Scholarly resources

Photo of a woman drawing a pie chart on a clear transparent writing surface

This page includes a substantial collection of academic journal articles and research resources support your online teaching.

For additional resources such as program and course quality information and processes focused on improving student outcomes and program growth, please visit the Missouri Online website

Enrollment and other trends

Listed here are citations for articles concerning the following distance education trends: student demographics, institutional trends, technology and other trends.

Online learning outcomes

At the most basic level, assessment includes anything an instructor has students do for a grade. However, well-planned and well-designed assessments serve as a method to evaluate student performance and learning progress in relation to established learning objectives. 

Digital accessibility

Digital accessibility is of growing importance with implications for everyone, including faculty, administrators and institutions. Listed below are citations for articles with digital accessibility best practices, definitions or thoughtful discourse.

Promoting academic integrity

Brief summaries along with citations on the topic of academic integrity in distance education are provided. Research findings are mixed.

Efficacy of distance education

Comparative studies of learning outcomes in distance and in-person classes. A substantial body of literature is available that generally supports no significant difference in learning outcomes in online and in-person classes. 

Effective quality online teaching

A substantial body of literature investigates strategies and techniques that impact student learning in an online environment. A number of studies emphasize the importance of social, cognitive and teaching presence on student engagement and learning outcomes.

Open educational resources (OER)

A substantial body of literature investigates the implementation and efficacy of open educational resources (OER) in higher education. 

Quality online course development

A common theme for quality online course offerings is identified as finding ways to have students actively engage in their learning in the online setting. 

Student engagement

A number of studies have examined factors and characteristics that help online students’ entry, persistence, success and satisfaction in online courses. 

Video usage

Instructional videos often play an important role in online classes, establishing a sense of community, social and instructor presence.