Professional Development and Support for Online Faculty: Challenges and Opportunities
Abstract: Creating and teaching online courses requires faculty to be experts in pedagogy and technology as well as their discipline. Join our roundtable discussion for a dynamic conversation about how to best provide collaboration and professional development for instructors to create quality online learning experiences. Compared to inconsistent technology innovation in the physical classroom, faculty working online may be more significantly engaged in training and professional development given the complexity of online course development. A 2018 survey revealed that approximately 44% of faculty who have taught an online course worked with an instructional designer to do so, and 69% received professional development with respect to the design of an online or blended course (Jaschik & Lederman, 2018). The format of professional development can vary widely, but workshops are frequently offered, and one-on-one sessions, peer-to-peer mentoring, and hands-on computer lab training are also common.
Presider: Elizabeth Crawford, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga