Studies highlight online education's effectiveness; however, few examine theoretical frameworks for guiding pedagogy in online MSW programs. Patriarchal systems create policy and program inequities in higher education, hindering student achievement. Confronting these inequities is essential in designing successful online MSW programs. This…

This dissertation explored the retention of career change Library Science students in an online, professional master's program. This study specifically examined retention through student motivations for career change, levels of self-regulation, and the deemed usefulness of Student Affairs services. This work explored Library Science career change,…

It requires a lot of energy to support the adoption of online learning by adult learners. Thus, the question of how online learning intersects with adult learning may provide meaningful pathways to understanding online learning per se. This study aims to understand the online study behaviors of teachers enrolled in an online Educational Technology…

This study sought to identify the support needed by returning baby boomers to succeed in online master's programs at a Midwest institution. Tinto's (1975, 1987, 1993) theory on social and academic integration, Kember's (1989) model of dropout distance education, Bean and Metzner's (1985) student attrition model, and Park's (2007) model for adult…

The transformation of new paradigms for online learning delivery has evolved rapidly over the past few years. For postgraduate programmes, the thesis module is regularly the capstone and significant in terms of academic credits. In reality, this module can be just an 'add on' set of resources with no dedicated online learning space. Industry…

Organizations governing education in the health professions have recently called for changes in teaching to promote students' use of critical thinking (CT). Expectations for CT in courses to train educators should be aligned with the expectations of student use of CT. A growing number of certificate and master's-level programs are being developed…

With the rise of flexible learning modalities including hybrid and fully online programs, those seeking higher education opportunities now have more options than ever before. The present study was part of a larger effort by one university to develop strategies specifically aimed at improving the first-year student experience. Based on the results,…

Over the past decade, the researcher has completed two university degrees from accredited Canadian universities through online distance education (ODE) offerings. Research suggests that these experiences and subsequent acquisition of university degrees through ODE are not the norms (Clay et al., 2009; Hart 2012; Lee & Choi, 2010). The…

After spending a year working on the development of a new online Master's programme in higher education, members of the development team were interviewed to reveal their thoughts about the nature of the programme. The dialogue of each interview was summarised as a concept map. Analysis of the resulting maps included a modified Bernsteinian…

As students' achievement is correlated with self-regulation, finding interventions promoting self-regulated learning (SRL) in online courses is a current focus of research. However, few studies have explored the potential of contract learning in scaffolding and developing SRL in non-traditional learners who have work and family and are at risk of…

With the increasing number of students enrolled in fully online programs and subjects across different Australian universities, online education has become a popular higher education alternative. The University of Melbourne has responded to this challenge by establishing the "Melbourne School of Professional and Continuing Education"…

This article presents an autoethnographic account of a project implemented to increase online student engagement in a postgraduate organisational behaviour subject comprised predominantly of international students. Autoethnography provided a lens to critically explore my andragogical practice as an early career academic (ECR) engaged in teaching…

A sense of belonging to a learning community has been identified as one of the factors contributing to greater student satisfaction and persistence in online education programs. Using the community of inquiry framework as a theoretical guide, the purpose of this study was to explore the role of VoiceThread, a web-based platform that facilitates…

Working adults planning to pursue higher education programs to advance their careers often face conflicting demands. Colleges and universities are challenged to offer non-traditional programs with more scheduling flexibility, allowing adult learners to manage multiple work, family, and other obligations while attending school (Dana, 2013;…

This paper considers an innovative model of continuing professional development in addressing the needs of children with literacy difficulties, namely the Special Educational Needs Continuing Professional Development Literacy Project. Stranmillis University College, in partnership with St Mary's University College, Belfast secured £4.06 million…