Systems Thinking for Online Education

Abstract

The number of online education programs has significantly increased in the last decade. In addition, a myriad of mobile devices, advancing instructional software applications, and digital curricula have made it difficult for educational organizations to conceptualize and operationalize their virtual learning program. This exploratory qualitative case study aimed to explore the systems thinking approach among online educators in a public setting. Two categories of educators from the district and school level with online education responsibilities in the last two years participated in semi-structured focus groups to conduct the research. Following the data analysis and deductive coding, the researcher affirmed the systems thinking of online education leaders includes holistic leadership, considering the perspectives of others, actions to influence stakeholders indirectly, and the evaluation of significant occurrences. Future research recommendations include investigating the degree and impact online educators engage in systems thinking and examining online education demographic variables such as gender, age, socioeconomic status, education, and job responsibilities.