Online Program Directors' Perspectives of Quality Programs

The purpose of this chapter is to identify and understand the factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of “quality” online programs and ensure program success. The authors took the online program directors' perspectives and investigated a variety of factors with regards to course design, faculty, students, and institutions. Interview data from seven online program directors from a mid-sized public university in the United States were collected. A list of factors emerged from the data, such as faculty buy-in, faculty training and support, program standardization through course design, third-party certification, online student needs assessment, and investment in marketing and advertising. The authors suggest that these factors should be considered while developing new online programs or improving and expanding on existing online programs.