Institutional and programmatic determinants for graduate public affairs’ online education: Assessing the influence of faculty workload

Abstract

The research explores why some public affairs graduate programs choose to develop fully online degree offerings while others do not. The study attempts to address questions surrounding how different institutions and programs are pursuing degree offerings and the potential influence of faculty workload. The research utilizes a quantitative, cross-sectional design analyzing results from a survey on institutional and programmatic practices in workload, hiring, and degree offerings administered to primary points of contact within public affairs academic units from all institutions found in the US News World Report Graduate Programs in Public Affairs Rankings from 2019. Survey data is paired with program information from the accrediting body institutional member database. Findings indicate differences from both institutional and programmatic groupings do demonstrate workload measures have unique characteristics depending upon the type of institution and rank of the program. Further analysis discusses the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on future public affairs programming.

Enhancing sense of belonging and satisfaction among online students in multi-track public affairs programs: A case analysis of immersion courses

“…As of 2020, 60 programs providing data to NASPAA (22% of total) are reported offering “primarily online” or “completely online” instruction (as reported in Blair et al, 2021). Perhaps the most significant evidence of the rise of online education in public affairs is that many of the highest rated (according to U.S. News and World Report ) graduate programs in public affairs offer fully online degrees (in addition to residential programs).…”

“…Perhaps the most significant evidence of the rise of online education in public affairs is that many of the highest rated (according to U.S. News and World Report ) graduate programs in public affairs offer fully online degrees (in addition to residential programs). Blair, Slagle, and Williams’ (2021) analysis of fully online master’s programs finds that 19% of the U.S. News Top 50 programs offer fully online degrees. It is remarkable to consider that the number of primarily or fully online (NASPAA-affiliated) degree programs has grown from 23 to 60 over the course of a decade, and that the growth is relatively evenly distributed across institutional ranking groups (Blair et al, 2021: p. 8).…”

“…Blair, Slagle, and Williams’ (2021) analysis of fully online master’s programs finds that 19% of the U.S. News Top 50 programs offer fully online degrees. It is remarkable to consider that the number of primarily or fully online (NASPAA-affiliated) degree programs has grown from 23 to 60 over the course of a decade, and that the growth is relatively evenly distributed across institutional ranking groups (Blair et al, 2021: p. 8).…”

“…More recent research examines the role of online graduate education in public affairs specifically (e.g., Blair et al, 2021; Ni et al, 2021). Anna Ni et al (2021) explored online MPA students’ perceptions of quality in online education through a systematic literature review and survey of 160 MPA students.…”

Gains and losses in online learning of public and business administration students during COVID 19 pandemic: the educators’ perspective

“…It is especially valuable to explore the perspectives on online learning offered to the students of business and public administration. Blair et al (2021) established a significantly higher offering of fully online graduate programs for public administration/public affairs majors compared to US national average (according to NASPAA program data), in particular among private/for profit institutions.…”