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Graduate online learners have specific needs and challenges highlighted in the research on graduate online education. This systematic review examined 271 studies on broader research themes on graduate online education. Publication trends by year and journal outlets were analyzed. Descriptive statistics were tabulated for research context, participants, discipline, methods, and research themes. Among the studies published on graduate online education in this review, 59% were published in the United States, with 32% studied at the master's level and 59% in the education discipline. About 39% of the studies used quantitative methods, while 37% used qualitative methods. Online engagement was the most studied research theme (24%), followed by learner characteristics (13.7%) in graduate online education. Very few studies (5.2%) focused on the organizational level. Implications for online graduate learners, instructors, program directors, administrators, and future research recommendations are provided.
Keywords; graduate online education, graduate education, online learning, online teaching
INTRODUCTION
Students in higher education enroll in online learning for several reasons. The main reasons graduate students prefer online education are that they work full time, effectively manage their time, and have accessibility and flexibility (Ilgaz & Gulbahar, 2017). Although many of the reasons identified for undergraduate and graduate students were the same, Ilgaz and Gulbahar (2017) noted that lifelong learning was a theme associated only with graduate students. In addition, being married, having a family, and living away from the university but still being able to participate were reasons for graduate students' preference for online learning. Graduate online learners might thus have different needs and reasons for participating in graduate online education. The design, facilitation, and assessment of online educational experiences and support structures for graduate online learners who are working professionals differ from online education for traditional learners and have been highlighted in prior research on graduate online education (Pollard & Kumar, 2021).
SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS ON GRADUATE ONLINE EDUCATION
Although many reviews have been published on various aspects of online education and online learning (Martin et al., 2020; Kew & Tasir, 2021; Wong et al., 2019), few reviews have been published that are specific to graduate online education. Gazza and Hunker (2014) reviewed 23 articles to identify the strategies to support the retention of graduate nursing students. The retention strategies identified included social presence,...