Capella University
Harold Abel Distinguished Faculty Member (award recognition role), Capella University
Online learning expert and author whose work focused on persistence, learner support, and quality design in distance education. She held leadership and faculty roles at Capella University (including Chair of the Psychology program and Director of Curriculum), helped lead online initiatives in the private sector as Chief Academic Officer for Online Services at Corinthian Colleges, Inc., and previously managed academic technology support in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota. Stavredes authored Effective Online Teaching (2011) and co‑authored A Guide to Online Course Design (2013/2014), widely used resources that connect learning theory and instructional strategies to practical online teaching. She passed away on January 3, 2024.
A holistic, systems‑oriented framework for improving retention and completion in online programs by integrating proactive advising, early alerts, instructional scaffolding, community building, and data-informed supports across academic and student services.
InSight: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching • Journal
Discusses how transactional distance and the lack of visual cues online can undermine motivation and persistence. Proposes course designs and teaching practices that increase dialogue and flexibility and intentionally build social, cognitive, and teaching presence to reduce isolation, support critical thinking, and improve learner persistence.
Computers in Human Behavior • Journal
Introduces a system‑dynamics‑based evaluation model to analyze and improve instructional technology support in higher education. The paper outlines key feedback loops, variables, and data needed to understand how resources, structures, and services interact over time, and shows how the approach can inform planning and continuous improvement of IT support for teaching and learning.
INTED2017: 11th International Technology, Education and Development Conference • Conference
Presents a holistic, institution‑level student success ecosystem for online programs that integrates proactive advising, early alerts, instructional scaffolding, community‑building, and data‑informed interventions. The paper articulates design principles and operational components intended to increase retention and degree completion for online learners.
Jossey-Bass (Wiley) • Book
Presents a practical, workflow‑oriented model for building quality online courses that emphasizes alignment to transparent learning outcomes, quality standards, and the removal of barriers to persistence. Provides research‑based strategies for motivating and supporting online learners, guidance for assessments and sequencing, and step‑by‑step actions from analysis through implementation and continuous improvement.
The Handbook of Distance Education (Taylor & Francis/Routledge) • Chapter
Reviews persistence models relevant to online learners, identifies academic, environmental, and psychological factors that influence dropout, and outlines instructional strategies—such as scaffolding and building a Community of Inquiry—to support learners’ success from entry through completion in distance programs.
Jossey-Bass (Wiley) • Book
Synthesizes learning theory and cognition research for online contexts and translates them into practical strategies for instructors. Topics include motivation, scaffolding (procedural, metacognitive, conceptual, and strategic), social/cognitive/teaching presence, interaction and collaboration, assessment, time and information management, and legal/ethical issues. Designed for self-directed professional learning or formal training programs supporting effective, learner‑centered online teaching.
ACM Special Interest Group on Information Technology Education (SIGITE) 2006 • Conference
Describes the design of an entry‑level experience for an online BSIT program that foregrounds written/oral communication and collaborative teamwork while introducing learners to IT subfields. The paper details course structure and activities that help novices develop foundational professional skills alongside early IT exploration.