The purpose of this study is to identify the motivational elements of formal online instructional design processes that are being implemented at traditional institutions of higher education (IHEs) in the United States (U.S.). For this study, I conducted a comprehensive literature review identifying emerging issues of practice for instructional…

Although research into gamification describes the pedagogy as contextual-based, there is minimal research into analyzing the context when implementing gamification. This research study aimed to examine how professional instructional designers experience analyzing higher education course rooms before implementing gamification into a higher…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to develop an initial formal ontology of competencies needed by instructional design professionals in higher education. The ontology was constructed using the domain ontology design process. The initial ontology was then validated by eight expert instructional design professionals in higher education using…

Today's college students can choose from a multitude of learning modalities. Many students elect to earn their degrees through 100% online college programs; however, online learners present higher attrition rates than their on-ground peers (Grau-Valldosera et al., 2019). Many theorists attempt to explain how students can succeed in college,…

Faculty in higher education come from a wide variety of disciplines and settings and bring with them a wide variety of unique personal and professional knowledge, skills, and experiences. Faculty are expected to create learning experiences that are high-quality, effective, and that meet certain standards (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023). Faculty…

The community of inquiry (CoI) framework is commonly used to study online learners' engagement and satisfaction. However, few studies have examined CoI's ability to predict online undergraduate students' end-of-course grades. The purpose of this quantitative hierarchical multiple regression study was to determine the ability of the CoI framework…

Faculty face a rising challenge in supporting diverse student populations on campuses (Bastedo et al., 2013). Inclusive pedagogy, facilitated by UDL, helps alleviate learning barriers for diverse student groups (Basham & Blackorby, 2021). However, the ambiguous operational definition of UDL poses practical challenges in implementation and…

Enrolling in an online program has become an increasingly popular choice for graduate students, as this format allows the flexibility to balance personal, academic, and professional commitments. However, this flexibility alone does not guarantee that an online program will contribute positively to students' lives. In this qualitative action…

Transparent design has been promoted as a teaching pedagogy to promote student success, especially among marginalized student populations. This study seeks to understand the impact of participation in a transparently designed course on low-income students self-reported levels of academic self-efficacy and employer-valued skills in Washington…

Collaborative learning is acknowledged as an important skill in both higher education and modern society. However, there are many challenges when designing and implementing collaborative learning and many studies report that college students are often frustrated when placed in such situations. Despite the fact that the literature has a wide range…

Critical thinking is one of the most desired skills in the workplace, as it assists an individual in solving complex problems and making informed decisions, resulting in their workplace success. Argumentation is one instructional approach that provides students an opportunity to engage in higher-order thinking and improve their communication…

The purpose of this qualitative content analysis study is to investigate the themes and potential gaps in quality assurance rubrics and scorecards used to evaluate online courses in higher education. For the utility of this study, the themes and potential gaps in quality assurance rubrics and scorecards is generally defined as the recurring…

This study explored how artificial intelligence (AI) can support teachers in reflecting on and improving their course design. Interviews were conducted with two university instructors after they interacted with an AI-powered dashboard visualizing relationships between course content, assessments, and student work. Thematic analysis revealed three…

Higher education in the 21st century is changing from the traditional residential program where the student sits in the classroom and is guided through their learning process to one that is online where the student receives their learning away from the classroom. The change from these traditional programs to online programs has increased the age…

At the onset of widespread COVID-19 in early 2020, institutions of higher education were abruptly faced with the need to rely on educational technology as a primary mode of teaching students, referred to as emergency remote teaching (ERT). Almost overnight, there was a corresponding and urgent need for instructional designer support and expertise.…