Using a qualitative survey, this study explores the perceptions of university culture and community held by graduate-level online adjunct instructors in two different schools of education. The intention of the research was to determine how the online adjuncts perceived their position within the university community and to solicit recommendations…

Objective: To determine whether completing a pre-enrollment Web-based alcohol brief motivational intervention (BMI) increased student retention and reduced student alcohol-related violations. Participants: Fall 2011 (3,364) and Fall 2012 (3,111) entering cohorts of all first-year students at a midwestern state university. Method: Students…

The research goals were to identify the key supports, barriers, and learning preferences related to the persistence of online Indigenous university students. Two Indigenous community meetings were held, 212 online Indigenous students were surveyed, 20 Indigenous students were interviewed, and a talking circle was held with six Indigenous…

We tested a model that integrates academic delay of gratification with Expectancy Value Theory to predict achievement in an undergraduate psychology and nursing statistics class at a metropolitan university in the southeastern United States. We analyzed measurements (n = 163: 80.4% female) of past performance, academic delay of gratification,…

This researcher investigated academic resiliency in first-year, online adult learners, and gathered their perspectives about which interactions mattered most for their college persistence. A problem with college persistence for adult learners is that interventions intended to increase academic resiliency are created from the perspective of college…

This paper describes and assesses the implementation of online homework in a first-semester calculus course. Comparing sections of the course before implementation to those after, we find statistically significant improvements in retention rates, measures of student engagement, and participation on homework. We do not, however, find statistically…

The first-year experience for students enrolled in an online degree program, particularly the orientation and the first course experience, is critical to success and completion. The experience of one online university in improving persistence through enhancing orientation and the first academic course is presented. Factors impacting persistence…

New media communication tools used in health science education may help enhance student engagement and sense of community, improve retention and persistence, and provide a richer academic experience, but the research is limited on non-traditional online learners. The studies described here therefore, focus on fully online, undergraduate health…

A study was conducted at a community college in northeast Alabama to determine how the format of developmental English courses impacted student withdrawal rates and final grades. The two course formats examined were online/hybrid and face-to-face courses. Data were obtained from a 4-semester time frame: fall 2012, spring 2013, summer 2013, and…

In a time of flat enrollments in traditional higher education, online learning is booming. This article describes how one university evolved its programs to be on the forefront of the fastest-growing segment of online programs, hybrid learning. With a relatively minor investment in infrastructure, classes are delivered simultaneously to students…

This article profiles a Web-based tool developed with the support of two lifelong learning networks (LLNs) to address issues around higher education progression amongst under-represented groups across the East Midlands, including vocational learners and adults returning to education. Having introduced the site and explored its development, the…

This dissertation presents a qualitative case study of students enrolled in online courses and how they perceived the orientation program they completed before starting these courses. The study was based on the perspectives of students enrolled in a fully online program at a small community college in western Maine. They were interviewed…

An important development in higher education is the increased learning possibilities brought by ICT. Many academics seem reluctant to embrace technology. An online teacher training program was followed by 73 academics from nine higher educational institutions. Data were gathered using the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model…

Statistics are often used to reveal significant differences between online and campus-based education. The existence of online courses with low completion rates is often used to justify the inherent inferiority of online education compared to traditional classroom teaching. Our study revealed that this type of conclusion has little substance. We…

Between 2000 and 2009, 243 students in 11 cohort groups participated in the Internet-Based Masters in Educational Technology (iMet) Program. iMet is a hybrid masters program in education with an emphasis in educational technology. Students in the program work collaboratively in a problem-based approach to the integration of technology into…