This document summarizes the results of an action research study on a professional development program to prepare faculty to teach online. The study examined the effectiveness of the program's approaches in helping faculty reflect on their assumptions about teaching and the impact on their face-to-face teaching. Key findings include that opportunities to talk with experienced colleagues, explore online course examples, and reflect on preparations were most effective in supporting changes in faculty assumptions. The study also found that reflective writing and discussions helped reveal changes in faculty beliefs and led some to incorporate more student-centered practices, like reduced lecturing, in their face-to-face courses. A lack of time for reflection presented a barrier to changes, while more preparation time online allowed for more reflection opportunities

1. Carol McQuiggan
The Pennsylvania State University – Harrisburg
16th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning, Nov. 3-5, 2010

2. Final results of action research study:
 Professional development program to prepare
faculty to teach online
 Effectiveness of various approaches employed
 Changes in faculty’s assumptions and beliefs
about teaching
 Impact on face-to-face teaching practices
 But first, some background. . .

3. Adult Learning Theory

4. Characteristics of Adults
 More independent and self-
directing
 Reservoir of experiences
 Readiness to learn related to
life stage and social role
 More problem-centered and
want immediate application
 More internally motivated
 Need for relevance

5. Transformative Learning Theory
 Process by which people are led to consider and
question assumptions and beliefs that have
previously been uncritically assimilated.
 Perspectives and assumptions may be revised
so as to be more open, permeable, and better
justified.
(Cranton, 2009)

6. Developing the Model
 Conducted extensive literature review
 Reviewed faculty development models awarded
Sloan-C Excellence in ALN Faculty Development
 Looked for attributes that support adult learning
theory framework
 Established essential attributes of faculty
professional development program

7. Model July
December

8. Pre-Interviews
 Tell me how you came to the field of teaching
(their subject) in higher education.
 What are the events and experiences in your life
that have made you the teacher you are today?
 Tell me about your students.
 Tell me about your teaching practices.
 Tell me how you feel about teaching online.

9. Getting Started

10. Group F2F Session
 Objectives determined from pre-interviews
(needs assessment)
 Discussed pre-readings
 Building from Content to Community: [Re]Thinking
the Transition to Online Teaching and Learning
 VCU Center for Teaching Excellence White Paper
 (My) Three Principles of Effective Online
Pedagogy
 Bill Pelz, JALN, 8(3), June 2004
 Using the technology: ANGEL (esp. discussion
forum)

11. Module 1: Reflection & Conceptualization
Module 2: Interaction & Collaboration

12. Module 3: Activities & Assessment
Module 4: Teaching & Managing

13. Resources

14. Classroom Observations
 Would teaching practices match the assumptions
and beliefs about teaching shared during pre-
interview
 Would observations match teaching practices
described during pre-interview?
 If changes observed, would they be able to be
explained by their online teaching experiences
and/or transformative learning?

15. Post-Interviews
 Tell me about your preparations to teach online. What did you do?
 Tell me about teaching online. Was your experience different than what
you expected? How?
 Did adding the online components change what happened in the
classroom?
 Thinking about the faculty development program, what did you find
most helpful? Do you have any suggestions for its next offering?
 The reflection journal had varied use. What are your thoughts on the
use of a journal for reflection?
 Consider your experiences with online teaching this semester. Using
an amusement park’s rides and activities, choose a metaphor that
reflects you as teaching. Teaching is. . . or I am. . . Would this
metaphor have been the same or different at the beginning of the
semester?
 Did your prior beliefs or assumptions about teaching and learning
change at all from your online teaching experience?

16. Research Question #1
Which aspects of the professional development
activities do faculty perceive being most effective
in helping them to reflect on and question their
previously help assumptions and beliefs about
teaching?

17. Finding #1:
 Most effective in supporting change were
opportunities for faculty to:
 Talk to experienced online colleagues
 Explore examples of online courses
 Reflect on their preparations to teach online
 One-on-one consultations

18. Provided by:
 Group face-to-face workshop in computer lab
 Synchronous online Adobe Connect session with
experienced colleague
 Access to a completely online course within
course management system (CMS) participants
were using
 Program’s resources provided within same CMS
 Continuous one-on-one support with faculty
development specialist/instructional designer

19. Research Question #2
Do faculty experience changes in their previously
held assumptions and beliefs about teaching as
a result of learning to teach online and, if so, how
does transformative learning explain the
change?

20. Finding #2:
Reflective writing and/or talking about preparing to
teach online and teaching online opens up the
possibility for changes in previously held
assumptions and beliefs about teaching.

21. Finding #3:
Reflective writing and/or talking about classroom
changes resulting from online teaching help
faculty become aware of changes in previously
held assumptions and beliefs about teaching.

22. John
 Not aware of any changes
 Metaphor: “lift rider”
 cross high above the amusement
park
 secure
 flexible
 open
 able to see different things
 the “steady ride” that provided info

23. Mick
 “it reinforced and strengthened this notion of
constantly evaluating what you do and the
impact on students”

24. Mary
 Believed that one’s philosophy of teaching must
change to teach online
 “Who am I inside of this new platform as a
teacher whose whole goal is to facilitate
learning?”
 Had experienced successes online and was
impressed with the work her students create
 Have to pay attention to the differences in order
to be effective

25. Kay
 Moved away from PowerPoint lectures
 Used online discussion as starting point for in-
class discussion
 Considered in-class discussion more student-
driven
 Provided students with more ownership of
course

26. Lou
 Expected student resistance
 Expected online to be more time consuming
 Surprised by:
 How rewarding it was
 How students were more objective online
 How their learning seemed broader and had a
greater impact on them

27. Ralph
 “If I don’t lecture about it, how will they learn it?”
 Through online discussions, students were able
to make connections between:
 Their readings
 Online resources
 Own experiences
 Shared more personal aspects
of their life online than in class

28. Beth
 Had been “more rigid, not willing, and reluctant to
try” anything new
 Would have lesson plans set at beginning of
semester
 Now she was “more open and more flexible to
exploring and experimenting”
 Moved away from lectures
 Insights about student understanding gained
through online discussion used to determine what
happened in class

29. Research Question #3
What impact does learning to teach online have on
face-to-face teaching practices?

30. Finding #4:
 Impact on face-to-face teaching practices:
 Rethinking what they did and why
 Move from teacher-centered to student-centered
 Less reliance on lecture
 More flexible and open

31. Finding #5:
A lack of time to engage in faculty professional
development, including reflective writing, can
create a barrier to change. Alternately, more time
to engage in preparations to teach online can
provide more opportunities for reflection.

32. Finding #6:
Faculty can experience difficulties in putting their
teaching beliefs into practice in the classroom,
but online teaching provides them with new
opportunities.

33. The only real voyage of discovery. . . consists not in
seeing new landscapes but in having new eyes. . .
~ Marcel Proust

34. Connect with me
cam240@psu.edu
http://del.icio.us/carolmcq
http://www.slideshare.net/carolmcq
http://www.twitter.com/carolmcquig
http://www.linkedin.com/in/carolmcquiggan