Internet Learning Volume 4, Number 2, Fall 2015 | Page 54

The Tangible and Intangible Benefits of Offering Massive Open Online Courses: Faculty Perspectives
Introduction
The need to transform the way
university leaders think and run
their institutions, especially in this
technology-driven learning environment,
has become more pronounced in the 21st
century than ever before (Clark, 1998;
Nafukho & Wawire, 2004; Ziderman
& Albrecht, 1995). On the significant
role of technology in higher education,
Miller (2014, p. 1) noted, “Most students
graduating from college in the present era
will experience at least some part of their
education via technology, whether as an
enhancement to the traditional, face-to-face
approach, fully online or some mix of the
two.” The academic institution has changed
and evolved based on its consumer needs as
well as the available societal resources. One
such resource which has altered common
educational practice has been the rapid surge
of technology. A new challenge for academia
is determining the technology tools best
suited to provide strong pedagogical
practices to a technology-savvy population.
As new technologies emerge, and student
needs shift, universities search for ways to
support student learning and growth. In
addition, university leaders and professors
are challenged to develop entrepreneurial
ways of delivering educational products
and services to their students (Nafukho &
Muyia, 2014).
Today, technology is commonplace.
First-year college freshmen have lived with
cell phone technology, Internet, and social
media. Students can watch movies, listen
to music, conduct banking business, and
communicate with an unlimited number of
people through personal cell phones. As a
result of the technological impact on society,
our higher education delivery system has
also morphed. An increasing number of
universities and campuses are offering
distance education courses as a result of this
shift. According to the National Governor’s
Association, “the number of students taking
an online course has nearly quadrupled over
the past decade, with nearly one-third of
all postsecondary students in the nation –
including many working adults – currently
taking at least one course online” (NGA,
2013, p.1). This information is corroborated
by the Sloan Foundation’s 2010 Survey of
Online Learning assertion that more than
30% of all students take at least one online
course during their college career (Hachey,
Wladis, & Conway, 2012). Although the
term “distance education” has historically
meant “correspondence course”, today that
definition is more inclusive.
Distance Education (DE) has been
implemented in the United States for
several decades. The evolution of DE has
typically been classified by the technology
as well as the pedagogical approach utilized.
Anderson and Dron (2012) summarized the
three generations of the technology used as:
1) postal correspondence; 2) mass media of
television, radio and film production; and
3) interactive technologies. Although the
generations are each unique, they overlap
and intertwine.
No matter the learning modality or
grade level, a common challenge for teachers
is student engagement (Jensen, 2005).
Educators today must create instructional
C
Dr. Karen McCaleb is an associate professor and associate dean of the College of Education at Texas A&M
Corpus Christi.
D
Dr. Melissa Becker is an associate professor of education at Tarleton State University.
E
Michelle Johnson is a doctoral student in the College of Education at Texas A&M University.
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