OJDLA

Considerations for Designing Needs Assessment of Distance Learning in STEM Education at the Postsecondary Level

David Devraj Kumar, Ed.D., Victoria Brown, Ed.D., Christine Kassover, Ph.D. — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 08:30:00 -0400

Considerations for designing needs assessments of distance learning programs for informed decisions in postsecondary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education are explored. Needs assessment methods and models should change to keep up with developments in distance learning, placing a greater emphasis on determining with accuracy the “what is” and “what should be” conditions. A well-done needs assessment study provides context-specific, accurate information essential for making meaningful policies for the success of distance learning programs in postsecondary STEM education. Relevant features of the needs assessment are discussed with recommendations. Needs assessment of distance learning programs in postsecondary STEM education remains a promising area for research and development.

Keywords: Needs assessment, distance learning, STEM, postsecondary, artificial intelligence

Regular and Substantive Interaction in Online Courses: Why it Matters for Administrators…and Faculty

Marίa D. Lerma, Ed.D. — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 08:00:00 -0400

Regular and substantive interaction (RSI) is important in education, particularly in online learning (whether hybrid, synchronous, or asynchronous). Piña & Martindale (2023) make a compelling argument on why college and university administrators must be concerned about regular and substantive interaction, as it impacts financial aid and accreditation. While administrators should and must be concerned about RSI in online learning because of regulatory, financial, and compliance issues, it is ultimately up to faculty to uphold high academic standards and ensure that regular and substantive interaction is taking place in all of their classes, whether F2F, hybrid, synchronous, or asynchronous. Faculty should have access to training on best practices (Chickering & Gamson, 1986) for online teaching in order to maintain regular and substantive interaction (RSI) and ensure that not only their institutions meet compliance issues but that students are receiving worthwhile and academically rigorous instruction that encourages student engagement and active participation. As such, it is within faculty purview to effect change and implement content area expertise in all courses, including asynchronous, hybrid, and asynchronous courses.

The Development of Instructor Social Connectedness Instrument to Predict Student Satisfaction, Motivation, and Perceived Learning in Online Courses

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 07:30:00 -0400

This study validated the FORCES framework (Feedback, Organization, Response time, Communication, Empathy, and Sociability) to measure instructor social connectedness in online education. The survey was conducted at two southeastern universities with online undergraduate and graduate students (N=164). The findings revealed high internal consistency for each subscale and significant correlations with student satisfaction, motivation, and perceived learning, underscoring the critical role of instructor presence in online learning environments. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the six-factor structure, although high correlations between Empathy and Sociability suggested the potential for refinement. Practical implications include the need for timely feedback, transparent communication, and empathy-driven approaches to enhance online learning experiences. This framework offers insights into improving instructor-student connections in distance learning environments.

Keywords: Instructor Social connectedness, Online Learning, Student Perceptions, Instructor Connectedness

Centralizing Standard Operating Procedures in a Large Online Education Division

Abhijeet Dalal, Rosa Kondri, MBA, M.Ed — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 07:00:00 -0400

The growth of online education is complex and multidimensional involving areas such as design and development, media, program operations, and data management. Online education divisions are multifaceted, and vital to the business operations of a university. The focus of the online education division in this case study, operating at a private, R1 university in Northeast America, was to streamline, centralize, and standardize the operational processes (or SOPs) within the department. What started as the expectation of a few SOPs grew into the documentation and standardization of more than sixty processes that had never been formally documented. The study findings highlighted the cross-functional dependencies, gaps in process ownership, and lack of operational knowledge in the division. The focus of this article is to provide distance education administrators the tools and resources to enhance their operational framework with SOPs.

Keywords: education administration, online learning operations, standard operating procedures, cross-functional collaboration, best practices, lessons learned, facilitated workflow, process improvement

Enhancing Practical and Ethical AI Use in Online Doctoral Education through Targeted Webinars

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 06:30:00 -0400

This pilot study examined gaps in doctoral students’ and faculty members’ effective and ethical use of Generative AI (GAI) at a large online university in the United States. It evaluated whether targeted webinars could improve understanding, confidence, and intended use of GAI in academic and research contexts.

Using a multiple-methods case study design, the study combined quantitative pre- and post-webinar surveys with qualitative open-ended responses. Descriptive statistics captured changes in understanding, confidence, and use, while thematic analysis identified patterns in expectations, perceived value, and concerns.

Preliminary faculty findings suggest improved understanding of GAI applications and ethics after the webinars, along with greater confidence and intent to integrate GAI into teaching and research. Students expressed strong interest in ethical use and research support but remained concerned about academic integrity and unclear institutional guidance. Ethical uncertainty persisted as the strongest barrier across both groups.

This study contributes to emerging research on GAI literacy in doctoral education by piloting a scalable training intervention to strengthen ethical and effective use. The findings provide early evidence that targeted instruction can improve faculty readiness while underscoring the need for clearer institutional guidance and sustained support for responsible use.

Keywords: Generative AI (GAI), Large Language Models (LLMs), AI Literacy, AI Ethics, Faculty Development, Doctoral Education

Communication Strategies in AI-Related Plagiarism Cases

Sebahattin Ziyanak, Ph.D., Harold Abrams, Ph.D. — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 11:00:00 -0500

With the development and availability of AI models there is concern about AI plagiarism in higher education. To help address this challenge, AI detectors such as Turnitin have been created to help faculty assess the presence of AI plagiarism in various assignments. This study aims to present faculty-student communication strategies that in combination with flexible use of Turnitin may help address AI plagiarism in higher education. To this end, this study involves an exploratory content analysis of a sample of 149 cases of AI-related plagiarism from 35 undergraduate social science course sections, with 901 enrolled students across three universities in the Southwest. Three instructors identified cases occurring in April 2023 through October 2025. All of these cases operated under the syllabus stipulation that AI should not be used to directly generate assignment text. Instructors used the Turnitin AI detector to help identify potential cases where the student used AI to compose major portions of a written assignment. Out of 149 cases of AI-plagiarism, only one case involved denial of misuse of AI. The 149 cases of AI-plagiarism were generated by 142 individual students. Students flagged generally did not repeat AI plagiarism in the classes taken with the instructors involved in this study. We present a basic statistical summary of characteristics of the cases identified. In addition, the content analysis identified five recurring themes reflective of various communication strategies that seem helpful when coupled with the flexible use of the Turnitin AI detector. Such strategies are illustrated via actual examples of instructor-student discussions. We conclude that utilizing the Turnitin AI detector, along with certain communication strategies, might be an effective way to detect and reduce the frequency of AI plagiarism in courses.

Designing Comprehensive Onboarding and Professional Development for Online Adjunct Faculty

Leslie Stover, PhD — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 10:30:00 -0500

Hiring online adjunct faculty in higher education continues to grow, encompassing nearly half of the overall faculty population. As four-year institutions rely on the benefits of adjunct faculty, they must also invest in their orientation and continuous development. Existing literature confirms the varied approaches to supporting adjunct faculty, the deficiency in coordinated programming, and reveals a lack of understanding in adjunct faculty's perception of training delivered. Using a qualitative phenomenological design, this study explored the gap between the onboarding and professional development an institution provides and the online adjunct faculty’s perception of its effectiveness. The research questions explored the lived experiences of adjunct faculty receiving and administrators managing the training. To better understand the barriers to developing comprehensive training, both perspectives contributed to the body of literature on this topic. The study was conducted with participants from two small liberal arts universities in the Midwest by conducting direct interviews with three administrators and 25 online adjunct faculty. The findings revealed eight themes about the phenomena of adjunct faculty onboarding and professional development, indicating that diverse perceptions among adjunct faculty highlight the challenge of creating effective training programs. However, academic leaders can overcome this by listening to adjuncts and improving processes. Adjuncts reported that receiving clear expectations, a thorough orientation to the LMS, and connecting with support staff can boost satisfaction and readiness. Results suggest that a structured approach to assessing training needs and effectiveness provides valuable insights into the most effective training program design.

Keywords: Adjunct faculty onboarding and professional development, Adjunct faculty training, Adjunct faculty support, Designing comprehensive contingent faculty training, Higher education

Aligning the Healthcare Administration Curriculum With Industry Needs: An Action Research Approach

Carla Huck, Ed.D., Anica Cisneroz, Ph.D. — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 10:00:00 -0500

This action research study evaluated and enhanced the Program Curriculum Deep Dive (PCDD) process to improve a bachelor’s degree program in healthcare administration at a private online college. Using a mixed-methods approach combining document analysis and a stakeholder survey, researchers examined cross-functional collaboration between academic and industry experts to modernize course content. Analysis revealed four key findings: (1) participants valued structured process organization; (2) personalized, collaborative support contributed to meaningful stakeholder engagement; (3) faculty perceived their contributions as instrumental in enhancing industry-curriculum alignment; and (4) faculty believed their curriculum changes resulted in improved student career preparedness. The study's systems thinking framework emphasized the interconnected nature of curriculum elements, while the action research methodology facilitated continuous improvement through iterative cycles of planning, implementation, and reflection. This research addresses the critical need for healthcare administration programs to bridge the preparation-practice gap through authentic learning experiences while navigating the unique challenges of online education. Recommendations include maintaining collaborative structures, emphasizing real-world applications, diversifying assignments for skill development, and documenting successful processes for institutional replication.

Keywords: curriculum development, course review, higher education, action research

The ECHO instructional framework: Guiding faculty to create transformative, student-centered online courses in higher education

Karen Young, PhD — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 09:30:00 -0500

This article introduces the Engaging with Content Holistically Online (ECHO) instructional framework, designed to guide faculty and instructional designers in creating transformative, student-centered online courses in higher education. ECHO provides scaffolded templates, guiding questions, prompts for using AI as a thought partner, and practical strategies for course design and implementation grounded in the Community of Inquiry and Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) models. This framework emphasizes structured pedagogy, reflective practice, and contextualized design, enabling institutions to build cohesive online programs that promote engagement, critical discourse, and transformative learning. Implications for online program administration and faculty development are discussed.

Linking Student Readiness Dimensions to Institutional Strategies: Correlational and Group Difference Insights from eLearnReady Analytics

Cheng-Yuan (Corey) Lee, Ph.D., Alex Fegely, Ed.D, Sherri Restauri, Ph.D. — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 09:00:00 -0500

This study investigates interrelationships among nine dimensions of online learning readiness and their implications for distance education administration. Using a dataset of over 50,000 students from multiple higher education institutions, correlational and inferential analyses were conducted to examine associations among self-motivation, self-management, learning preferences, and technology-related competencies. Results revealed a strong correlation between Technology Skills and Course Management System Skills (r = .632), highlighting the synergy between general technical competence and platform-specific fluency. Moderate correlations were observed between Self-Motivation and Self-Management (r = .424), indicating behavioral and motivational interdependence. Additional analyses demonstrated statistically significant differences in readiness across both age and gender groups. Younger participants reported higher levels of Self-Motivation, Technology Skills, and Course Management competencies, whereas older participants scored higher in Self-Management, Social Interaction, and Reading/Visual dimensions. Gender analyses revealed small but significant effects, with females scoring higher in Self-Motivation, Self-Management, and Text-Based Learning Preferences, and males slightly outperforming females in Visual Learning dimensions. These findings underscore the value of readiness analytics for institutional decision-making, faculty development, and learner support strategies aimed at improving online learning outcomes.

Keywords: online readiness, correlation analysis, technology skills, distance education management, gender differences, age differences, self-motivation, self-management, learning preferences