Driving Innovation with For-Profit Adult Higher Education Online Institutions

The emergence of remote and for-profit universities has provided increased opportunities for adult learners to obtain higher education degrees in a technologically-dependent teaching-learning environment. During the pandemic, for-profit online learning institutions experienced increases in enrollment while face-to-face institutions experienced a decrease. Higher education accreditation bodies have legitimized distance learning virtual universities as sites for adult learners, especially part-time adult learners, and made distance education an accepted way to receive a higher education degree.

Driving Innovation With For-Profit Adult Higher Education Online Institutions focuses on teaching and learning in distance learning remote universities. This book explores, describes, and questions the role of these institution in the higher education landscape. This publication examines the ideas, programs, student services, and curriculum innovations that created the space for the for-profit distance education university to become a competitive force in the higher education marketplace. Covering topics such as driving achievement, internships, and part-time faculty, this book is an essential resource for university leaders, administrators, faculty, student services leadership and staff, higher education historians and researchers, accreditors and regulators, and academicians.

About the Author

David Stein, Ph.D., is an associate professor of adult and distance education at The Ohio State University College of Education and Human Ecology Department of Educational Studies, Section on Workforce Development and Education. In his current position, Dr. Stein, directs the minor in Virtual Teaching and develops online courses with a focus on the virtual classroom and adult learning. His main area of interest investigates how distance learning technologies can enhance and improve the design and delivery of online learning experiences. Dr. Stein’s research has focused primarily on how online learning opportunities can be distributed to learners using technology to promote excellence in higher-order thinking. His work also focuses on the professional development of faculty to become online instructors. Dr. Stein has been recognized and regarded throughout the higher education community as a lead developer of institutional online and distance learning. In 2017 Dr. Stein received the Innovative Project Award in Distance Education from the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education, Commission on Distance Learning and Teaching. In 2014 Prof Stein received the finalist award for his work on “boot camp for the new online instructor” from the National University Technology Network. In 2013, The American Association for Adult and Continuing Education presented Prof. Stein with the Imogene Oakes Award for Outstanding Research in Adult Education. The National University Technology Network also recognized his research in 20i1 with an award for Best Research Paper. The leading association for distance education has recognized his research on distance learning, the Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning, University of Wisconsin-Madison, receiving the 2012 Shauna Schullo Award for Best Distance Teaching Practices. Dr. Stein also received a highly regarded Impact Award from the Office of Distance Education and E-Learning to develop a campus-wide program to prepare graduate teaching assistants and staff as online instructors using a MOOC-like format. As an advocate for quality in online learning in higher education, Professor Stein serves as Certified Master Reviewer for The Ohio State University and promotes the use of the Quality Matters Rubric. His new book “Jump-Start Your Online Classroom: Mastering Five Challenges in Five Days was published in 2017.

Hilda Glazer, EdD, has had a variety of academic experiences. Leaving the University of Texas as an Associate Professor, she taught at a number of virtual and face-to-face institutions before taking a full-time position at Walden University. She was Director of Continuing Education, Program Director and then Dean of Psychology at Walden. After joining Capella in 2004, she moved from parttime to fulltime faculty in Educational Psychology and then Chair. Dr. Glazer developed and administered the Capella Center for the Study of Play Therapy and the Play therapy certificate program until she retired in 2021. She also developed the training program for learners providing faculty support which included three seminars. Dr. Glazer also had a masters in clinical counseling and has a active private practice.