6125 Week 2 Assignment
3
Week 2 Application: Problem Statement
Walden University
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for
EDUC - 6125: Foundations of Research
2
Dr. Paula Porter
Problem Statement
The prevalence of online learning has been increasing in higher education (Allen & Seaman, 2017) as more institutions are offering courses (Horvitz & Beach, 2011). Offering online education and courses provide institutions with an opportunity to increase student enrollment while at the same time proving expanded access to higher education (Horvitz & Beach, 2011). As of 2015, approximately 30% of all students in higher education were enrolled in at least one online course (Allen & Seaman, 2017). This has resulted in more faculty teaching online courses (Horvitz & Beach, 2011; McQuiggan, 2007), a trend that will continue as online education and courses have become engrained in higher education and are here to stay (Betts, 2017). Although it is generally recognized that faculty require some sort of instruction prior to engaging in online teaching, the content and delivery of the preparation provided vary widely (McQuiggan, 2007), and some faculty still receive little to no training (Ray, 2009). Additionally, research has indicated some faculty do not feel the training they receive is comprehensive and sufficient (Ray, 2009). It is important for instructors to undergo training, as research has indicated that it improves the quality of the online education experience for students (Sun & de le Rosa, 2015) and increases instructor satisfaction with teaching distance education (Meyer & Murrell, 2014).
The purpose of the proposed literature review is to examine best practices for faculty professional development training in online education instruction. This information can be used by administrators at institutions offering online courses. Specific research questions include:
1. What content should be included in faculty professional development training in online education instruction?
2. What techniques and delivery have been proven effective for faculty professional development training in online education instruction?
References
Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2017). Distance Education Enrollment Report 2017. Digital Learning Compass. Retrieved from https://onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/digtiallearningcompassenrollment2017.pdf
Horvitz, B., & Beach, A. (2011). Professional development to support online teaching. The Journal of Faculty Development, 25(2), 24-32.
McQuiggan, C. A. (2007). The role of faculty development in online teaching’s potential to question teaching beliefs and assumptions. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 10(3). Retrieved from http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/fall103/mcquiggan103.htm
Meyer, K. A., & Murrell, V. S. (2014). A national survey of faculty development evaluation outcome measures and procedures. Online learning, 18(3).
Ray, J. (2009). Faculty perspective: Training and course development for the online classroom. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 5(2), 263.
Sun, J., & de la Rosa, R. (2015). Faculty Training and Student Perceptions: Does Quality Matter?. Internet Learning, 4(1), 4.