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

Citation

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

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.

Authors

• Earnshaw, Yvonne

Reference Type

Journal

Keywords

• Higher education