often be taken for granted during the implementation of online courses (Coomey and Stephenson, 2001). As alluded to earlier in this review, online students require personalized, timely feedback on assessments (Li and Beverly, 2008; Lee, 2010), equivalent community-like interactions with peers via social networking platforms such as Facebook and Twitter (Roblyer et al., 2010; Akcaoglu and Bowman, 2016; Tang and Hew, 2017), and ideally 24-h academic and technical support services (Lorenzo and Moore, 2002) in order to succeed in online learning. In particular, research has identified that adequate quality and quantity of interaction between a student and their instructor is associated with increased student course satisfaction (Lee, 2010; Ralston-Berg et al., 2015). Therefore, it is necessary for institutions to prioritize offering effective means for communication within the online learning environment, not bound by physical or geographical segregation. For example, one study has suggested that the use of asynchronous activities, such as introducing yourself via video posts and conducting online discussion forums, may be useful in combatting the issues of isolation and lack of a “sense of community” commonly found among online students (Trespalacios and Rand, 2015). Given the shorter timeframe required for students to meet course deadlines via intensive modes, it becomes critical that students feel continuously supported, and that this support is fostered by the infrastructure of their online learning environment. Further research has also suggested that there are benefits to including students and instructors’ input into the development and implementation of online courses, which can assist in keeping students engaged and thus achieve success (Roby et al., 2013). Each of these pillars, particularly when equally prioritized in fully online course delivery, ultimately best equip students to succeed in their course from orientation through to graduation. Summary: Applications to Intensive Online Learning Environments In reflecting on the discussion points raised in the current review, it is apparent that online environments and intensive online environments are likely to share many “ingredients” in common. Both contexts share similar modes of communication, structures, learning materials and methods, assessment principles, and skills requirements of both instructors and students. Nevertheless, the compressed timeframes involved in intensive online learning mean that the reliance on effective communication, technology, learning, and feedback strategies increases, and the corresponding demands on teacher and learner competencies are higher. Instructor presence remains a critical factor in all modes of online study, and particularly so in intensive online environments, where instructors need to work to establish and maintain student engagement. Pedagogical approaches need to account for learner competencies, characteristics, and preferred learning approaches. This is especially important given the emerging demographic differences between online and on-campus cohorts. Intensive online learning environments should take account of potential barriers that can lead to increased attrition, such as perceived isolation, competing work/family commitments, poor motivation, lack of engagement with content, and technical challenges. There are particular time pressures evident in an intensive online course when needing to identify and rectify such barriers, and regular monitoring of student progress can help to quickly identify and address potential concerns. Providing comprehensive orientation services is key to ensure students are adequately informed and linked to ongoing support services. Communication plays a pivotal role in enhancing the online learning experience through peer-to-peer and 25
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