Category: Communication Design, Technology
Summary and Citations:
Ray's "study investigates the perceptions of faculty currently facilitating instruction in the online environment. Although studies exist focusing on instructors’ satisfaction with instructing in the online format (Awalt, 2003; Conrad, 2004; Dolloph, 2004; Luck & McQuiggan, 2006; Wang, MacArthur, Crosby, 2003; Wilkes, Simon, Brooks, 2006), additional research focusing on faculty perspectives represents an important aspect of gaining a thorough understanding of the online format from a research standpoint. For example, current research fails to adequately scrutinize the difficulty associated with taking a face-to-face course and moving it to the online format, the perceived effects of technical and pedagogical training on the quality of instruction, the formats in which faculty prefer to be trained, and whether or not current online instructors believe training should be required prior to instructing online. Through this study the researcher attempts to address these issues by quantitatively assessing the beliefs of current online instructors" (Ray, 2009, p. 263).
The research questions she sought to answer all centered on the perceived training necessary during the transition to online teaching from traditional face-to-face courses, and included:
"How difficult is it for faculty to convert a course from face-to-face to totally online? ...
"Would faculty like additional training opportunities (technical and/or pedagogical) pertaining to online instruction and in what format(s)? ...
Who is providing formal training to faculty currently instructing online? ...
Do current online instructors believe that technical and/or pedagogical training should be
required prior to instructing online? " (Ray, 2009, p. 263).
In her literature review, Hite noted, "Unlike teaching face-to-face where instructors may lack technical knowledge and still effectively teach students, in the arena of distance education, educators must possess a thorough understanding of technology as well as the subject matter expertise required in the traditional classroom (Darabi, Sikorski, & Harvey, 2006). Aside from the obvious technical challenges associated with developing a course in the online medium, researchers indicate a need for additional faculty training specifically focusing on the different methods of instruction and pedagogy necessary to facilitate and instruct a successful online course (Diaz & Bontenbal, 2000; Arabasz, Pirani, & Fawcett, 2003; Okojie, Olinzock, & Okojie-Boulder, 2006). Her literature review addressed many other issues surrounding online teaching perceptions and circumstances.
111 instructors of 300 responded to the survey. Their opinions supported other studies of instructor perceptions about the difficulty of transferring courses from traditional to online formats, a desire for technological and pedagogical training, a significant lack of training, and even a desire to require such training before the instructors engage in the endeavor.
