Doing it all: Exploring roles and responsibilities of and support for online program coordinators

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v30iS1.5454

Keywords:

Program coordinator, program director, online programs, higher education, faculty roles and responsibilities

Abstract

Academic program coordinators are one of the more common administrative positions in higher education in the United States. However, there are very few studies on program coordinators, particularly those who oversee online programs. This is a critical position at institutions that has not been formalized and is under-researched. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to explore the roles and responsibilities of online program coordinators and the support they receive and need. Sixteen online program coordinators were interviewed from across institutions of higher education in the United States. The findings suggest that the roles and responsibilities of online program coordinators are not consistent. They included duties such as enrollment management, curriculum and program infrastructure, faculty support, student support, personnel-related tasks, and “other duties as assigned.” Types of support also vary such as emotional support, workload support from others, and receiving incentives for the work. Sometimes these types of support are not effective. Online program coordinators want to have recognition from administration for the workload involved in the role, compensation for the work, additional resources, and more training and mentoring. Implications for practice and research are also discussed.

Author Biography

Yvonne Earnshaw, Kennesaw State University

I am an Assistant Professor of Instructional Design and Technology in the School of Instructional Technology and Innovation, which is situated within the Bagwell College of Education at Kennesaw State University.

I have over 20 years of professional experience in technical writing, instructional design, and usability consulting and have worked for several major global corporations. My practitioner experience helps guide my research agenda that focuses on: learning experience design, online teaching and learning practices in higher education, and workplace preparation of instructional designers. My practitioner experience also helps in the classroom by bringing in practical stories of various projects in different contexts. I also value the importance of our students having industry internships and the competencies they need to acquire to be successful in their instructional design careers.

I have been an active member in the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) since 2010. In 2016, I received an AECT Cochran Leadership Intern Award and an Early Career award in 2019. I am currently serving as the President of the AECT Design and Development division. Additionally, I am also currently serving as the Program Chair for the AERA Design & Technology SIG and Secretary/Treasurer for the AERA Technology, Instruction, Cognition, and Learning SIG.

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Published

2026-09-15

How to Cite

Earnshaw, Y. (2026). Doing it all: Exploring roles and responsibilities of and support for online program coordinators. Online Learning, 30(S1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v30iS1.5454

Issue

Vol. 30 No. S1 (2026): Online Learning

Section

Special Conference Issues

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Copyright (c) 2026 Yvonne Earnshaw

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