology use. Further, the VR made learning more interesting, and the realism assisted in understanding the content. Although the overall results were positive, barriers and challenges were indicated. These include difficulties in accessing the VR using an Apple device, frustration with the movement controls, and feeling that the experience was not personalised enough. Insights gained about using VR to communicate information and support student experience are significant given the continuing rise of online higher education. The need for continued research and innovative use of technologies so that online education programs can be effectively humanised is particularly noted. The introduction of VR to online ITE students has additional ramifications for them as future teachers. This is a potential area of related study.