1. Kam Jugdev, PhD Associate Professor, Project Management and Strategy Athabasca University, Alberta, Canada kamj@athabascau.ca Heather Kanuka, PhD Academic Director, University Teaching Services Associate Professor, Educational Policy Studies, Faculty of Education, University of Alberta, Canada heather.kanuka@ualberta.ca

2.  Trends in faculty development  Athabasca University TGIF study  Findings  Next steps ICDE Conference2

3.  Scholarship of discovery, teaching, and practice (Boyer)  Perception that research is more valued than teaching ◦ “Publish or perish” ◦ Institutional incentives and reward for research ◦ Research may be easier to assess than teaching  Compounded by the dynamics of teaching in distance education ICDE Conference3

4.  Increasing number of teaching centers  Increased use of technology and collaborative tools  Mediated learning practices ICDE Conference4

5.  Balancing teaching and research time  Lack of collegial relationships  Inadequate feedback/recognition  Unrealistic expectations  Insufficient resources  Lack of mentors  Lack of orientation  Work-life balance ICDE Conference5

6.  Narrow to broad ◦ Some promote all forms of scholarship throughout academic careers and others focus on new graduates ◦ Include faculty + educational media staff + IT departments  Limited only by a university's scope, mission, and culture ICDE Conference6

7.  Needs assessment  Gap analysis  Shared vision and culture to support teaching  Funding  Responsive to faculty needs  Voluntary participation  Faculty buy in  Meaningful incentives  Practical sessions  Mentoring  Workshops vs. Self learning ICDE Conference7

8.  Sense of isolation  Time to prepare courses (2.5x longer than F2F) ◦ What is a “normal” faculty workload in DE?  Roles and responsibilities* ◦ Who has control over courses when educational media staff are involved? ◦ Preparing courses to an administrative schedule ◦ Limited flexibility, autonomy, course commodification, intellectual property  Technology currency, standardization ICDE Conference8

9.  Canada’s leading distance education university ◦ > 37,000 students/year ◦ > 260,000 students since inception in 1970 ◦ > 650 faculty ◦ Changing faculty demographic profile ◦ Telework benefits and challenges  Take time for good instructional fun (TGIF) committee ◦ Assess the quality of faculty work environment ◦ Suggest faculty support needs ◦ Orientations, surveys, workshops ICDE Conference9

10.  Successful orientation feedback ◦ Belonging, connecting, communicating, mentoring, sharing, physical presence in a distributed environment  “Investing in our Faculty” Report ◦ Recommendations of annual orientation with university panels, a faculty development centre  Institutional survey ◦ To better understand how we can provide continuous learning opportunities to improve teaching practices for academics who are teleworking ◦ Survey based on Harrison’s (2002) review of university teaching quality (six topics) ICDE Conference10

11.  Sent to 609 staff members  187 responses (31%)  85% (or 161) were teleworkers  Limitations ◦ Self reported data  Publications  Kanuka, H., Jugdev, K., Heller, B., & West, D. (2008). The rise of the teleworker: False promises and responsive solutions. Higher Education, 56(2), 149-165.  Kanuka, H., Heller, B., & Jugdev, K. (2008). The factor structure of teaching development needs for distance delivered e-learning. International Journal for Academic Development, 13(2), 129-139. ICDE Conference11

12. 1. Delivery methods ◦ Digitally based teaching resources ◦ Face-to-face workshops facilitated by experts 2. Teaching resources ◦ Motivational strategies to engage learners ◦ Deal with difficult students ◦ Using different instructional 3. Instructional/course services ◦ Teaching retreats, teaching portfolio, peer support ICDE Conference12

13. 4. Strategic planning ◦ Early training for new hires ◦ Funds for innovative teaching explorations ◦ Support services for the scholarship of teaching/learning 5. Teaching beliefs ◦ 91% consider their teaching practices to be important 6. Workplace satisfaction ◦ Most have good working relationships with colleagues ◦ Primary workplace is an effective working environment ICDE Conference13

14.  Lack of familiarity with teaching resources available  Interested in: ◦ Help with improving teaching practices ◦ Forums to discuss best practices in teaching and research  Blended needs not just focused on teaching ◦ Using technology more effectively  Debate over mandatory faculty development ICDE Conference14

15.  Mentoring program e.g., course design/delivery  Desire to improve teaching quality standards  Course development cycle concerns  Time constraint concerns related to attending faculty development sessions ◦ Time off, incentives, subsidized workshops  Enhanced IT services to support teaching ◦ Findings shared with CIO ICDE Conference15

16.  Sense of isolation ◦ “Tele-commuting has failed as an experiment because it has virtually killed collegiality, intellectual cross- fertilization, and the social dimension of the workplace” ◦ “It is hard to have collegial discussions without a mail or coffee room” ◦ “Distance teaching for AU as a tutor or academic expert is a very isolating experience. We need many more opportunities for collegial interaction” ICDE Conference16

17.  Most academics ◦ Care deeply about their teaching ◦ Would like to participate in continuous learning opportunities ◦ Want to be connected with like-minded colleagues ◦ If left unattended will experience a sense of isolation  To overcome barriers: ◦ Continuous learning activities should be delivered via digitally-based web spaces ◦ But, the data also reveal:  Teleworkers would still like to attend F2F workshops ICDE Conference17

18.  Teleworking can be an attractive opportunity for both the institution and employees ◦ Flexibility in personal and family scheduling ◦ Positive views about family and personal life ◦ Under certain circumstances, teleworking enhances productivity and work quality ICDE Conference18

19.  Teleworking has its tradeoffs: ◦ Potentially vulnerable situations from the lack of contact between colleagues and the organization ◦ Reduced identification/commitment to the organization ◦ Reduced job satisfaction ◦ Increased turnover intentions ◦ Limits opportunities for promotion, organizational rewards ◦ Limited access to employee development activities (interpersonal networking, informal learning, mentoring) ICDE Conference19

20.  A central unit which provides opportunities for improving teaching to foster teamwork can: ◦ Reduce feelings of isolation ◦ Increase institutional attachment ◦ Increase job satisfaction ◦ Increase work performance ◦ Improve relationships between teleworkers and the institution  Annual orientations, regular informal faculty lunches supported by the VPA, regular faculty/staff mixers, open forums with the president, lunch with the vice president academic ◦ All steps in the right direction ICDE Conference20