Sustainable development in the design of online degree programmes for national cross-studies

This study examines the integration of sustainable development in the holistic design of higher education online degree programmes for national cross-studies in Finland. The methodology adopted is design-based research. The literature combines works from the fields of online degree programme design and sustainable development. The empirical data is collected from an Online Degree Working Group representing various online degree expertise in applied higher education. The results of this study highlight the importance of national level collaboration in efforts to reach sustainable development goals in online degree programmes for national cross-studies in higher education. Key sustainability competencies are combined into online degree programme design to reveal new considerations for sustainable development in the online degree education context. The results can be utilised by managers, administrators, and educators of online degree programmes in higher education organisations who are interested in implementing sustainable development in the design phase of the online degree programmes.

Holistic design of online degree programmes in higher education – a case study from Finland

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present design principles for holistic design of online degree programmes (ODPs) in higher education (HE). The study adds to previous research on online programme design by examining how the digital competence and pedagogical strategy of a HE organisation can inform holistic ODP design.Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents a case study placed in the context of a Finnish applied HE organisation. Design-based research (DBR) process is used to create holistic design principles for new ODPs. Theoretical framework for the study is digitally competent organisation (Kampylis et al., 2015) and pedagogical strategy is innovation pedagogy (Kettunen et al., 2013).FindingsDesign principles for pedagogically informed holistic design of ODPs are presented as a three-tiered model comprising organisational, pedagogical and ODP layers. Each layer includes various principles for holistic design to integrate an organisation's pedagogical strategy in a digitally competent context to create quality ODPs.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper presents a case study from a HE organisation in Finland, but results are applicable to a wider global audience.Practical implicationsAs a contribution to practitioners, this paper presents a three-tiered holistic design of ODP in HE organisation, where the design principles are categorised in organisational, pedagogical and ODP design layers. In addition, suggestions to managers, instructional designers and educators are made for the holistic design of ODPs.Social implicationsBuilding the sense of community in ODPs and offering continuous support in pedagogy and technology are valuable for the well-being of the staff, students and the wider society.Originality/valueThe paper draws relationships between holistic design of ODPs, digital competence and pedagogical strategy. The paper provides managerial and operational viewpoints to managers, administrators and educators of HE organisations that plan to create new ODPs with a holistic focus on the educational organisation, its pedagogical strategy and digital competence. Recommendations for further development, possible applications and research of ODP education are made.

Old Paradigms, New Learners

The chapter will be divided into three sections. The first section provides a brief look at the history and inception of online degree programs, supporting technology, learning platforms, and the early demographics of the typical online degree seeking student. The second section will address the changing online degree student demographics of the past five years, organizational expectations of graduating students, and the stagnant online learning model that is less than effective in student skills acquisition and knowledge retention. The third will address the COVID-19 effect on online learning, degree-student demographics, the cultural shifts that are emerging in the student population, and the need for new interactive online models to engage the student. This section will also address the need for new models of online training for faculty to provide a quality educational environment for the online student. The chapter will close with assumptions about the future of online degree programs.

Online biology degree program broadens access for women, first-generation to college, and low-income students, but grade disparities remain

Online education has grown rapidly in recent years with many universities now offering fully online degree programs even in STEM disciplines. These programs have the potential to broaden access to STEM degrees for people with social identities currently underrepresented in STEM. Here, we ask to what extent is that potential realized in terms of student enrollment and grades for a fully online degree program. Our analysis of data from more than 10,000 course-enrollments compares student demographics and course grades in a fully online biology degree program to demographics and grades in an equivalent in-person biology degree program at the same university. We find that women, first-generation to college students and students eligible for federal Pell grants constitute a larger proportion of students in the online program compared to the in-person mode. However, the online mode of instruction is associated with lower course grades relative to the in-person mode. Moreover, African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American, and Pacific Islander students as well as federal Pell grant eligible students earned lower grades than white students and non-Pell grant eligible students, respectively, but the grade disparities were similar among both in-person and online student groups. Finally, we find that grade disparities between men and women are larger online compared to in-person, but that for first-generation to college women, the online mode of instruction is associated with little to no grade gap compared to continuing generation women. Our findings indicate that although this online degree program broadens access for some student populations, inequities in the experience remain and need to be addressed in order for online education to achieve its inclusive mission.

Developing a Virtual Undergraduate Research Symposium in Response to COVID-19 Disruptions: Building a Canvas-Based Shared Platform and Pondering Lessons Learned

Oregon State University (OSU) partnered with OSU Ecampus, its online degree-granting unit, to develop a Canvas studio site to host a spring research symposium. Easy-to-navigate college-level pages with discussion boards for each student presenter were created. Students were asked to (1) pre-record a three-minute lightning talk by capturing a voice narrative over a PowerPoint slide deck and (2) upload their talks, along with a written narrative, into a pre-made discussion board.

How Do Online Degrees Affect Labor Market Prospects? Evidence from a Correspondence Audit Study

This article reports the findings of a correspondence audit study that examines how online bachelor’s degrees affect labor market outcomes. The study involves sending 1,891 applications for real job openings using 100 fictitious applicant profiles. The applicant profiles are designed to be representative of recent college graduates from established universities. Using random assignment to degree type, applicant profiles that indicate a traditional (in-person) degree receive nearly twice as many callbacks as those that indicate an online degree. Findings suggest that, at least currently, completing an online degree program would significantly limit the labor market prospects of typical college students.

Flexible Higher Education Through Swayam

Challenges in MOOC education for both practical and theoretical courses are identified by the researchers, both experimentally and through a case study. The insights brought by empirical studies helped researchers to propose a framework to make higher education in engineering and management truly online and tuition free. The objective of this chapter is to propose a flexible online degree framework through SWAYAM or any other online platform being approved by education regulator. The process involving course enrollment, learning, evaluation, and outcome is contained in the proposed flexible system that leads to tuition free online degrees. The proposed system not only gives students a freedom to choose their courses in accordance with their flexibility but also use earned credit towards online degrees of any university of their choice.

A Holistic Approach to Integrating ePortfolios as Instructional Methods in Online Programs

The purpose of this chapter is to review a holistic approach to the integration of digital portfolios (“ePortfolios”) as an instructional method in online degree programs. The chapter reviews the evidence-based best practices that support four phases to the integration of ePortfolios as an instructional method in online degree programs: scaffolding, tutorials, course integration, and student engagement. Each phase offers a different way to make a lasting impact on students. The innovative instructional method is not the portfolio itself, the supporting tutorials, or any one piece of the ePortfolio project. Rather, the true innovation is the project as a whole, taking a holistic look at how portfolios fit into the program and how to support the development and evaluation of the portfolio for both students and faculty.