Online learning in higher education is rapidly increasing in popularity, with millions of students worldwide enrolling in online courses each year (Broadbent & Poon, 2015; Jaggars & Xu, 2016; Kebritchi, Lipschuetz, & Santiague, 2017). This is not surprising when considering the advantages of online courses regarding flexibility, accessibility, efficiency, consistency, and the breadth of rich digital technologies and multimedia resources available to deliver course content (Guàrdia, Crisp, & Alsina, 2017; Timmis, Broadfoot, Sutherland, & Oldfield, 2016). However, despite growing uptake, the more independent and autonomous online delivery environment and the requirement for effective self-directed learning have meant that dropout rates are often higher and achievement lower in online courses when compared to their traditional face-to-face counterparts (Broadbent & Poon, 2015; Kebritchi et al., 2017). Additionally, university educators have expressed concern over the quality of courses and programmes delivered entirely online (Wingo, Ivankova, & Moss, 2017). In one study, 70% of university educators endorsed the belief that an online degree was less prestigious than a traditional face-to-face degree (Stewart, Bachman, & Johnson, 2010). Nevertheless, with increased and faster Internet access, growing industry competition, and the fast-paced digitally oriented lives of the typical twenty-first century student, online course delivery in higher education will only continue to expand (Kebritchi et al., 2017; Timmis et al., 2016). When coupled with the pressures in higher education institutions to improve student learning and demonstrate programme flexibility and effectiveness, it is becoming increasingly important to maximise student experiences in the online environment (O’Flaherty & Phillips, 2015).