Thus, understanding how best to gauge student readiness or preparedness for online study is a critical institutional responsibility. A range of recent studies have sought to characterize the main factors underlying readiness for online study (Vonderwell, 2004; Watkins et al., 2004; Pillay et al., 2007; Mercado, 2008; Dray et al., 2011; Farid, 2014; Wladis et al., 2016). Collectively, these studies emphasize the importance of technical skills, effective time management, individual differences (especially self-directed or self-regulated learning), financial means, and online self-efficacy as elements of readiness. A range of measures have also been developed and validated to assess student readiness for online learning (Kerr et al., 2006; Mercado, 2008; Hung et al., 2010; Dray et al., 2011), but there is scope in future research to consider the notion of student readiness more directly, as it relates to readiness for intensive online learning. In this mode, one could argue that there is an increased responsibility for faculty to screen students on commencement, to pre-empt and remedy potential barriers to a successful online study experience. Further, a more holistic approach to defining student readiness that encompasses key psychological, technological, situation, and learning-related contributors to readiness for intensive online study is recommended. Intensive online courses are likely to involve many of the same benefits and challenges for students as non-intensive courses. However, it is of note that the faster pace of the learning environment inherent in intensive courses means that both students and instructors have less time to address any key concerns, provide remedial support, or rectify any unintended technical or learning delays. Thus, the process of monitoring student progress and potential barriers is paramount in intensive online learning environments. Online Environment: Student Support and Well-Being Services Consideration of student support services becomes paramount in intensive online environments, where disruptions to technology or lack of support services can pose a significant barrier to student engagement in learning. Students completing courses wholly online are often limited in their access to the entire variety of support services a university offers, compared to their on-campus counterparts (Lee, 2010). The “four pillars” of supporting student success (see Figure 3 below) are often the intangibles that educators might take for granted when providing fully online courses. These pillars include online-friendly academic supports (Coonin et al., 2011; Huwiler, 2015), assistance with navigating technology (Lee, 2010), health and well-being facilities (Anderson, 2008), and a sense of belongingness, or community (Kumar and Heathcock, 2014). 21
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