Essential Attributes of Faculty Professional Development: The Excellence in Online Education Initiative Carol McQuiggan, D.Ed. Senior Instructional Designer, Penn State Harrisburg Amber L. Vaill, M.Ed. Director of Academic Technology and Online Learning, Bay Path College David Demers, Ph.D. Vice President for Academic and Administrative Technology, Bay Path College

Overview Introduction to Essential Attributes of Faculty Professional Development Programs Introduction to the Bay Path College Excellence in Online Education Initiative Faculty Orientation to Online Education Mentoring Ongoing Support Initiative’s Integration of the Essential Attributes Successes Conclusions Questions

Essential Attributes of Faculty Professional Development Programs

Faculty Professional Development as Adult Education Action research to address gap in literature on faculty professional development for online teaching Exploration of changes in teaching assumptions, beliefs, and face-to-face teaching practices resulting from preparations to teach online Fourteen models reviewed for components related to adult learning

Essential Attributes of Faculty Professional Development Programs Recognition of faculty's needs, concerns, goals Individualized plan Use of faculty experience Learning environment in which faculty feel supported, respected, and accepted Active participation Reflection Collaborative inquiry Observation Authentic context Action plan Ongoing support Evaluation and revision

Online Learning at Bay Path College Began offering OL courses in 2005 Center for Distributed Learning formed 2007 Launched Faculty Orientation Course

Excellence in Online Education Initiative Three-tiered program Faculty Orientation to Online Education Course Mentoring Ongoing support Goals of the Initiative Ensure course quality Improve student experience Ensure faculty understanding of online learning pedagogy Prepare faculty for successful online teaching experience

Tier 1 – Faculty Orientation Mandatory, eight-week, facilitated orientation Orientation focuses: College online learning policies Pedagogical differences between online and face-to-face learning Using the LMS and other learning technologies Provides experience of an online student Cohort based model Shared learning experience for instructors

Tier 1 – Faculty Orientation Week 1 – Rethinking Education: An Overview of Online Education Week 2 – Planning Your Course Week 3 – Pedagogy of Online Education Week 4 – Creating Course Documents Week 5 – Community Building in the Online Classroom Week 6 – Creating Online Assessments Week 7 – Finding Resources for Your Course Week 8 – Transition from Design to Delivery

Tier 1 – Faculty Orientation Outcomes Courses are fully developed Time for review and modification Builds faculty relationships with CDL Helps CDL assess further developments needs of faculty

Essential Attributes Faculty Orientation to Online Education Refer to handout: Essential Attributes of Faculty Professional Development Programs

Essential Attributes of Faculty Professional Development Programs Recognition of faculty's needs, concerns, goals Individualized plan Use of faculty experience Learning environment in which faculty feel supported, respected, and accepted Active participation Reflection Collaborative inquiry Observation Authentic context Action plan Ongoing support Evaluation and revision

Tier 2 – Mentoring All participants are assigned a mentor Observe a live course in action View asynchronous discussion threads See how students and faculty interact online Evaluate how other courses are designed Additional resource for questions beyond CDL staff Share best practices, experiences, strategies

Essential Attributes Mentoring Refer to handout: Essential Attributes of Faculty Professional Development Programs

Essential Attributes of Faculty Professional Development Programs Recognition of faculty's needs, concerns, goals Individualized plan Use of faculty experience Learning environment in which faculty feel supported, respected, and accepted Active participation Reflection Collaborative inquiry Observation Authentic context Action plan Ongoing support Evaluation and revision

Tier 3 – Ongoing Support Course review process following Orientation Supportive process assists in improving course Ensures course is ready to be delivered CDL Student support assists faculty CDL handles technical support issues Allows faculty to focus on content Technical and pedagogical assistance available following orientation

Essential Attributes Ongoing Support Refer to handout: Essential Attributes of Faculty Professional Development Programs

Essential Attributes of Faculty Professional Development Programs Recognition of faculty's needs, concerns, goals Individualized plan Use of faculty experience Learning environment in which faculty feel supported, respected, and accepted Active participation Reflection Collaborative inquiry Observation Authentic context Action plan Ongoing support Evaluation and revision

Evidence of Success Evaluation: Faculty satisfaction with Orientation 84% - feel more prepared for teaching online following the Orientation 79% - felt that the content contributed to their knowledge of online teaching and learning 76% - felt the readings contributed to their understanding of best practices 76% - felt that the Orientation experience was valuable for their professional growth We may want to point out that these are specifically for the Orientation

Faculty Testimonials “I found Bay Path’s Orientation to Online Education to be more thorough and substantive than the previous training that I received.” “I feel that I have the tools I need to get my classes ready, and the support if something goes wrong.” “I cannot say enough about what the CDL means to me as a faculty person and to the students in my classes.”

Essential Attributes Evidence of Success Refer to handout: Essential Attributes of Faculty Professional Development Programs

Essential Attributes of Faculty Professional Development Programs Recognition of faculty's needs, concerns, goals Individualized plan Use of faculty experience Learning environment in which faculty feel supported, respected, and accepted Active participation Reflection Collaborative inquiry Observation Authentic context Action plan Ongoing support Evaluation and revision

Questions?