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A study was conducted to examine instructional characteristics of quality in online courses and their relationship to student outcomes in online courses at a National Research Center for Distance Education and Technological Advancements 2-year and a 4-year higher educational institution. Instructional characteristics included learner support, course design and organization, content design and delivery, interactivity (student-instructor and student-student), and assessment. A student survey instrument was created that captures student perceptions of the instructional characteristics of their courses, their learning, and their satisfaction with the courses. The data collected from the student survey was merged with data from institutional student information systems (e.g., demographics and course grade). This article examines the relationship between these instructional characteristics, sometimes referred to as indicators of online course quality, and their relationship to student outcomes for all students and for underrepresented students. Additional analyses were conducted to examine differences among underrepresented students (e.g., minorities, first-generation, low-income, students with impairments or disabilities) using MANOVA. Significant findings are reported.

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This issue of OLJ includes four articles from a submission process resulting from invitations to participants in research supported by the National Research Center for Distance Education and Technological Advancements (DETA). These projects were funded under Grant #84.116Q, P116Q140006, from the U.S. Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education. The objective of the DETA Research Center is to promote student access and success through evidence-based online learning practices and learning technologies. Specifically, DETA identifies and evaluates instructional and institutional practices, with particular attention to underrepresented individuals (i.e., Pell Grant eligible, first-generation college, minorities, and students with disabilities), through rigorous research.These articles discuss a broad range of interests relating to distance education, including blended and online learning, and competency-based education. These studies address academic and social interactions, instructional characteristics or design elements of courses (including student-created content), and their relationships to student success. They also evaluate the efficacy of competency-based education.

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