scholarly journals BRIDGES AND BARRIERS TO TEACHING ONLINE COLLEGE COURSES: A STUDY OF EXPERIENCED ONLINE FACULTY IN THIRTY- SIX COLLEGES

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Shea
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Education Student ◽  
Online Faculty ◽  
Teaching Online ◽  
Barriers To Teaching

This paper reports on initial findings from a research study of factors that enable and constrain faculty participation in online teaching and learning environments. It is noted that demand for higher education continues to grow in the United States. It is argued that the nature of the higher education student population will likely continue to transform towards a non-traditional profile. These two trends drive an increased demand for alternative routes to a college degree and have fueled dramatic growth in online learning recently. The study identifies faculty acceptance of online teaching as a critical component for future growth to meet this demand and ensure quality. Through analysis of data from 386 faculty teaching online in 36 colleges in a large state university system, the most significant factors that support and undermine motivation to teach online are identified. The top motivator is a more flexible work schedule. The top demotivator is inadequate compensation for perceived greater work than for traditionally delivered courses, especially for online course development, revision, and teaching. However, respondents in this study chose to teach online for a wide variety of reasons many of which were associated with demographic and contextual differences. These distinctions are reviewed in light of their implications for future quality of online education. Additionally, through factor analysis, underlyingconstructs for online faculty motivations are identified. Finally, recommendations are made for policy, practice, faculty development and future research.

Historical Review of Distance and Online Education from 1700s to 2021 in the United States: Instructional Design and Pivotal Pedagogy in Higher Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen Betts ◽  
Brian Delaney ◽  
Tamara Galoyan ◽  
William Lynch
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
United States ◽  
Instructional Design ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Historical Review ◽  
The United States ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Education Leaders ◽  
Higher Education Leaders

In March 2020, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted education worldwide. In the United States, the pandemic forced colleges and universities across the nation to adopt quickly emergency remote teaching and learning. The ability to pivot instruction seamlessly and effectively across learning formats (e.g., face-to-face, hybrid, online) while supporting student engagement, learning, and completion in an authentic and high-quality manner challenged higher education leaders. This historical review of the literature examines distance and online education from the 1700s to 2021 to identify how external and internal pressures and opportunities have impacted and influenced the evolution of educational formats pre-COVID-19, and how they will continue to evolve post pandemic. This historical review also explores how instructional design and pedagogy have been and continue to be influenced by technological advancements, emerging research from the Learning Sciences and Mind (psychology), Brain (neuroscience), and Education (pedagogy) science.

scholarly journals Navigating Distance and Traditional Higher Education: Online faculty experiences

2005 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice G. Yick ◽  
Pam Patrick ◽  
Amanda Costin
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Education ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Academic Culture ◽  
Policy Decision ◽  
Discussion Board ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Online Faculty ◽  
Faculty Experiences

<P>The academic culture of higher educational institutions is characterized by specific pedagogical philosophies, assumptions about rewards and incentives, and values about how teaching is delivered. In many academic settings, however, the field of distance education has been viewed as holding marginal status. Consequently, the goal of this qualitative study was to explore faculty members&rsquo; experiences in a distance education, online university while simultaneously navigating within a traditional environment of higher education. A total of 28 faculty members participated in a threaded, asynchronous discussion board that resembled a focus group. Participants discussed perceptions about online teaching, working in an institution without a traditional tenure system, and the role of research in distance education. Findings indicated that online teaching is still regarded as less credible; however, participants also noted how this perception is gradually changing. Several benchmarks of legitimacy were identified for online universities to adopt in order to be viewed as credible. The issue of tenure still remains highly debated, although some faculty felt that tenure will be less crucial in the future. Finally, recommendations regarding attitudinal shifts within academic circles are described with particular attention to professional practice, program development, and policy decision-making in academia.</P> <P><B>Key words:</B> distance education, online education, online faculty experiences, academia, tenure</P>

scholarly journals Striving to Align with the CAS Standards: Graduate Preparatory Programs in Higher Education & Student Affairs

10.28945/4472 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 001-016
Author(s):  
Daniel W Calhoun ◽  
Steven Tolman ◽  
Kaylee M. King
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Affairs ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Curriculum Alignment ◽  
Education Student ◽  
Content Areas ◽  
Credit Hours ◽  
Cas Standards ◽  
Preparatory Programs

Aim/Purpose: This study examined Higher Education/Student Affairs (HE/SA) programs’ curriculum alignment with the CAS Standards. Background: HE/SA programs have a limited number of credit hours (27-65) and must structure their curriculum within the confines. The CAS Standards guides HE/SA programs and recommends this curriculum include a focus on six content areas. Methodology: A quantitative study that examined the curriculum of the HE/SA programs in the United States (n = 230) and their offering of exclusive courses aligning with the six content areas recommended by the CAS Standards. Contribution: This study is the first to broadly examine the curriculum of the collective HE/SA programs in the United States. It can serve as a catalyst to encourage further research and scholarly discussion around the curriculum of HE/SA programs and the professional preparation of higher education administrators. Findings: Key findings included that of the six content areas, History and Counseling were the areas least likely to be offered in HE/SA programs (48% and 41%, respectively) compared to 82% and above for the other four areas. Evidence suggests that program offerings of 36-39 credit hours may be the “sweet spot” in balancing credit hours with their ability to meet CAS Standards. Recommendations for Practitioners: There is a need for HE/SA faculty and practitioners to communicate where HE/SA programs fell short meeting the CAS Standards so that practitioners can continue in the professional development of these young practitioners. This “handoff” between faculty and practitioners will further strengthen the field of student affairs. Recommendation for Researchers: The findings of this study illuminate the important future research question as to whether there is a difference in the academic preparedness (perceived and/or actual) of graduates who attend programs that are more closely aligned with the CAS Standards? Impact on Society: Recognizing the importance that student affairs professionals have on student development (in-and-out of the classroom), this study challenges educators and practitioners to ensure they are adequately developing the next generation of college administrative leaders. Future Research: Examination of the curriculum alignment in the future once the CAS Standards for Graduate Preparatory Programs are revised

scholarly journals The H.E.R.O.s of Online Education: What makes students succeed despite the odds?

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charmaine Bissessar ◽  
Debra Black ◽  
Mehraz Boolaky
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Organizational Behavior ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Psychological Capital ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Online Instructors

The study of psychological capital (PsyCap) is prevalent in organizations globally and is part of the movement towards attaining positive organizational behavior. This concept is slowly being transferred to the education realm with teachers becoming more mindful of students’ inner H. E. R. O. (Hope, Efficacy, Resilience, and Optimism). Little research, however, has been conducted upon the PsyCap of university students in fully online programs. The purpose of this study was to determine what aspects of students’ psychological capital lead to success despite adversity. An exploratory qualitative methodology was used to interview five participants from the United States, Canada, Africa, France, and Serbia in order to determine whether or not PsyCap influenced their drive to complete their online graduate programs of study at the University of Liverpool. This convenience sample yielded compelling results for future research and indicated similarities in hope and efficacy as well as differences in gender regarding participant resilience and approach to challenges. Further research is needed to determine whether gender does play a critical role in online students’ PsyCap, especially resilience. Another revealing result was that the participants credited their online instructors for motivating and discouraging them based on their feedback, grading, and overall communication. This points to a possible relationship between the students’ PsyCap and the three online teaching presences in communities of inquiry (cognitive, teaching, and social).

Faculty Experience of Online Teaching

2013 ◽  
pp. 27-44
Author(s):  
Julia Khanova
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Faculty Role ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Teaching Online ◽  
Faculty Experience ◽  
Key Dimensions

Online education is growing rapidly and outpacing research efforts in this area. Online teaching in particular has received little research attention. Grounded in existing literature and empirical research, this chapter aims to describe the key dimensions of the faculty experience of preparing and teaching online courses. The differences between online and traditional teaching are highlighted, emphasizing time/effort cost, technology and support needs, as well as the relationship between online teaching technology and pedagogy. The shift in faculty role is discussed. Special attention is given to using various Web resources for online teaching and the impact of this trend on library services. Real-life examples and direct quotes from faculty who teach online are used to illustrate each of the themes and suggest directions for future research.

scholarly journals Exploring University Instructors’ Challenges in Online Teaching and Design Opportunities during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 308-327
Author(s):  
Sungmin Na ◽  
Hyunggu Jung
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Teaching Online ◽  
University Instructors

As the pandemic began, university instructors shifted their classes online to ensure learning for numerous students. While teaching online, the instructors soon encountered many challenges. Existing studies have explored different kinds of challenges through surveys or interviews with instructors. However, to our knowledge, no studies have reported instructors’ challenges in online teaching during COVID-19 through a systematic literature review. Moreover, there are no studies that have suggested design guidelines for creating tools to help instructors. Thus, we identified various challenges that university instructors face while teaching classes online, along with the causes of the challenges, through conducting a systematic review using the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Only the studies (a) reporting the challenges of instructors in online teaching, (b) having reported challenges regarding online teaching during COVID-19, and (c) reporting challenges of instructors from universities/colleges were considered in the systematic review. We found that the biggest category of the challenges that university instructors faced was managing/conducting online classes. Lastly, we propose design opportunities to help instructors to teach an online class more effectively and in interactive ways. This review shows the possibility of overcoming the existing challenges in online teaching with instructors receiving the appropriate support and tools for online classes. Additionally, we suggest some recommendations for future research. We hope this review contributes to a deeper understanding of university instructors’ struggle in online classes and suggests potential solutions for supporting instructors in online education.

scholarly journals CROSSING CULTURES AND BORDERS IN INTERNATIONAL ONLINE DISTANCE HIGHER EDUCATION

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gulnara Sadykova ◽  
Jennie Dautermann
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Education ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Cultural Imperialism ◽  
Host Institution ◽  
Cross Culture ◽  
Online Distance

The growing demand for higher education worldwide, along with global expansion of telecommunication technologies, give online distance education a potential world-wide reach for institutions in many countries. Given the persistent international digital divide and the potential for the host institutions and languages to be those of wealthy, industrialized countries, international online distance higher education (IODHE) has great potential for educational and cultural imperialism. Therefore institutions contemplating expansion into international distance education must accommodate a number of changes that would enable building the safe learning/teaching environment needed for the development of a successful course. Drawing on literature of domestic and international online teaching and learning, multicultural studies, as well as personal international teaching and learning experience, the authors examine four domains where these changes are of critical importance: 1) host institution, 2) technology, 3) learning models of students, and 4) teaching models of faculty. The paper discusses issues and practices in each of these domains and offers general recommendations for institutions participating or planning to participate in cross-border/cross-culture online education.

scholarly journals Expectations and Experiences With Online Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic in University Students

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karla Lobos ◽  
Rubia Cobo-Rendón ◽  
Javier Mella-Norambuena ◽  
Alejandra Maldonado-Trapp ◽  
Carolyn Fernández Branada ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Education ◽  
University Students ◽  
Peer Relationships ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Virtual Education ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Low Expectations ◽  
Health Sciences Students

Due to COVID-19, university students continued their academic training remotely. To assess the effects of emergency remote teaching (ERT), we evaluated the expectations and, subsequently, the experiences of university students about online education. This study employed a simple prospective design as its method. We assessed the expectations of 1,904 students from different discipline areas (1,106 women and 798 men; age M = 21.56; SD = 3.07) during the beginning of the first semester, March 2020 (T1), and their experiences at the end of the same academic period, September 2020 (T2). We used convenience non-probability sampling. Participants responded to the questionnaire on Expectations toward virtual education in higher education for students and the questionnaire on virtual education experiences in higher education. The results showed that students’ responses reflected low expectations regarding peer relationships and comparison with face-to-face education (T1). This perception was maintained during the evaluation of experiences (T2). Students reported positive experiences regarding online teaching and learning, online assessment, and their self-efficacy beliefs at T2. Statistically significant differences between measurements were found, with the expertise presenting higher averages than expectations. Furthermore, differences by gender were identified, reporting a positive change in the scores of women. In addition, results reflected differences according to the disciplinary area, showing Social Sciences and Medical and Health Sciences students a more significant size effect. Findings regarding the empirical evidence and the implications for future teaching scenarios in Higher Education are discussed.

scholarly journals Dialogue, inquiry, and encounter: Critical geographies of online higher education

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lily A. House-Peters ◽  
Vincent J. Del Casino ◽  
Catherine F. Brooks
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Critical Pedagogy ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Critical Dialogue ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Higher Education

The rapid expansion of online education compels debate over what accessible higher education should be, how it should be delivered, and whom it should serve. While geographers remain relatively marginal to this debate, they have engaged the question of the neoliberal university, where online education is sometimes characterized as another instantiation of the neoliberal turn. This paper draws geographies of education scholarship into productive conversation with online teaching and learning, critical pedagogy, and public geographies literatures to argue that geographers can reframe the debate over online education and reposition it as a productive space of critical dialogue, inquiry, and encounter.

scholarly journals Online Education and Its Effective Practice: A Research Review

10.28945/3502 ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 157-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Sun ◽  
Xiufang Chen
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Research Review ◽  
Quality Of Higher Education

Using a qualitative content analysis approach, this study reviewed 47 published studies and research on online teaching and learning since 2008, primarily focusing on how theories, practices and assessments apply to the online learning environment. The purpose of this paper is to provide practical suggestions for those who are planning to develop online courses so that they can make informed decisions in the implementation process. Based on the findings, the authors argued that effective online instruction is dependent upon 1) well-designed course content, motivated interaction between the instructor and learners, well-prepared and fully-supported instructors; 2) creation of a sense of online learning community; and 3) rapid advancement of technology. In doing this, it is hoped that this will stimulate an on-going discussion of effective strategies that can enhance universities and faculty success in transitioning to teach online. Under current debates on the cost and quality of higher education, this study could help for the improvement of higher education and student enrollment and retention.

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