This Cross-Departmental Insights piece brings together perspectives from two Everspring departments: Learning Design and Admissions.
Amalia Schwee is an Associate Director of Instructional Design and the Quality Assurance Principal in the Learning Design department at Everspring. She has a PhD in Learning Sciences from Northwestern University and lives in Chicago, Illinois.
Erica Reyes is an Admissions Outreach Advisor on the Student Engagement team at Everspring. She has more than seven years of experience teaching elementary students and earned her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Aurora University.
In developing online degree programs, institutions consider a wide range of factors and gather input from internal and external stakeholders. Admissions teams can offer particularly useful insights into understanding prospective students' needs and designing programs and courses that suit them. Admissions teams engage with numerous prospective students each year and hear firsthand what motivates students, what concerns them, and what questions they ask when choosing an online program. By listening closely to admissions teams, institutions can develop courses and programs that not only attract students but also serve them more effectively once enrolled. This piece will discuss five key insights based on conversations with admissions professionals that have significant course and program design implications.
Insight 1: Student motivations for considering an online program may vary widely.
Online learners come from diverse backgrounds (Venable, 2022) and bring a range of goals to their educational journey. Some may be career changers seeking new credentials, others may be lifelong learners exploring a personal interest, and others may be looking to gain a competitive edge in their current role by obtaining a formal certification or advanced degree. Admissions teams regularly field questions that reveal this spectrum of motivations, and the takeaway is clear: one-size-fits-all content and rigid pathways won’t meet the needs of today’s online learners.
Course-Level Implications
Designing with flexibility in mind is key. Providing opportunities for choice in discussion topics, readings, or project formats, for example, can empower students to connect course content with their personal motivations and foster engagement (Pinchot & Paullet, 2021). Ensuring students have options can also help prevent unintentional exclusion, which can occur when course content reflects an assumption that all students share a certain characteristic (e.g., years of work experience). Relatedly, instructors can offer supplemental resources that support different learning goals (e.g., career-focused articles as well as theoretical readings). Including reflective prompts that ask students to link what they’re learning to their own interests or goals can also make the course experience more relevant and meaningful.
Program-Level Implications
At the program level, offering a range of electives is one effective way to support this diversity. Electives allow students to tailor their academic experience within the broader framework of the degree. When program structures are inflexible, they may inadvertently exclude students with otherwise strong interests and alignment. Providing opportunities for choice allows a wider audience to see themselves succeeding in the program.
Insight 2: Students might be a great fit for the school but not for your specific program.
Admissions teams often meet prospective students who are enthusiastic about the university but don’t quite match the focus of a specific program. For instance, someone with a strong interest in organizational compliance might not be the best fit for a traditional MBA but could thrive in a legal studies program.
Program-Level Implications
Programs should be designed and marketed with clear pathways to redirect prospective students when appropriate. This starts with strong internal communication across departments. When admissions teams have resources available for multiple program options, such as program requirements, key talking points, student profile details, and applicable student career goals, and know how to identify a better fit, they can help applicants find their academic home. That means program leaders should establish protocols for sharing key programmatic information across departments, ensuring information remains up-to-date, and aligning program messaging to applicable student career goals. Institutions that support cross-program coordination can turn a “not quite right” applicant into a long-term student success story.
Insight 3: Time commitment is an important consideration for prospective online students.
Admissions teams often receive questions about the time commitment necessary for success in a program. Many prospective students must balance school with work, caregiving, or other responsibilities, and existing commitments such as these are often cited as the top reason students elect to pursue an online degree (Venable, 2022). Ultimately, many prospective students’ enrollment decisions may hinge on whether they believe completing the program is feasible within their current life structure.
Course-Level Implications
From a course design standpoint, this underscores the importance of clear, realistic expectations and minimizing unnecessary friction. Avoid assessment barriers, such as complicated group work structures (e.g., requiring students to switch groups throughout the term) or narrow availability windows for assignments (e.g., limiting quiz availability to one specific day). Whenever possible, provide advance notice for complex or time-intensive tasks like group projects, presentations, or multi-step assignments. These small considerations can dramatically increase a student’s ability to engage meaningfully without compromising academic rigor.
Program-Level Implications
At the program level, it is essential to take care in preparing the course sequence or schedule (e.g., how often each course in a program is offered, how many courses total are offered each term, and how many courses students are required to take each term). Often called a “program wheel” or “course carousel,” the sequence of course offerings for a program can have a significant impact on both students and faculty. If your program has both fieldwork requirements and a capstone project, for example, ensuring students can complete these requirements sequentially rather than simultaneously can ease the workload.
Additionally, institutions should establish and communicate clear standards around time commitment. These expectations should guide faculty workload decisions and course pacing to ensure consistency. For example, it can be highly beneficial for students and faculty alike to have consistent due date patterns established and implemented within and across courses (e.g., having all major assignments due on the last day of the corresponding module). Similarly, standardizing or aligning grading rubrics can clarify programmatic expectations and streamline assessment design. A standard discussion rubric, for example, could be implemented across all courses within a program, and within customized, course-specific rubrics, point allocations for different ratings could be aligned.
Insight 4: International students often express interest in and excitement about the prospect of getting a degree from a U.S. institution.
Admissions teams frequently hear from prospective international students who are drawn by the quality and global recognition of a U.S. degree. While online formats make this opportunity more accessible than ever, course and program design must thoughtfully consider international audiences.
Course-Level Implications
Courses should be crafted with cultural and geographic diversity in mind. Avoid examples, references, or humor that assume a U.S.-centric audience, as such inclusions can negatively impact engagement and performance in the course. This is particularly important for higher-stakes assignments and tasks, such as exams, as students may be unable to seek the resources or support needed to build their understanding. Include case studies or readings that span multiple global contexts, and consider providing glossaries or clarifications for region-specific terms (Dennen et al., 2024). Such practices can benefit both U.S.-based and international students alike, as they can create opportunities for U.S.-based students to develop a broader perspective on and challenge their assumptions about course topics.
At the same time, many international students are eager to learn more about the university’s home region. Including materials or activities that introduce the institution’s local culture—like virtual campus tours, interviews with faculty, or local case studies—can enhance connection and engagement. Such content can be integrated into many different types of courses, but can be especially applicable in program orientations.
Program-Level Implications
At the program level, intentional internationalization can be a powerful draw. In terms of admissions processes and content, ensure that any resources needed to support international students interested in applying to your program are readily available on your program website. (If your institution has an office dedicated to international student services, it may be able to provide guidance on what would be most useful.) Additionally, highlight the global relevance of the curriculum in marketing materials, and provide structured opportunities for international students to connect with peers, alumni, and faculty. It can also be valuable to integrate optional modules or sessions focused on navigating U.S. academic culture and expectations into existing orientation content. Doing so can help students feel more confident and welcomed from the outset (Dennen et al., 2024).
Insight 5: Deeper course and programmatic knowledge can help admissions teams better engage with prospective students.
Prospective students are often highly curious about what they will be doing in a course (e.g., what kinds of assignments they’ll complete and whether there are group projects). These are the kinds of questions that make or break enrollment decisions, but admissions teams may not always be equipped with the detailed, up-to-date information needed to answer them thoroughly.
Program-Level Implications
Programs should prioritize transparent, ongoing communication with admissions teams. This includes providing clear course overviews, distributing a cheat sheet that highlights key course requirements, updating materials when changes occur, and making sure that admissions team members are informed when new features—like capstone projects, community partnerships, or additional electives—are introduced. When admissions teams can speak knowledgeably about the student experience, they build trust and credibility. They can help prospective students imagine themselves succeeding in the program.
Conclusion
Admissions teams do more than evaluate applicants; they interpret student intent, needs, and expectations. The insights they gather through countless conversations with prospective students offer a rich source of guidance for instructional designers and program leaders seeking to build online offerings that truly meet learners where they are. By listening carefully to these insights and translating them into action at both the course and program level, institutions can create learning environments that are more flexible, accessible, and compelling. In doing so, they can attract more students and set them up to thrive.
References
Dennen, V. P., Choi, H., He, D., & Arslan, Ö. (2024). Course design, belonging, and learner engagement: Meeting the needs of diverse international students in online courses. TechTrends, 68, 922–935.
Pinchot, J., & Paullet, K. (2021). Using student choice in assignments to create a learner-centered environment for online courses. Information Systems Education Journal, 19(2), 15–24.
Venable, M. A. (2022). Trends in online student demographics. BestColleges.