First Time Distance Learning Faculty Review

Abstract

In an effort to continue to explore the experiences of first-time distance faculty and to add to the information of the survey completed by Carole Sack in January 2004, a second survey was conducted during the Summer quarter 2004. It was hoped that we would reach the faculty new to distance teaching that had taught in Winter 032 and Spring 033 and again learn from them how to improve the preparation and support of faculty teaching online. The same survey instrument used in the original interviews was utilized for this second round of interviews.

The number of faculty new to distance teaching for the Winter/Spring quarters was 16. Contact to solicit their participation was initially made by email and then a follow-up paper letter was sent approximately 10 days later. We had seven faculty agree to be interviewed (43.8% participation). Three were interviewed face to face, three by phone and one remote faculty completed the survey online. Duration of interviews ranged from 20 to 75 minutes.

Faculty represented a cross section of departments/colleges including: Liberal Arts- Humanities CAST- Food Hotel- Croatia CMDS (2) (1 Kosovo) MicroElectronics Environmental Health & Safety Photography

Only the MicroElectronics course was a specific Graduate level course, but the EHS Project Management (2 sections) course was offered for either graduate or undergraduate credit (no graduate students enrolled) and the Photograpy course was a first-time Special Topics class (2 sections) that did enroll both Graduate and Undergraduate students.

For the seven instructors that were interviewed, 4 had NOT taught their course in a face to face classroom before while 3 had done so.