|
|
|
The views expressed on this page are
solely
those of the author and do not
necessarily represent the views of County
News Online
|
|
https://www.piqsels.com/en/public-domain-photo-jrvxm.
Half of colleges will require faculty training for an online fall, report finds
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf
July 21, 2020
Dive Brief:
While more than three-quarters of colleges' chief online officers
deemed the abrupt transition to virtual classes earlier this year to be
largely or very successful, half said their schools will require
faculty training in remote learning this fall, according to a new
report.
The annual Changing Landscape of Online Education (CHLOE 5) survey
polled 308 college COOs in May. Three-quarters of officials said poorly
prepared faculty presented the biggest challenge pivoting to online
learning this spring, and 62% said it was underprepared students.
As the pandemic persists and more institutions forgo in-person
instruction this fall, they will be looking for ways to improve their
online offerings.
Dive Insight:
The CHLOE report, sponsored by online education groups Quality Matters
and Eduventures, typically examines trends in online learning, such as
the growth of virtual classes across the sector.
This year's survey focused instead on the problems that emerged during
the shift online this spring and colleges' plans for the fall. While a
vast majority of institutions intended to resume normal operations in
the coming academic year, some have changed course as verified
coronavirus cases skyrocket across the U.S.
A typical institution this spring only had one or two weeks to move
more than 500 face-to-face courses online, the report notes. At
research and other large institutions, more than 2,000 classes needed
to be transitioned.
This massive undertaking was especially difficult for faculty who had
little or no practice teaching online. On average, half of full-time
faculty, and a similar share of part-time faculty, didn't have
experience with online learning prior to the pandemic, the report
states. And about half of undergraduate students had not taken an
online course.
Recognizing the challenges of the transition, seven in 10 colleges
responding to the survey invested in new resources, most commonly
purchasing new technology and licenses. The same share of institutions
reported "universal" use of learning management systems for remote
instruction in the spring. Video conferencing was also widely used.
The COOs reported about half of institutions will be requiring more
faculty training for remote instruction this fall. Slightly more than
40% of colleges said they'll implement similar, but optional,
professional development.
"Clearly, COOs are signaling that faculty development was inadequate during the pivot," the report states.
This training will likely be particularly important because more than
60% of faculty took the lead in designing online courses in the spring
across the colleges polled, it notes.
Instructors, especially those with little experience in online
teaching, have said the transition was difficult. In addition to
quickly translating materials for remote learning, they also needed to
accommodate students who may not have access to an adequate internet
connection or suitable devices.
One study conducted before the pandemic found faculty prefer
face-to-face instruction, though they indicated they'd be willing to
explore hybrid teaching. But in a small study of instructors worldwide
this spring from Primary Research Group, less than a quarter of
respondents told they thought of online learning "very or extremely
highly" as an educational tool that could be used post-pandemic.
Still, the COOs in the CHLOE report perceived faculty members'
attitudes as mostly positive. About a quarter of COOs said faculty had
a "very positive" attitude toward online learning after the move this
spring, and 40% said they had a "somewhat positive" outlook.
Students, too, prefer in-person instruction, according to PRG's survey.
Dissatisfaction with online classes is one factor students are citing
in lawsuits attempting to recoup from colleges some of their
spring-term tuition
|
|
|
|
