Jacqueline S. Stephen is an accomplished instructional designer and educator with over 20 years of national and international experience in higher education. She holds an Ed.D. in Instruction and Curricular Leadership with a concentration in instructional design and technology from The University of Memphis, as well as an M.S. in Instructional Technology and a B.S. in Elementary Education from Bloomsburg University. Currently, she serves as an Assistant Professor, Director of the Office of Distance Learning, and Instructional Designer at the College of Professional Advancement at Mercer University in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Her research primarily focuses on factors influencing the persistence of undergraduate online students, with an emphasis on self-regulated learning, self-directed learning, online learning self-efficacy, and high-impact practices for online teaching. She has authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, exploring topics such as online learner persistence at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, instructional design, effective practices for online educators, and virtual peer mentoring for racial and ethnic minority women in STEM. Notably, her work on virtual peer mentoring received the American Educational Research Association’s 2021 Distinguished Research Paper Award on Mentorship and Mentoring Practices. Her research interests also extend to diversity, equity, inclusion, and career readiness through curriculum and course design. She is an invited speaker at national and international conferences, delivering keynote addresses and serving as a reviewer for international peer-reviewed journals and conferences. She is also the past president of the Association Supporting Computer Users in Education (ASCUE). In 2023, she was awarded a Fulbright U.S. Scholar award to teach at a university in Azerbaijan and a Fulbright Specialist award to carry out a project at the Office of Ombudsman for Human Rights and Justice in Timor-Leste. Her co-edited volume, Global Perspectives on Higher Education: From Crisis to Opportunity (2023), features contributions from 33 international researchers, practitioners, and experts from 20 countries. Her book, Academic Success in Online Programs: A Resource for College Students (2024), comprises 14 chapters that address a broad range of factors influencing student persistence and success in online programs and courses. Read more about this authorRead less about this author