I have taken some online classes in getting an MA in Anthropology, and taught an online Anthropology myself.  I also participated in an all online program at Cal State East Bay to get an MS in Recreation and Tourism.  I found that it was very important for the professor to be present and respond quickly to student questions and concerns.  In one case a professor, who was subsequently dismissed from the school, didn't do that and he got scathing reviews from the students.

Hello Robert,

   This topic has the potential to make a difference in so many students lives. Online courses provide a learning platform for students, who for a myriad of reasons, prefer the online experience in contrast to the in-classroom experience. I am an adult student who lived a rather non-academic lifestyle prior to enrollment at Kaplan. Meeting people face to face and subjecting my learning to the anxieties of in-classroom education no longer sounds as exciting as it did in high school. Now, my preference is to work hard and privately to complete my degree. That being said the encouragement from certain professors have made my learning experience so much more enriching. The positive reinforcement and devotion from these professors has resonated in my learning. I love hearing their comments, positive and constructive, it motivates me and keeps me involved. So, yes, absolutely, I believe positive reinforcement improves the learning performance for online students. I am proud to say I have all A’s thus far (after 11 courses) and one A-, and am excited to progress and continue my education online. Best of luck with your research.

Respectfully,

Meg Pugh

PS. feel free to email me [email protected]

To clarify, are you going to have a system in place to reinforce the professors for specific behaviors, and then measuring student outcomes?

Are you familiar with applied behavior analysis literature? If not, check out the OBM literature. It seems to be a good theoretical fit for your project.

If you are not familiar with applied behavior analysis literature, check out the The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.