Archive for the ‘Faculty’ Category

Common Practices for Evaluating Post-Secondary Online Instructors

This literature review explores current post-secondary practices for evaluating online instructors. As enrollment of students in online courses has steadily increased over the last few decades, instructor evaluation has lagged behind. Through a thematic analysis of existing literature, this review seeks to answer these questions: (1) How are online instructors evaluated?  (2) When and why […]

Best Practices Framework for Online Faculty Professional Development: A Delphi Study

Online learning is now a common practice in higher education.  Because of the continued growth in enrollments, higher educational institutions must prepare faculty throughout their teaching tenure for learning theory, technical expertise, and pedagogical shifts for teaching in the online environment. This study presents best practices for professional development for faculty teaching online. In this […]

Continuous Improvement in Online Education: Documenting Teaching Effectiveness in the Online Environment Through Observations

Teaching observations are commonly used among educators to document and improve teaching effectiveness. Unfortunately, the necessary protocols and supporting infrastructure are not consistently available for faculty who teach online. This paper presents a brief literature review and reflective narratives of educators representing online education at multiple organization levels within a comprehensive university.  Each vignette presents […]

Digital Immigrants in Distance Education

The constant growth of methods of education that incorporate the Internet into teaching-learning processes has opened up a wide range of opportunities for students across the world to gain entry to undergraduate or graduate degree programs. However, if the enrolling student is a digital immigrant, the chances of success may be limited by the difficulty […]

Faculty Buy-in Builds, Bit by Bit: Survey of Faculty Attitudes on Technology

Professors are slowly gaining confidence in the effectiveness of online learning as more of them teach online, Inside Higher Ed’s 2017 Survey of Faculty Attitudes on Technology reveals. Inside Higher Ed

More Colleges Are Offering Microcredentials—And Developing Them The Way Businesses Make New Products

If 2012 was “The Year of the MOOC”—massive open online courses, usually offered for free—2017 could be “The Year of the Microcredential.” EduSurge

Ensuring faculty success in online competency-based education programs

Background The growth of competency-based programs means faculty are facing new challenges that require different institutional support than traditional programs. Method This article identifies how faculty roles are changing and discusses specific challenges for faculty in three diverse institutions, Rasmussen College, Westminster College, and Valdosta State University. Results and Conclusion The article recommends actions institutions […]

Federal Audit Challenges Faculty Role at WGU

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General has released the results of a much anticipated high-stakes audit of Western Governors University, with negative findings that could threaten the large online university and, more broadly, the growing field of competency-based education. Inside Higher Ed

An Instructor Learning Analytics Implementation Model

With the widespread use of learning analytics tools, there is a need to explore how these technologies can be used to enhance teaching and learning. Little research has been conducted on what human processes are necessary to facilitate meaningful adoption of learning analytics. The research problem is that there is a lack of evidence-based guidance […]

Understanding Faculty Use of the Learning Management System

The learning management system (LMS) has become a critical tool for nearly all institutions of higher education, and a driving force in online learning. According to a 2014 report by the Educause Center for Analysis and Research, 99% of higher education institutions have an LMS in place, and the LMS is used by 85% of […]