Faculty Development for Online Teaching as a Catalyst for Change

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol A. McQuiggan
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Faculty Development ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Learning To Teach ◽  
Faculty Professional Development ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Beliefs About Teaching

This action research study explored the change in face-to-face teaching practices as a result of faculty professional development for online teaching. Faculty’s initial teaching model is typically born from that of their own teachers, and they teach as they were taught. However, few have any online experience as a student or a teacher. Learning to teach online may be a catalyst for faculty to reflect on and evaluate their current teaching practices. Data was collected through three rounds of action research that included individual interviews, participants’ reflective journalling activities, researcher’s journal and field notes, and classroom observations. The qualitative data analysis steps included data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing/verification. The results of the study indicated that learning to teach online has the potential to transform faculty’s assumptions and beliefs about teaching, changing their face-to-face teaching practices. The identification of the aspects of professional development activities that were most effective in helping faculty to reflect on and question their previously held assumptions and beliefs about teaching will assist administrators and faculty development specialists move from one-size-fits-all programs to a redesign within an adult learning framework that supports opportunities for change.

Toward an Understanding of What Works in Professional Development for Online Instructors: The Case of PBS Teacherline

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara C. Storandt ◽  
Lia C. Dossin ◽  
Anna Piacentini Lacher
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Development Model ◽  
Online Faculty ◽  
Faculty Professional Development ◽  
Online Instructors ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Learner Outcomes ◽  
Professional Development Model ◽  
Course Experience ◽  
Instructor Satisfaction

Research conducted in various settings suggests that preparation and support for online instructors should be considered separately from efforts to prepare face-to-face instructors. However, very few studies outline the ways in which preparation to teach online should differ, and only a handful link these practices to measurable outcomes that help define what is meant by effective. PBS TeacherLine’s professional development model presents an opportunity to examine a comprehensive, well-established effort that has undergone regular refinements over the past 11 years. Results from the yearlong study presented in this paper showed that PBS TeacherLine’s professional development model contributes positively to instructor satisfaction, retention, high quality online instruction, increased instructor reflection, and learner outcomes such as an overall positive course experience. These findings reveal promising best practices for online faculty professional development that are specific to the online environment.

Measuring digital professional development: analytics for the use of web and social media

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Rhode ◽  
Stephanie Richter ◽  
Peter Gowen ◽  
Murali Krishnamurthi
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Faculty Development ◽  
Online Resources ◽  
Faculty Professional Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Online Resource ◽  
The University ◽  
Development Center ◽  
Faculty Development Centers

Purpose – As faculty professional development increasingly occurs online and through social media, it becomes challenging to assess the quality of learning and effectiveness of programs and resources, yet it is important to evaluate such initiatives. The purpose of this paper is to explore how one faculty development center experimented with using analytics to answer questions about the use and effectiveness of its web and social media resources. Design/methodology/approach – The case study was based on direct observation of the center’s practice and review of selected data generated by the analytic tools. Findings – Unfortunately, while some analytics are available from a variety of sources, they are often distributed across tools and services. The center developed an analytics strategy to use data from Google Analytics and social media reporting tools to assess the use of online and social professional development resources. Initial results show that the center’s online and social professional development resources are widely used, both within and outside the university. However, more work is necessary to improve the strength and scope of the available analytics. Practical implications – As a result of the analysis, the center has streamlined online resources, targeted social media use, and has begun developing methods to allow faculty to report online resource use as professional development for academic personnel purposes. Originality/value – Many faculty development centers have not explored methods of evaluating online and social media resources. This paper outlines a strategic evaluation plan to measure the usage of online resources as well as engagement and interaction through social media.

Learning to Teach Online

2016 ◽  
pp. 2092-2113
Author(s):  
Christina M. Tschida ◽  
Elizabeth M. Hodge ◽  
Steven W. Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Distance Education ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Pedagogical Issues ◽  
State University ◽  
Faculty Professional Development ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Learning

The rapid expansion of distance education in higher education has left a high demand for faculty willing to design and teach online courses, often with little or no training. The path from face-to-face to online courses is not an easy one and can be filled with frustration and doubt for many faculty. Professional development often focuses on technology tools rather than pedagogical issues of online learning or course content. This chapter focuses on research that examines the experience of several faculty from the college of education at a state university in the Southeast United States, as they learned to teach online. It presents their negotiations of issues of online platform and pedagogy and their efforts to find professional development to meet their needs. The implications for institutions of higher learning are important as distance education continues to increase and more and more faculty are asked (or told) to transfer their courses online.

Applying a Teaching Decision Cycle to the Design of Online Learning Within Faculty Professional Development

2018 ◽  
pp. 21-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neal Shambaugh
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Instructional Design ◽  
College Instructors ◽  
Faculty Professional Development ◽  
Teaching Online ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Decision Cycle ◽  
Online Setting ◽  
Virtual Setting ◽  
Teaching Decisions

Higher education instructors who will be teaching online for the first time need institutional assistance. Migrating a face-to-face course to an online setting requires some understanding of the differences in a physical and virtual setting. This chapter proposes that the design of courses for online delivery can be facilitated by professional development in which instructional design is used to examine important teaching decisions. A framing of instructional design for college instructors, the teaching decision cycle (TDC), prompts a re-examination of assumptions and F2F teaching decisions. A three-day professional development event is laid out in which the TDC is used to structure instructor re-thinking and designing of a F2F course to a new online or hybrid course. Research opportunities along five categories are suggested.

Facilitating professional development of mobile and eTextbook technologies

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aimee deNoyelles ◽  
Ryan Seilhamer
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Sense Of Community ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Active Involvement ◽  
Online Spaces ◽  
The University

Purpose – While the integration of mobile and eTextbook technologies is rapidly growing throughout higher education learning environments, these technologies are often challenging to implement across the university landscape. Professional development tailored to these fluid and evolving technologies is essential to supporting effective classroom integration. The purpose of this paper is to describe and evaluate a special interest group approach to professional development regarding mobile and eTextbook technologies implemented by one university in the USA. Issues such as recruitment of members, selection of face-to-face and online spaces, and curriculum design are addressed. Design/methodology/approach – To evaluate effectiveness, a survey was given to the participants that asked about sense of community, perceived increase in knowledge and teaching practices, and overall satisfaction with the experience. Findings – The interrelated factors of sense of community, knowledge, and teaching practices were identified as valuable, along with group organization. Survey results revealed that participants highly valued the opportunity to share best practices with others they typically would not, and benefitted from the expertise of guest speakers. Online spaces were found to serve as a repository of on-demand resources and dissemination of information, while face-to-face meetings capitalized on interactivity and nurtured community. Sharing the work of the members with the university and beyond was critical to incentivizing members to produce, and also built further professional networks. The planning team identified a tension between encouraging active involvement from instructors and offering it in convenient ways given their other commitments. Originality/value – Although this is a single case, this analysis suggests generalizable strategies that may create and sustain a community interested in mobile and eTextbook technologies.

Evolving Practice for Training Online Designers and Instructors

2019 ◽  
pp. 166-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott R. Garrigan
Keyword(s):  
Online Instruction ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Teaching Style ◽  
Single Model ◽  
Online Instructors ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Student Interests ◽  
Online Instructor

Online courses place greater responsibility and demands on both the instructor and students compared to traditional face-to-face courses. Online instructors and designers are often given checklists of required or best online teaching practices to help them meet the challenge. But these checklists tend to assume that online courses fall into a single model that is independent of course goals and of the unique teaching style and strengths of the online instructor. This chapter presents the author's methods and values in training online instructors and designers. Conventional online instruction model aside, the focus is on helping the instructor and designer identify salient aspects of the course, the students, and the instructor. The chapter presents methods, content, and values that may to be less known, less understood, or difficult to implement for new designers and instructors. Each model builds on elements such as student interests, deep engagement, group collaboration, and practical assessment.

Learning to Teach Online

2016 ◽  
pp. 236-257
Author(s):  
Christina M. Tschida ◽  
Elizabeth M. Hodge ◽  
Steven W. Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Distance Education ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Pedagogical Issues ◽  
State University ◽  
Faculty Professional Development ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Learning

The rapid expansion of distance education in higher education has left a high demand for faculty willing to design and teach online courses, often with little or no training. The path from face-to-face to online courses is not an easy one and can be filled with frustration and doubt for many faculty. Professional development often focuses on technology tools rather than pedagogical issues of online learning or course content. This chapter focuses on research that examines the experience of several faculty from the college of education at a state university in the Southeast United States, as they learned to teach online. It presents their negotiations of issues of online platform and pedagogy and their efforts to find professional development to meet their needs. The implications for institutions of higher learning are important as distance education continues to increase and more and more faculty are asked (or told) to transfer their courses online.

Teaching Generation Z Students in the Technology-Driven World

2019 ◽  
pp. 52-66
Author(s):  
Muhammad Haseeb
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Digital Learning ◽  
Faculty Professional Development ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Generation Z ◽  
Traditional Courses

Today, higher education is experiencing significant changes in its recruitment, retention, graduation, and accreditation. Faculty professional development is considered a key for the success of Generation Z students. As a result, faculty are interested to modify their teaching environment. More and more faculty are flipping their traditional courses and offering either hybrid or online courses. Blended learning means that students receive instruction in both face-to-face and online environments. Embedded within the concept is an assumption that blended teaching environments also give students some control over the pace, flow, or focus of their learning activities. Also, blended learning prepares students for full online courses. Research indicates that empowering students to have organization in their education leads to many positive outcomes, including that students do better in inequality of access situations, are able to personalize their learning and achieve regardless of ability, and build dispositional skills, such as executive functioning, perseverance, self-awareness, and tolerance for uncertainty, that many believe are necessary to thrive in current and future societies. This chapter explains current practices and the potential of digital learning initiatives to teach Generation Z in the technology-driven world.

Advanced Faculty Professional Development for Online Course Building: An Action Research Project

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Aust ◽  
Griselda Thomas ◽  
Tamara Powell ◽  
Christopher K. Randall ◽  
Vanessa Slinger-Friedman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Faculty Professional Development

scholarly journals e-Tutor: A Multilingual Open Educational Resource for Faculty Development to Teach Online

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Rapp ◽  
Yasemin Gülbahar ◽  
Müge Adnan
Keyword(s):  
Faculty Development ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Open Educational Resource ◽  
Educational Resource ◽  
Faculty Development Program ◽  
Technological Infrastructure ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Face To Face

<p class="2">The situation in Ukraine poses severe problems to the higher education system and to students in Eastern Ukraine. Many students and academicians had been compelled to leave their university buildings and move westwards. Hence, they are forced to substitute face-to-face teaching with distance learning, often on a large scale, but within a short span of time and with limited resources. While technical/technological infrastructure often exists, know-how about conducting online teaching and respective faculty development is often found to be lacking. Within the framework of a project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), a faculty development program developed in Turkey as an Open Educational Resource (e-Tutor) was adopted in three languages (English, Ukrainian, and Russian) to support qualifying university staff in teaching online. e-Tutor comprises of 14 modules, each with various content, covering different aspects of online teaching. In the following note, we briefly present the program along with the context, target group/aims, concept, genesis, initial experiences, and further development.</p>

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