Internet Learning Volume 4, Number 2, Fall 2015 | Page 108
Advanced Faculty Professional Development for Online Course Building: An Action Research Project
In her article, Barker (2003)
describes the steps taken by Sacred Heart
University’s Nursing Department to offer
asynchronous computer-based instruction
to departmental faculty. In this case study,
Barker generally asserts that faculty training
programs must prioritize education first
and technology skill development second to
be effective. In particular, Barker notes four
areas that need attention when considering
faculty development for online learning:
(a) obtain faculty buy-in up front; (b)
emphasize student learning over faculty
teaching; (c) stress instructional design and
mastery of technology; and (d) highlight
the importance of increased opportunity for
faculty-student interaction (e.g., through
discussion boards). Barker points out that
while online learning may seem like a 24/7
proposition, when faculty members set
parameters and follow-up with students in
a timely manner, online education rivals
classroom learning in promoting critical
thinking.
Separately, Healy, Block, and Judge’s
(2014) case study of certified adapted
physical educators (CAPEs) aimed to
identify the advantages and disadvantages
of offering an online faculty training
program to university-level educators. The
quantitative and qualitative analysis of 42
respondents established that participants
viewed online training as an effective means
of teacher skill development because it
provided greater flexibility (e.g., convenient
meeting times, less travel) and increased
learning opportunities (e.g., better access to
experts and resources); however, participants
also noted that online training programs
limited the social interaction of trainer with
trainees and trainees with trainees. Further,
faculty reported that training can suffer
when technological problems arise. Healy,
Block, and Judge’s findings support previous
research by Navarro and Shoemaker (1999),
Lin and Davidson (1995), Sujo de Montes
and Gonzales (2000), and Dede, Ketelhut,
Whitehouse, Breit, and McCloskey (2009) all
showing that online training has advantages
and disadvantages.
More recently, Paulus, Myers, Mixer,
Wyatt, Lee, and Lee (2011) reported the results
of their case study on nurses transitioning
to online instruction at a university in the
south. The researchers analyzed the results
of a semester long program based on two
guiding questions: “What happened during
this professional development program…as
faculty transitioned to online instructor?”
(Paulus et al., p. 2) and “What were…
participant experiences in the program?”
(p. 2). Their findings include: (a) faulty had
difficulty keeping up with training because
of the amount of time training required,
(b) faculty noted the transition to online
teaching produced anxiety, mainly because
online teaching varies the learning process,
and (c) faculty were concerned with
maintaining the momentum of what they
learned once the program ended.
In short, this literature makes
clear the unique challenges of teaching
online as evident in each case study. It
highlights how faculty and programs have
addressed the challenges of transitioning
to online teaching. With this established, a
final theme of faculty training and online
instruction literature is addressed.
Best Practices for Faculty Training of Online
Teachers
Along with literature emphasizing
a theoretical framework for building and
conducting research and case studies on
faculty training programs, this literature
has also given attention to best practices
of faculty training for online instruction.
Gregory and Salmon (2013) and Roth
(2014) illustrate this trend in the literature.
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