scholarly journals Faculty Perceptions on Accessibility in Online Learning: Knowledge, Practice and Professional Development

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thelma C Guilbaud ◽  
Florence Martin ◽  
Xiaoxia Newton
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Faculty Perceptions ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Professional Development Training ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Time Part

This study examined the level of readiness of faculty in designing and delivering accessible online courses to meet the needs of all learners, including students with disabilities. A total of 182 tenured/non-tenured full time, part-time, adjunct and clinical faculty from three public universities of different sizes were surveyed to gauge their awareness, understanding, and practices related to disability laws, quality standards, utilization of tools, and professional development support. Results from the study indicated an uneven level of readiness by faculty regarding online learning accessibility. Results from the study showed that professional development training in online learning had a very significant influence on accessibility knowledge and practice. Also, high perceptions of knowledge for institutional policy and terminology and low perception of accessibility laws and standards were found. It is also found that training on disability-related laws and regulations provided by higher education institutions was insufficient and at times, does not align with the faculty’s schedule. Given the results of the study, it is recommended that higher education institutions reorient their approach to supporting faculty who teach online and develop a comprehensive strategy to reach the goal of helping all students, including students with disabilities, to fully engage online learning. The findings from this study have implications for course development and implementation to support students with disabilities. 

Promoting Digital Teaching and Learning

2019 ◽  
pp. 56-76
Author(s):  
Nicole Luongo
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Professional Development Training ◽  
Professional Development Programs ◽  
Learning Options

This chapter explores various faculty development digital teaching and learning options that higher education institutions can offer distance learning instructors. The chapter explains specific methods of providing professional development opportunities for these educators. Some of these options are connected to promotion and tenure, acquisition of new technology, and personal satisfaction. Recently developed technological rewards such as digital badges and credentials are discussed in this chapter. The author explains how nationally recognized professional development programs can enhance professional development programs by offering new options to faculty. The author recommends that higher education institutions modify their current processes for offering professional development options for faculty who design and develop distance learning courses. The chapter suggests that faculty members need specific digital teaching and learning professional development training options when designing and teaching distance learning courses.

The State of Remote Professional Development and the True Confessions of a Remote Adjunct Faculty

2021 ◽  
pp. 61-70
Author(s):  
Shelley Evans
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Adjunct Faculty ◽  
Current Literature ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Faculty Professional Development ◽  
Current State ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Geographic Separation

With the growth of online learning, the number of remote adjunct faculty has increased. Like their traditional counterparts, these faculty members need and benefit from professional development. However, remote faculty have distinct needs due to geographic separation, motivational differences, and being a part-time employee, often while holding another full-time job. This chapter reviews the current state of professional development offerings for remote faculty and the current literature on the needs and barriers faced by remote faculty. It also discusses this author's perception of barriers to and recommendations for remote faculty professional development and recommends best practices for delivering enriching opportunities for remote faculty.

scholarly journals Part-Time Learners of Higher Education: Training and After Graduation

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 46-64
Author(s):  
Galina A. Cherednichenko
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Highly Qualified ◽  
Social Hierarchies ◽  
Subjective Evaluations ◽  
Subjective Assessments ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Time Part ◽  
Educational Path ◽  
The Unemployed

Analysis based on state statistics and survey data of RLMS for 2016 on 30–39-year-olds with higher education, who completed part-time and completed full-time education in universities, allows to detect the degree of commonality/differences in their socio-demographic characteristics, educational path, employment status and subjective evaluations. “Part-timers” are older, among them the proportion of women, residents of villages and settlements, who are married and have children, is higher. They study more often in rural schools and graduate from 9 rather than 11 grades; more than a half go to university after receiving a secondary vocational education. “Part-timers” are very slightly different from “Full-timers” in main indicators of labor activity: share of employed is slightly higher, one of the unemployed is lower; more often work in formally organized jobs. The first ones are distributed on somewhat lower statuses: the share of highly qualified specialists (which is formally provided by diploma) is lower and the share of workers is slightly higher. There is much more unity than differences in subjective assessments of their work by “Parttimers” and “Full-timers “. Almost three quarters are satisfied with working conditions and 7–10% are not; the ratio of satisfied to unsatisfied wages is 45 to 30%. At the same time, “Part-timers” have a small margin of positive ratings. Ideas about their place in some social hierarchies are also very close in both groups.

scholarly journals Online Adjunct Faculty Perceptions of Professional Development to Support Personal and Professional Academic Growth During COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl Burleigh ◽  
Patricia B Steele ◽  
Grace Gwitira
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Adjunct Faculty ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Faculty Perceptions ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Academic Growth ◽  
For Profit

Objective: The purpose of this study was to understand what online adjunct faculty value as support services, specifically professional development opportunities, provided by their respective higher education institutions. Method: This qualitative narrative inquiry study centered on exploring perceptions and experiences of online adjunct faculty members from higher education institutions and their experiences and expectations of professional development (PD), prior to and during COVID-19. Results: The study resulted in the identification of possible improvements and enhancements to existing PD content that would further support faculty personal development, mental health, wellbeing, and academic growth. Conclusions: This study reminds us that there are numerous variables, including unforeseen crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, that need to be considered when developing, implementing, and presenting PD for online adjunct faculty professional and personal growth. Because faculty want to be listened to and heard, the PD development and implementation process needs to be interactive to support online adjunct faculty, regardless of whether the university is for-profit or not-for-profit. Implication for Practice: The results based on online adjunct faculty experiences could lead to updating professional development opportunities employed in different higher education institutions to promote faculty self-actualization and ultimately, student success.

THE FACTORS OF CAREER SELF-DETERMINATION OF STUDENTS OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-20
Author(s):  
Inna Yeung
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Young Person ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Actual Problem ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Right

Choice of profession is a social phenomenon that every person has to face in life. Numerous studies convince us that not only the well-being of a person depends on the chosen work, but also his attitude to himself and life in general, therefore, the right and timely professional choice is very important. Research about factors of career self-determination of students of higher education institutions in Ukraine shows that self-determination is an important factor in the socialization of young person, and the factors that determine students' career choices become an actual problem of nowadays. The present study involved full-time and part-time students of Institute of Philology and Mass Communications of Open International University of Human Development "Ukraine" in order to examine the factors of career self-determination of students of higher education institutions (N=189). Diagnostic factors of career self-determination of students studying in the third and fourth year were carried out using the author's questionnaire. Processing of obtained data was carried out using the Excel 2010 program; factorial and comparative analysis were applied. Results of the study showed that initial stage of career self-determination falls down on the third and fourth studying year at the university, when an image of future career and career orientations begin to form. At the same time, the content of career self-determination in this period is contradictory and uncertain, therefore, the implementation of pedagogical support of this process among students is effective.

UNDERSTANDING DISABILITIES & ONLINE STUDENT SUCCESS

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen Betts ◽  
Bill Welsh ◽  
Kelly Hermann ◽  
Cheryl Pruitt ◽  
Gaeir Dietrich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Student Success ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Disability Services ◽  
Government Accountability ◽  
Academic Goals ◽  
Online Student ◽  
Support Resources ◽  
Legislative Changes

Approximately 11% of all postsecondary students reported having a disability in 2008. Although the percentage of students with disabilities in 2008 closely reflects the percentage reported in 2004, the U.S. Government Accountability Office states that recent legislative changes have the potential to increase the diversity and number of students with disabilities pursing higher education. To support students with disabilities enrolled in higher education and in online learning, it is important to understand disabilities and the resources students need to actively engage in their courses and to achieve their academic goals. This article includes collaborative responses from a diverse group of leaders at eight higher education institutions and organizations who work with disability services and have experience in online learning. Some of the contributors also have disabilities so the collective responses build upon research, professional experience, and personal experience. For this article, the ten contributors answered 20 questions regarding disabilities and online student success as well as provided recommended practices. This article is designed to be interactive. It includes screenshots, simulation links, video demonstrations, and resources to provide a more detailed understanding of disabilities, accessibility, and support resources. JALN readers are encouraged to interact with the simulations and to watch the demonstration videos as a way to learn more about disabilities and supporting online student success.

scholarly journals The Hybridisation of Conventional Higher Education: UK Perspective

2002 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Open Learning ◽  
Tertiary Sector ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Radical Approach

Before the creation of the United Kingdom Open University (UKOU) - its Charter was given in 1969 and the first students were admitted in 1971 - the full-time residential model of higher education was pervasive, with part-time and distance modes of study seen as separate and inferior. The UKOU demonstrated the effectiveness of distance learning but also, because of its success, in some ways inhibited change in the mainstream tertiary sector. As social and political pressures on the sector grew, higher education providers were forced to innovate and models of “open learning” offered ways forward. As a result, the distinction between “distance” and “face-to-face” delivery rapidly eroded during the 1990s. However, barriers still remain to a more radical approach to provision as a whole.

scholarly journals Conceptual Framework for Teaching Sustainable Development Course in Blended Learning Environment

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-23
Author(s):  
Tilagavati Subramaniam ◽  
Muthu Alagan Thangavelu
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Virtual Learning Environment ◽  
Young Generation ◽  
Framework For Teaching

Purposes: This paper presents a conceptual framework for teaching sustainable development courses in an online learning environment in institutions of higher education.  Sustainability development courses are becoming essential in higher education institutions mainly to educate the younger generations who will be part of the community to make it happen. Higher education institutions are experiencing dramatic shift to cater a young generation of prospective students, to integrate technical innovations in teaching practices and to concentrate on increasing concerns about global sustainability issues. There has been little research to promote an innovative learning in the teaching of sustainable development. The goal of this paper was to create a framework for teaching sustainable development in a virtual learning environment (blended learning) due to the lack of a conceptual framework that could direct this implementation. Findings: Hence, the blended learning method is eco-friendly, whereby protects global environmental resources. For hands-on experiences, students will develop projects to make their campus and community more sustainable. In the process, students learn how to analyse sustainability and able to apply online learning knowledge into practice. Implication: The conceptual framework proposed will support all educators in higher education institutions engaged in the promotion of quality online education in this pandemic circumstance to develop an effective online practise that are aligned with the corresponding learning needs, skills and facilities.

scholarly journals Attitudinal Barriers Encountered by Students with Disabilities in Higher Education Institutions

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nageswara Rao Ambati
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Andhra Pradesh ◽  
Peer Group ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Higher Education Curriculum ◽  
Attitudinal Barriers

The present study is an exploratory in nature. The papers aims to understand the attitudinal barriers encountered by students with disabilities in higher education institutions and its impact on their learning experiences. The study was conducted in the erstwhile State of Andhra Pradesh (now bifurcated in to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana), India. For this study, the researcher selected three universities in different parts of Andhra Pradesh by using purposive sampling. In the second phase the researcher interviewed 100 students with disabilities from the selected universities by using snowball sampling. For this study, quantitative and qualitative data analyses were used and in most cases quotes of real text for each theme were maintained and used extensively. The findings of the paper covered characteristics of students with disabilities, attitudinal barriers faced by them. The findings of the study suggests that changes are needed to be made, not only in the physical environment in which teaching and learning takes place, but also in the way in which higher education curriculum is organised, delivered and assessed and changes should also come in attitudes of teachers, university administration, peer group and public at large.

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