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The increase in online course delivery in higher education has implications for students and instructors. In fall 2002, 1.6 million students took at least one online course and this number increased by the fall of 2012 to 6.7 million. The increase in the rate of enrollment in online courses in higher education provides an opportunity to examine the strategies and technologies used in course design and delivery and student engagement in the online culture. Two of the key factors in creating student engagement are the instructor's interaction with students and the course design and delivery itself. An examination of students’ and instructors’ perceptions of what factors contribute to a positive online experience may assist those developing and delivering online courses. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the relationship between the perceptions of online instructors and online students regarding student engagement and course design and delivery. Data collection techniques included the use of a survey with a 5-point Likert-type scale and collection of demographic information. Data were analyzed through a nonexperimental quantitative methodology and further explained through the use of positioning theory. Positioning theory combines cognitive and social psychology to describe how individuals interact through conversation or speech acts (Harre & van Langenhove, 1999). This theory provides a framework for discussion of the findings as to how the first interactions between students and instructors set a tone for student engagement for the duration of the course. The study revealed that there is a strong statistical significance to the number of both student and instructors posting to perceived student engagement. The more students and instructors post in the first 2 weeks the higher the perception of student engagement. This finding allows for the application of the use of positioning theory in how students and instructors relate and experience engagement in the course. Findings also revealed that academic discipline was not statistically significant in regards to instructor and students perception of engagement. Significance was also established between student age and traditional or nontraditional status in their perceived engagement in online classes. Traditional students and also students in the age category of 24 and under reported higher rates of perceived student engagement than nontraditional students and students in the age category of 25 and older. Recommendations for practice are included in the discussion.

Student success has been understood primarily in the context of conventional classroom settings. Yet, despite the prevalence of pre-college programs in the lives of disadvantaged students, few studies explore how notions of success are conceptualized within these spaces. This study explores what counts as student success in a pre-college program from the perspective of those facilitating the program. Using archival program data consisting of 524 student performance evaluations, this study asks, In a program designed to remedy or level the playing field for historically disadvantaged students, what behaviors, attitudes, and outcomes count as success? The findings of this study suggest that what counts as student success and who is considered an ideal student is constructed by instructor’s perceptions and assessments of both student’s cognitive abilities and non-cognitive qualities. This study also shows that mainstream and stereotypical judgments about effort, character, and success more broadly persist even in spaces intended to supplement and, in many ways, serve as an alternative to traditional academic settings.

Online mathematics courses at Somerset Community College (SCC) have traditionally had a lower retention rate than their in-person counterparts. This study looked at online and in-person students at SCC in the courses Intermediate Algebra and College Algebra. Beginning of semester student demographics were considered to determine whether or not the online and in-person student populations were comparable. End of semester student demographics, retention rates, and grades on the final exams were examined to determine whether or not there were patterns among completer students. Finally, a survey was administered to students and instructors to determine their perceptions of several factors thought to influence student success and to determine areas of agreement and disagreement among these factors. Follow-up telephone interviews were given to instructors and students in order to identify areas that were not covered in the survey. The results indicated that although online courses tended to attract older students, the online and in-person student groups were similar in terms of make-up. This was true both at the beginning and at the end of the semester. The in-person sections showed better results, both in terms of retention and grades on the final exams. The survey results were analyzed using Rasch analysis. This showed differences between students and instructors, most importantly in the areas of student self-efficacy behaviors and communication between instructor and student. These differences between students and instructors were generally exacerbated in the online sections indicating that these areas might have had an impact on the lower retention and grades of the online sections.

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