A study was conducted to examine instructional characteristics of quality in online courses and their relationship to student outcomes in online courses at a 2-year and a 4-year higher educational institution. Instructional characteristics included learner support, course design and organization, content design and delivery, interactivity (student–instructor and student–student), and assessment. A student survey instrument was created that captures student perceptions of the instructional characteristics of their courses, their learning, and their satisfaction with the courses. The data collected from the student survey was merged with data from institutional student information systems (e.g., demographics and course grade). Based on the article from Joosten, Cusatis, and Harness (2019) that examines the relationship between these instructional characteristics, sometimes referred to as indicators of online course quality, and their relationship to student outcomes for all students and for underrepresented students. Significant findings were found between instructional characteristics and student outcomes.
Joosten, T., Cusatis, R., & Harness, L. (2019). A cross-institutional study of instructional characteristics and student outcomes: Are quality indicators of online courses able to predict student success? Online Learning Journal, 23(4).
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