Improving Online Student Success Rates: Using A Holistic Approach To Assess Course Quality

Description  Challenge Online courses still have a significant gap in student success when compared to in-person classes. Online and remote courses often face extra scrutiny compared to in-person classroom courses when defining and demonstrating quality. Accreditors, college administrators, teachers, and students all want quality online courses, but these different stakeholders sometimes have other priorities and perspectives. Too often, online teachers see online course quality guidelines as restrictive or even punitive. While aiming to produce quality, heavy-handed attempts to enforce online course quality, often alienate teachers and stifle pedagogical creativity and the authenticity that drives student learning and keeps teachers from burning out. Key Takeaway Practical online course quality guidelines promote high levels of student learning through efficient course design and by allowing teachers to engage students authentically with robust content and activities with