Summary:
Many books discuss the building, promoting, best practices, design, and aministration of online education. Palloff & Pratt take a different approach by focus on creating a culture of training within a school offering online education, all while building a sustainable competent faculty. If applied--assuming instructor buy-in (which they share strategies to accomplish)--their principles would drastically improve a school struggling with poor online instruction.
Their formula for success centers on identifying what stage of online instructional development a teacher is at, establishing training, forming mentor/coach relationships, then connecting training and success to rewards or evaluation. The beauty of their work was how well they addressed the problems administrators and department heads will likely encounter, along with both theoretical and proven methods for eliminating such difficulties.
Palloff & Pratt's research uncovered multiple weaknesses in the current focus on best practice band-aids in online instruction that ignore some of the following significant issues: "Faculty are rarely given the level of training and support they need to begin teaching online [and are] ... confused about how to get started. Training continues to be focused on the technology in use instead of how to teach in the online environment. ... Faculty are busy and often do not participate fully in training. Faculty lack familiarity with the tools of online teaching. Often faculty are brought in last-minute to teach a ... course. Faculty training takes too much time. ... Faculty resist mandatory training. ... Faculty resist constructivist approaches to training. Training should not be a one-shot experience but should be ongoing. The goals of training are rarely clear" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011, pp. xii-xiii).
They begin with discussions of what constitutes excellent online instruction. Then they focus on the attributes of superior online instructors. The ability to recognize such talent is crucial to their mentor-based mentality. Palloff & Pratt then show how to increase the readiness of an instructor to teach online, decrease faculty resistance, eliminate technophobic Luddite fears, and motivate individuals through a structure of support. They then discuss what training options exist, and prioritize them according to effectiveness based on various situations.
The second part of the book outlines the training, with recommendations for certification programs, community-learning approaches, dealing with obstacles to training, and efficient training. The mentoring engine drives their approach, moving those with no experience instructing online to eventually become mentors themselves. This process is intriguing because in helps remove some of the attitudes of us vs. them that can arise between teachers and administration.
The final stage connects faculty development with evaluation to ensure proper administrative rewards and feedback occur. The authors conclude with a unique and original best practices list: best practices for developing online instructors.
Though instructors could benefit from many areas of this book, it is primarily a text for management, administration, and training. One final point, the rich appendixes (resources for faculty developers and resources for faculty, resources for administrators) should not be overlooked!
Citation-worthy:
"Little to no attention is being paid to what makes online teaching effective — only what can be done in a pinch to get course material online so that students or faculty who are ill can continue to be involved in classes" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. p. XII).
"Training of online instructors has not kept pace with the demand for excellence in the online environment, a demand voiced by students and administrators alike" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. p. XIII).
"Akridge, DeMay, Braunlich, Collura, and Sheahan (2002) suggest that student retention online is dependent on three factors: selecting the right students for the right program; using a high learner-focused delivery model; and engaging learners at a personal level. Hebert (2006) discovered that the responsiveness of faculty to perceived student needs helps increase persistence in online courses and creates a greater degree of satisfaction with the learning process. In other words, good instructors and instruction are the strongest marketing tools an online program can have" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. p. 4).
“We noted that much of the literature on best practices in online teaching was…effective use of various technologies" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. p. 5).
"Based on Weimer's (2002) work on learner-focused teaching, in order to achieve all of this, we note that several things need to happen:
– The balance of power needs to change — the instructor online acts as a learning facilitator, allowing students to take charge of their own learning process.
– The function of content needs to change — as noted by Carr-Chellman and Duchastel (2001), good online course design makes learning resources and instructional activities available to students rather than providing instruction in the form of a lecture or other means.
– The role of the instructor needs to change — by establishing active and strong online presence, a topic we will return to in more depth, the instructor demonstrates his or her expertise and guides the students in their learning process.
– …Students need to take more responsibility for their own learning process.
– The purpose and process of assessment on the valuation need to change—…Consequently other forms of assessment, such as self-assessment and application activities, should be incorporated to assess student learning" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. p. 6).
"Establishing a presence is the process of demonstrating to others who we are in the online environment, as well as making social connections with others who share that environment with us. It is the concept of visibility… And is critical to students in perceiving that the instructor is paying attention to them and their learning needs" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. p. 7).
“Wenger (1999) notes that the social aspects of education are the most important and need attention before delving into the exploration of content" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. p. 9).
"The learning community, then, becomes the vehicle through which the course is effectively conducted" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. p. 9).
"Some of the key elements that define excellence in online teaching are:
– The excellent online instructor understands the differences between the face-to-face and online teaching and can effectively implement them into development and facilitation of online classes.
– The excellent online instructor is committed to this form of teaching and uses the online environment to his or her advantage in delivering an online class.
– The excellent online instructor is able to establish presents early in the course and encourages students to do the same.
– The excellent online instructor is highly motivated and in turn is a good motivator for students.
– The excellent online instructor understands the importance of community building and devotes time at the start of the class to that function.
– The excellent online instructor promotes interactivity between students through development of good discussion questions that engage them and encourage them to seek out response material on their own.
– The excellent online instructor incorporates collaborative work into the design and delivery of an online class.
– The excellent online instructor respects students as partners in the learning process.
– The excellent online instructor is active and engaged throughout the course, providing timely, constructive feedback throughout.
– The excellent online instructor is open, flexible, compassionate, responsive, and leads by example" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. pp. 13-14).
"A model of phased faculty development for online teaching…includes:
– Developing and establishing presence
– The incorporation of classroom experiences and student feedback into faculty development
– The use of mentors and champions
– Advanced development — the development of lifelong learners" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. p. 17).
"The criteria for the excellent online instructor include:
– Visibility — the excellent online instructor can establish presence and is present frequently in the online environment.
– Compassion — defined by openness, concern, flexibility, fairness, and honesty — the excellent online instructor expresses sincere positive regard for students and delivers student-focused, student-centered instruction.
– Communication — the excellent online instructor communicates with students frequently, provides substantial feedback, and communicates well using technology.
– Commitment — the excellent online instructor is only not only a passionate and committed teacher, but sees the value in teaching online and sees the facilitated model of teaching as rigorous and powerful. The excellent online instructor is motivated and a good motivator.
– Organization — the excellent online instructor is organized and a good time-manager" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. p. 19).
"Faculty do not achieve excellence online in their first course" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. p. 19).
"The phases of online faculty development… We have identified five distinct phases, which we have called:
– Visitor — those faculty who have toyed with the idea of technology integration in the face-to-face classes and who may have posted the syllabus or assignments online or used e-mail for assignment completion.
– Novice — those faculty who have never taught online and who may or may not have taken an online course as a student but have consistently posted a syllabus online and have used some communications technologies to supplement their face-to-face teaching.
– Apprentice — those faculty who have taught online for one or two terms. They may have taught more than one course per term. They are developing an understanding of the online environment and the skills required to teach online.
– Insider — those faculty who have taught more than two semesters online and have taught more than one course per term. They feel comfortable in the online environment, are proficient with course management technology, and have basic understanding of the skills needed for online teaching. They may have designed one or more online courses.
– Master — those faculty who have taught online for multiple terms and have designed several online courses. They have mastered the technology required to teach online and are likely to have integrated technology beyond the course management system into their teaching. They feel extremely comfortable with the skills required to teach online and can be called upon for peer support for newer online faculty" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. p. 20).
"There are four categories of need that we believe are present in each phase [of faculty development]… They are:
– Personal – focusing on the instructor as a person and including such elements as establishing a presence on developing confidence in one's ability to teach online.
– Pedagogy — focusing on the skills and techniques involved with teaching online and an online scholarship, including an understanding of the theories that undergird online teaching and the ability to develop an online learning community.
– Content — focusing on the discipline the faculty member represents and how that's content is best disseminated online.
– Technology — focusing on the development of skill with the course management system in use, choosing technologies that meet learning objectives, as well as adjunct technologies that might be incorporated into the development of an online course as well as teaching.
The categories of need do not necessarily hold equal weight through the developmental phases" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. pp. 20-21).
"Assign more experienced online faculty to mentor or coach new faculty as they design or deliver, or both, their first online classes. This is not done as part of administrative evaluation of faculty, but as a way to ensure quality, improve performance overtime, answer immediate questions as they arise, and provide new online faculty members with someone they can access quickly as problems and concerns emerge" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. p. 29).
"Caffarella (2002) summarizes the major principles of adult learning theory that should be taken into account when planning training for faculty:
– Adults learn best when their experience is acknowledged and new knowledge is built on past knowledge and experience.
– Adults are both intrinsically and extrinsically motivated to learn.
– All adults have preferred ways of learning and processing information.
– Adults are not likely to participate in learning situations unless they are meaningful to them.
– Adults are pragmatic in their learning and want to directly apply what they are learning.
– Adults come to learning situations with personal goals and objectives that might not align with the plan goals and objectives.
– Adults prefer to be active rather than passive learners.
– Adults learn using collaborative and interdependent means, as well as independently.
– Adults are more receptive to learning when it occurs in environments that are physically and psychologically comfortable for them" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. p. 36).
"Key points in training for excellence
– Don't use cookie-cutter approaches to faculty training — offer, instead, a flexible schedule and a menu of topics that address the continuum of faculty experience from novice to master.
– Use approaches based on adult learning theory — active approaches that combine individual and collaborative engagement work best.
– Honor experience! Apprentice training is for novices and apprentices, not experienced or master faculty who are changing institutions.
– Use best practices in online teaching and training approaches — model those practices so that faculty can incorporate them into their own courses seamlessly.
– Incorporate cycles of learn, do, reflect into training, allowing faculty to learn about a new skill, practice it, and then reflect on the results" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. pp. 43-44).
"Sherry, Billig, Tavalin, and Gibson (2002) studied and presented what they termed the technology learning/adoption trajectory model and proposed training strategies that accompanied each phase in the model. They discuss the following phases and strategies:
– Stage one. Teacher as learner: termed and information gathering stage, instructors are seeking to develop the skills they need in order to perform instructional tasks using technology. Recommended training includes demonstrations of best practices using technology delivered by peers who are already incorporating technology into teaching.
– Stage two. Teacher as a doctor: this is an experimental stage in which instructors try out various forms of technology and share their experiences in doing so with a focus on task management. The use of mentors and knowledgeable peers, as well as lab situations, is recommended to support instructors in their experimentation.
– Stage three. Teacher as co-learner: a clear relationship between technology and the delivery of curriculum is forming at this stage. It is at this point that workshops focusing on enhancing instruction through the use of technology are recommended, along with collegial sharing of lesson and assessment ideas. Students can be effectively used as technical assistants in this phase.
– Stage four. Teacher as reaffirmer or rejector: greater awareness of learning outcomes is developing in this phase, along with the ability to determine the impact of various technological approaches on student learning. Incentive systems work well at this phase, including encouragement to disseminate exemplary student work as examples of the impact of technology on student progress and performance.
– Stage five. Teacher as leader: experienced instructors are encouraged to extend their roles in this phase to become active researchers and teach new members. Instead of participating in training at this phase, instructors are encouraged to lead workshops and work as mentors" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. pp. 48-49).
"Rarely are adjuncts offered ongoing training for online teaching and rarely are they brought into decisions regarding program structure and design, governance, and the like. The result is a rather disconnected and isolated faculty body with little insight into how to get help when needed, how to deal with difficult students, or how to seek additional training should that be desired" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. p. 58).
"Chuang, Thompson, and Schmidt (2003) reviewed the literature on technology mentoring programs for faculty and found that all programs and approaches discussed included several common elements: providing visions for technologies; individualizing technology support; breaking down hierarchal structure; establish an open dialogue and collaborative relationships; providing mutual benefits for mentors and mentees; and emphasizing the creation of a learning community for those participating in the program" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. p. 65).
"When non-hierarchical models are employed for mentoring, the result is often increased levels of mutual respect and trust (Chuong, Thompson, & Schmidt, 2003). It is not uncommon to see mentees engaging in collaborative work with one another as they become more comfortable in the use of technology" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. pp. 66-67).
"Developing an effective mentoring program:…
"Plan the program. The first step in implementing a mentoring program on campus or at a distance is to incorporate the program into the strategic plan for the institution or the strategic plan for technology integration.… Begin with mentor training. Regardless of the form the program takes, those who will serve as mentors on a formal or informal basis need training and preparation before they are called upon to mentor.… "Market" and evaluate the program. Novice and beginner faculty who are entering online teaching need to know what training they will be expected to complete, as well as the nature of the mentoring program they are entering.… As mentioned, the most effective mentoring program will contain elements of one-to-one mentoring, with mentors either chosen or assigned; group mentoring; and mentoring through a developmental network" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. pp. 70-73).
The mentor program format is as follows: Mentor training: Create mentor directory… Mentors train novice and beginner faculty… Faculty learning community emerges… One-to-one mentoring… Peer group mentoring… Developmental networks formed… Ongoing training and development for all faculty… New group of mentors trained (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. p. 73).
"Zachary (2000) talks about the importance of creating a sustainable mentoring program. She contends that in order to do so, the organization or institution needs to embed mentoring an organizational culture that values continues learning. She presents ten signs that indicate that a mentoring culture is present:
– Accountability — with an eye toward continuous quality improvement, the mentoring program is evaluated regularly, progress is benchmarked, and results are communicated.
– Alignment — mentoring is embedded in the culture and not seen as an additional activity; high priority is placed on learning.
– Demand — people want to participate in the program as mentors or mentees and seek out both informal and formal opportunities to do so.
– Infrastructure — human and financial resources support the program.
– A common mentoring vocabulary — people throughout the organization speak positively about the program, value mentoring experiences, and seek out additional resources and opportunities for learning.
– Multiple venues — a combination of mentoring options are available.
– Reward — bonuses and stipends offered to mentors; recognition for participation occurs.
– Role modeling — excellence in mentoring is visible in the organization and successes are publicly shared.
– Safety net — support is readily available.
– Training and education — training and education are strategically linked as part of an overall plan; skill building and renewal training for both mentors and mentees as part of the program (pp. 178-179)" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. p. 74).
"Virtual school programs can be fully online or hybrid or blended approaches. There are three main models used: blended, supplemental, and classroom-based (Van Dusen, 2009):
– Blended models. Often used by charter schools are in homeschooling approaches, the blended model allows students to work from home and online classes for the majority of their work, but students to come into a face-to-face classroom setting with the same instructor for a short period each week.
– Supplemental models. This approach allows school districts or multiple districts to fill in curricular gaps through the use of online courses. In this case, students are predominantly in the face-to-face classroom but may take an online course or two in order to move beyond what might be offered at their school. In general, this approach has been used to fill the gaps caused by budget cuts, which have predominantly affected the ability to offer electives, advanced placement courses, language courses, and the like. In addition, supplemental models have been used for the provision of summer school programs and for credit retrieval for students who are in need of credit toward graduation.
– Classroom-based models. This approach focuses on technology integration in the face-to-face classroom. However, it goes beyond simply using technology to enhance classroom delivery by potentially using purchased online courses delivered in the classroom or by engaging all students online while in the face-to-face environment" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. p. 80).
"The National Education Association (NEA, n.d.) summarizes the characteristics of excellent online teachers as follows:
– Are prepared to use information, communication, course management systems, and learning tools and use them effectively
– Are motivated self-starters who can work well with minimal supervision
– Are student-centered and flexible
– Are focused on maintaining high standards
– Are able to promote and sustain an online learning community
– Are able to facilitate collaborative learning
– Are able to collaborate with other teachers, support staff, and students to promote student success and participation online
– Are able to specify learning objective and design authentic assessments to measure them
– Possess a sense of humor and can project their personality by developing an online voice (what is described in the online literature as the ability to establish presence)
– Communicate effectively in writing
– Have completed professional development courses and activities specifically geared to online teaching" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. p. 81).
“By participating in online training on a number of topics, teachers can gain the experience of being an online student while gaining a deeper understanding of what online pedagogy requires. Online classes aimed at preparing veteran teachers to teach online can also serve this dual purpose" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. pp. 82-83).
"Angelo and Cross (1993) suggest that instructors ask themselves three questions when evaluating their own courses: what are the essential skills and knowledge I am trying to teach? How can I find out whether students are learning them? How can I help students learn better? Responses to these questions point directly to the outcomes developed for the course and look at how successful the course activities were in helping students master them" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. p. 92).
"Arbaugh (2000) suggests that the impact of the course management system in use affects the ability of the instructor to deliver a high-quality learning experience online. He believes that there are four general categories of factors that influence online learning and should thus be incorporated into evaluation of online courses:
– Perceived usefulness and ease of the course
– Flexibility for students and instructors
– Ease of an emphasis on interaction
– Experiences with engagement" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. pp. 92-93).
"What we conclude from all of this is that faculty will be motivated to teach online and engage in faculty development efforts to advance their work if they feel welcomed by the institution, wanted, needed, and supported. Faculty evaluation needs to be built on a solid understanding of online learning" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. p. 101).
"A survey conducted by Alan and Seamen (2007) reveals that more than two-thirds of higher education institutions in the United States are offering some form of online education. In addition, 69% of traditional and non-traditional universities believe the student demand for online courses will continue to grow. As of 2007, 83% of the institutions already offering online courses expected their enrollments in these courses to continue to increase. Based on this level of demand, it is clear that the need for experienced faculty to teach these classes is huge and that institutions needed to develop plans for recruiting, hiring, training, developing, and supporting online faculty (Green, Alejandra, & Brown, 2009)" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. p. 104).
"Vignare (2009) notes that faculty satisfaction is tied to two elements — choice and preparedness. If the faculty are forced into the online environment, they are less likely to engage fully or design learning experiences that fit well online, whereas faculty who choose to teach online and who are given sufficient time, training, and support to do so are more satisfied with the outcome and simply do a better job of teaching online" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. p. 106).
"The components of a training plan, then, should minimally include:
– Identification of needs and interests
– Determination of what individuals, groups, or training courses or programs can meet those needs
– Creation of a developmental network to address individualized needs
– Informal networks of faculty engaged in online teaching
– Formal or informal mentoring" (Palloff & Pratt, 2011. p. 111).
