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Online courses are often criticized for having lower retention rates than traditional courses, especially introductory courses. This study aimed to determine whether there was a relationship between online and traditional instructor personality traits and course completion rate for introductory course instructors at a higher education institution in the Western United States. Instructor personality traits, as measured by the NEO Five-Factor Inventory-3 (NEO-FFI-3), were correlated with student course completion rate. Independent t tests were used to determine whether the relationship differed as a function of modality. There were no statistically significant relationships found between online and traditional instructor personality traits and course completion rate, but there were statistically significant differences between modalities for extroversion, agreeableness, and course completion rate. The results imply the traditional modality better supports individuals with these traits and allows for greater expression of the traits. The findings provide a greater understanding of the diversity among teachers in different modalities.

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A collaborative effort between members of an instructional design team is the focus of this co-authored professional profile. The purpose of the collaboration was to design a unique and pedagogically sound online general psychology course, with the focus of promoting student engagement and retention. The instructional team prepared for the collaboration by attending professional development and coordinating schedules. Weekly brainstorming sessions were used to develop a course to meet the needs of diverse learners. The course was submitted to Blackboard Inc.'s Exemplary Course Program (ECP), and in March of 2018, the team received news of their exemplary award status. This profile highlights the preparation required and the methods used to collaborate to design an award-winning course.