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eLearning
Just-in-Time Support
10/1/2008
8 best practices for providing the help online faculty need-- when they need it.
WE ARE RAPIDLY APPROACHING-- if we have not already passed-- the 15th anniversary of online higher education courses. While the history of online courses is still being written, it is likely that the first occurrence happened in the years between 1993 and 1995. My personal "aha" moment about online courses occurred in 1994, when I heard about an internet course on the classic philosopher Boethius being taught by James O'Donnell at the University of Pennsylvania, and using only asynchronous text messages.
An ongoing challenge for campus leaders throughout these last 15 years has been how to support faculty in this new online learning environment. With 3.5 million students taking online courses in fall 2006 (according to the Sloan Consortium), a large cadre of faculty must be online as well, teaching and mentoring these students.
The good news is that after 15 years, we have become smarter about what it takes to support faculty in their online teaching roles. Thanks to insights from research studies, ongoing experience teaching online, and time spent utilizing evolving technology tools, the online learning community has developed a set of best practices for teaching and learning online (one example). We know that faculty support requires a robust digital and administrative infrastructure, as well as people managing that infrastructure who also are knowledgeable about teaching and learning.
Questions about whether or not students can learn effectively totally online have shifted to questions about how to deliver online learning well. Spontaneous collaboration tools and environments such as online classrooms, blogs, wikis, and text messaging have redefined synchronicity, asynchronous communication, and distance. No one is out of touch for very long unless he chooses to be!
Yet, when we recruit faculty for today's online environment, the challenge continues to evolve. Jim Ulrich, associate professor in the School of Leadership and Professional Advancement at Duquesne University (PA), has observed, "The train is moving much faster now and a faculty member just starting out in online teaching needs more help more quickly than ever before." The even greater challenge we face today? How to get new faculty quickly acquainted with the richness of the online practices.
All of this leads us to the questions, "What are some of the 'essentials' of faculty support today?" and "What should we be planning for in the next three to five years?"
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