Engineering programs in the United States continue to struggle with high attrition and limited diversity. This study investigates an unconventional solution: a narrative-based intervention where students write and perform their own engineering stories to build resilience and improve retention. While engineering curricula typically emphasize technical rigor, this research explores how a storytelling intervention influenced undergraduate students’ perceptions of their sense of belonging, professional identity, and persistence. The intervention, implemented across six semesters in diverse engineering disciplines, engaged students in developing and performing personal stories about their engineering journeys. Utilizing inductive thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 17 participants, we investigated how the narrative process influenced student perceptions. Results: Participants reported that the intervention positively influenced their identity development. Most participants reported a strengthened or reaffirmed intention to remain in the field. Our findings suggest that storytelling provided students with a structured way to discuss struggle, connect with peers, and see themselves more clearly as part of engineering. Those shifts may matter for retention, especially for students who otherwise feel isolated.

This systematic literature review investigates how inclusive curricular interventions and pedagogy in undergraduate engineering education influence sense of belonging, professional identity, and persistence among historically underserved students. Analyzing 40 peer-reviewed studies published between 2000 and 2024, we employed thematic analysis across two coding cycles to identify patterns in intervention types and outcomes. Multiple curricular themes emerged: fostering personal connections through representation and mentorship; implementing student-centered pedagogies; cultivating collective responsibility for inclusivity; increasing structural access; empowering students through introspection and critical analysis; reframing narratives of belonging; and leveraging professional engineering organizations. These interventions yielded three primary outcomes: cultivating community cultural wealth (navigational, social, aspirational, familial, resistance, and linguistic capital), fostering inclusive engineering identities characterized by heightened awareness of systemic barriers, and improving belonging, professional identity, and persistence intentions. Identity-matched mentorship and participation in identity-based organizations significantly enhanced retention among women and underrepresented minority students. However, findings reveal a persistent gap between students’ awareness of inequities and their translation of this knowledge into equitable practice. We conclude that isolated interventions are insufficient; inclusive curricula must be integrated longitudinally across engineering education. Future research should employ rigorous mixed-methods designs with larger samples to establish efficacy and facilitate replication.

The shift to online and blended learning, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of generative AI tools, has intensified the search for valid and secure assessment methods. Oral assessments have long been recognized for their ability to authentically measure understanding, foster deeper engagement, and develop professional communication skills; however, logistical demands often limit their use. This paper reports findings from two studies investigating Asynchronous Oral Assessments (AOAs) delivered through a web-based platform and implemented alongside in-person, multiple-choice examinations. Study 1, conducted in an intermediate accounting course, explored associations between AOA participation and performance on multiple-choice exam items, revealing positive trends though not statistically significant. Study 2, conducted in a data analytics course, compared student performance across AOAs and in-person multiple-choice exams and found higher scores on AOAs, along with moderate correlations between formats. Survey results further indicated that students prepared differently for AOAs, reported greater use of active study strategies, and perceived the assessments as professionally relevant and cognitively engaging. Collectively, results suggest that AOAs represent an administratively scalable and pedagogically meaningful complement to traditional assessments.

Disabled students are increasingly choosing to attend higher education. Online learning has the potential to meet the needs of disabled students in unique ways. However, questions remain about how well online learning is meeting the needs of disabled students and in what ways institutions are prepared for and actively providing students with accessible and inclusive online learning opportunities. This paper presents the results of a literature review of 91 sources focused on accessible and inclusive online learning. Themes that emerged from the literature are discussed, as are future implications for research and practice.

Researchers in the K-12 environment have utilized self-efficacy theory and its influencing factors to aid teachers in integrating technology into their classrooms; however, similar research has not been conducted on military instructors. This mixed-methods study examines technology self-efficacy among military instructors at a Southern U.S. military base, specifically focusing on the factors influencing their confidence in integrating technology into their teaching practices. Through the use of the Computer Technology Integration survey and interviews, the research identifies three distinct themes-philosophy, barriers, and confidence-providing insights into the levels of technology self-efficacy among military instructors. With 60 survey participants and 12 interviewees, the findings emphasize the need for customized professional development opportunities to enhance technology integration skills among military instructors, contributing to the broader discourse on technology self-efficacy in educational settings.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is widely promoted as a pathway to inclusion, yet its growing appeal can invite oversimplification. This chapter offers a critical examination of the assumptions that animate UDL—particularly claims of universality, educator neutrality, and easy scalability. We trace UDL’s origins and core principles, then interrogate how “universal” solutions can privilege dominant cultural and cognitive norms, inadequately address intersectional inequities, and conflate design flexibility with equitable outcomes. Drawing on critical scholarship, we surface tensions between standardization and local context, the imagined “universal” learner and diverse lived realities, and proactive design and the limits of what design alone can accomplish. We review challenges to large-scale implementation—including theoretical ambiguity, uneven research evidence, resource constraints, faculty readiness, and the risks of over-automating inclusion with AI—and propose a shift from designing for to designing with learners through co-design, iterative feedback, and attention to power and positionality. Practical reflection prompts and indicators (quantitative and qualitative) are provided to evaluate equitable impact beyond checklist compliance. We argue for an equity-centered, relational, and context-sensitive UDL—used alongside complementary frameworks (e.g., culturally sustaining pedagogy, trauma-informed teaching)—that treats accessibility as an ongoing commitment rather than a technical fix.

As online education grows, ensuring accessibility for diverse and marginalized learners has become increasingly critical. This study investigated faculty perceptions of Anthology Ally, a tool designed to enhance the accessibility of online course materials by identifying and resolving accessibility issues. Using survey data from 78 educators at two- and four-year institutions, the research explores faculty knowledge, usage patterns, and attitudes toward Ally, alongside their perspectives on the responsibility for creating accessible online courses. Results reveal that most faculty view Ally as an effective, user-friendly tool that supports accessible content creation and improves student learning experiences. Faculty highlighted Ally’s ability to provide alternative formats, offering students flexibility and addressing diverse needs. However, challenges persist, including the time required to use the tool, usability limitations, and insufficient training. The study also identifies a lack of consensus on responsibility for accessibility, with faculty often viewed as the primary drivers supported by instructional designers and other institutional staff. Findings suggest the need for a collaborative, institution-wide approach to accessibility, emphasizing proactive course design, continuous training, and a cultural shift from compliance-driven practices to equity-focused strategies. These insights provide a foundation for developing effective policies and practices prioritizing inclusivity and equitable online learning access.

Undergraduate engineering students often struggle to identify as engineers due to a disconnect between their lived experiences and the world of engineering. Research suggests that storytelling, including listening to, writing, and reflecting on personal narratives, can help students shape their self-identification with their field. Storytelling can also reinforce beliefs about who can succeed in engineering, which may enhance retention and inclusion in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The results highlight the benefits of allowing engineering students to engage with personal storytelling as a means to connect their lived experiences with their professional aspirations. Through the personal stories they crafted, students were able to reflect on how their own stories of belonging, resilience, and overcoming hardships aligned-or sometimes did not align-with the dominant narrative of the engineering profession. The storytelling invention needs to be investigated in other courses and subjects as well as with a larger sample of students to better understand its efficacy.

Research has illustrated the role visual design plays in effective communication and instruction. However, more research has yet to investigate how online course designers (i.e., anyone who designs online courses) add visual appeal to online courses. This study explored the visual design process in online course develop ment. It examines how educators utilize the Thinking, Looking, Doing, and Critiquing (TLD+C) method in online course design, identifying common barriers in applying visual design principles. The research high lights a gap in formal visual design training among instructors and emphasizes the need for institutional support in enhancing visual design in online education. Through semi-structured interviews with experienced educators, the study revealed how design thinking, despite its complexity, is crucial in creating effective and engaging online courses.

Student experiences of closeness in teacher-student relationships can be of profound influence. Better understanding the personal and emotional contexts of such a phenomenon are of critical importance, especially in online and blended learning environments where students and teachers are physically or geographically separated. Such physical distance between teachers and students may diminish or heighten experiences of closeness in this relationship. However, less is known about student experiences of the relational quality of closeness with teachers in distance learning environments. This phenomenological study focused on exploring and reporting on such experiences of closeness. Semi-structured interviews with doctoral students, doctoral candidates, and recent graduates from a fully online graduate program were conducted. A phenomenological analysis was used to shed light on closeness in the postsecondary teacher-student relationships that unfold online. The analysis led to the thematization of four aspects or sets of aspects of closeness in the teacher-student relation: direct teacher-student communication, style or the communication of personality (teacher persona), indirect teacher-student communication, and student self-relation. Through descriptions and researcher commentary on selected accounts and extracts of students’ lived experiences, this study details how these four aspects intertwine and contribute to the relational quality of closeness in the teacher-student relation. Further, this study suggests that prolonged exposure to these aspects may provide greater opportunities for closeness to emerge in this relation, but such exposure is not required to experience closeness. Findings and avenues of future research are discussed.

As online learning in higher education expands, institutions are challenged to meet the needs of diverse students. COVID has further emphasized the need for inclusive online course design for all learners, especially those with disabilities. We interviewed instructional designers about their perceptions, knowledge, and responsibilities in accessible and inclusive online course design. Results indicated that instructional designers play a critical role in advocating and advancing initiatives related to designing accessible and inclusive online learning experiences. Participants described a desire for increased support and resources to help facilitate an institutional culture shift toward proactive course design strategies.

Despite continued research into the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, the best way to measure each presence of the framework, and in particular social presence, has not been effectively settled in prior research. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity of the social presence items in the CoI framework and its subscales, as well as to determine the strongest contributors to the social presence construct. An online survey of 413 students in online courses in the U.S. was administered to assess the validity and structural framework of the social presence construct. The findings from the current survey suggest that social presence is most strongly predicted by affective expression, and that all three subscales explain approximately 72% of the variance in social presence. The implications of this variance and future research items suggest that emotional expression is one of the more important factors for instructors to focus on in online courses to promote social presence.

Learner engagement in online courses is impacted by a wide variety of factors. The purpose of this study was to understand to what extent course community support and personal community support influence learner engagement. Students who had recently completed an online course in a small art and design school were surveyed on their level of engagement in the course, experience of the course community of inquiry, and their level of personal social support, with 74 students participating. The survey responses were used in a stepwise multiple regression analysis to create a model that explains to what extent course community and personal community explain variations in learner engagement. 74. 40% of variations in learner engagement could be explained on the basis of course community and personal community support. The results are significant in that they help course designers, instructors, and university support staff understand the interaction between course community, personal community, and learner engagement. That understanding could be used to design both online course content and intervention strategies to maximize learner engagement.

Since 2016, the Online Learning Journal (OLJ), the official journal of the OLC, has released a special issue to extend opportunities for SIG OTL members to contribute their expertise in online education research. The 16 papers selected for this issue represent innovative and diverse topics using various research methods. We have tried to group them into five themes: 1. Measurement and analysis; 2. Equity, Inclusion, Advocacy, Embodiment; 3. Modality; 4. Openness; and 5. Philosophy & Theory.

Increasingly researchers and practitioners have highlighted the importance of developing a sense of community in online courses and programs. However, many questions remain about the best ways to develop community in online courses. A recent literature review highlighted how influential Alfred P. Rovai’s research has been to researchers of connectedness and community in online higher education. However, some of this foundational research is over 20 years old. Given this, we conducted a review of Rovai’s research on community to take a deeper analysis of Rovai’s research and to identify themes across the studies, future areas of research, and implications for practice. In the following paper, we present the results of our inquiry.