The Changing Role of Faculty
in
Web-Based Teaching and Learning
Claudine SchWeber, Ph.D.
Office of Distance Education and Lifelong Learning
cschweber@umuc.edu
www.umuc.edu/distance/odell/
Presentation for MEITAL Annual Conference
Technion, 12 February 2002
Fulbright Senior Specialist Program
The Technological Revolution in Higher Education
It’s not the Technology:
It’s the PEDAGOGY
OLD:
NEW:
Faculty  Student
Faculty  Student
Student
The Technological Revolution in Higher Education
• Challenges for Faculty
• Institutional Impact
• Strategies for Change
• The New Role of Faculty
Online Options
• Course Options
– web-enhanced
– web-integrated
– totally online
• Student/Faculty Options
– one mode only
– combinations
UMUC’s Virtual University
UMUC
www.umuc.edu
• Mission to serve adult, part-time students
• 79,000 students worldwide; 226,000 total
enrollments annually (FY 2001)
• 63% enrollments are online
• 1,717 Faculty worldwide:
27% Full Time; 73% Part Time
• Offers full degree programs online, not just
courses
Online Enrollments
2000-2001
1999-2000
1998-99
1997-98
1996-97
•
•
•
•
•
63,000
39,865
20,805
9,626
3,842
Online Degree Programs
• UMUC GRADUATE:
www.umuc.edu/gsmt
15 Degree programs with 19 specialty tracks
• UMUC UNDERGRADUATE:
www.umuc.edu/prog/ugp
Bachelor’s Degree with a major in 15 programs;
minor in 14 programs.
Challenges for Faculty
• Changing roles and pedagogy
• Process of teaching online
• Assessing learning and identifying
outcomes
• Advising students
• Faculty time, compensation, support
• Privacy
Changing Roles and Pedagogy
• Instructor  Facilitator
• Online teaching  F2F teaching
• Increased communication channels
– Facilitates student collaboration,
faculty contacts
• Interaction is the key!
A Variety of Online Resources
Process of Teaching Online
•(Long) lecture notes online? NO!
•Emphasis on written communications (so far)
•Need to plan ahead/be organized before the
1st class
•Chunking materials; using technology that
supports learning
•Remember-Now there is a transcript of the
entire course
Process of Teaching Online (cont)
•Technical + content expertise often expected
•Need 24/7 support
•Technological triad (telephone, fax, e-mail)
•Staying calm when all others are in a virtual
frenzy  have a “plan B” list
Assessing Learning
• How do we know learning is occurring?
• Documentation/measurement
• “Primary focus” on students
• U.S. Dept of Education Demonstration
Project: Five year study, by 35 institutions of
online and F2F learners
www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/PPI/DistEd
Advising Students
• Clarify expectations – often more work; technological fluency assumed
• Use of digital resources expected
• The written word is KEY (now)
• Time flexibility vs. structure
• Drop in/Drop out? NO!
Ongoing Interaction Expected
Faculty “Time” and Compensation
• Does online teaching take longer than
F2F?
• Compensation: $, release time, grants
• Inducements/penalties for participation
• Disciplinary differences
• UMUC Study
Intellectual Property and Copyright
www.umuc.edu/distance/odell/cip
• Who owns the course?
– (UMUC) National Study
umuc.edu/distance/odell/cip/survey_news.html
• Fair use
• Plagiarism
umuc.edu/distance/odell/cip/links_plagiarism.html
• Copyright and course materials
Privacy
• Class confidentiality
• Online guests
• Observers, shadowing, administration
access
• Academic freedom implications -“chilling effect?”
Institutional Impact
The “Spill-Over” Effect
*Online services initially provided for distance
students, now demanded by everyone
•
•
•
•
•
Library resources
Course materials
24/7 IT Support
Instructional design support
Advisement Online
Institutional Impact
Library and Information Resources
• UMUC offers over 100 databases-free to students,
faculty worldwide
• E-reserves in the online class
• 24/7 librarian help
• Required library resources course/tutorial for all
students and new faculty
• Faculty workshops online: plagiarism detection;
use of resources, developing interaction
• Faculty resources and plagiarism guides
www.umuc.edu/library/faculty.html
Institutional Impact:
The Spill -Over Effect
Online Administrative Services
• Application
• Registration/drop-add
– long term class schedules
• Grade Reports
• Book purchases
• Tuition
Cost Issues
• How are online costs calculated?
• Going beyond course development
• Costing the “Spill-Over” Effect
“The Irreversible Transformation of Higher Education”
Strategies
• Provide Faculty Development Training
• Support Faculty e-learning activities
• Provide Online Resources
• Provide Information Resources
• Support Collaborative Ventures
• Conduct Ongoing Assessment
• Develop Rewards
UMUC Faculty
• New faculty orientation
• Faculty development workshops
• Online training about distance teaching
pedagogy and strategies
• Peer Mentoring Program
Provide Faculty Support
• “Pedagogical consciousness
sustainable change”
1
• Design and IT assistance for departments
• Develop “Low Threshold Applications”
1(LTAS)
• Peer visits-mentor support at UMUC
• Bi-annual divisional faculty meetings at
UMUC
1 S. Gilbert “A Widening Gap” Syllabus (August 2000) pp 18-19
Provide Resources
• Web and Multi-media
• Discussion/conferencing
• Texts and articles
• Information resources
• Strong digital library assistance
• Personal library assistance: online, by phone
• Electronic ordering and e-reserves
• UMUC has home delivery of books in USA
• E-reserves/ejournals/e-books
Support Collaborative Ventures
•Global Networks; local linkages
•Individual, disciplinary relationships
www.merlot.org
•Learning
communities
www.htgroup.org
Conduct Ongoing Assessment
•Develop a “culture” of assessment
•During a course
change
•Formative; evaluative
•Learning styles
Plan Ahead $
• Identify Costs
• Develop a (business!!) plan
• Identify new financial resources
• Develop alternatives
Develop Rewards and Recognition
For Faculty
•
•
•
•
•
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•
Release Time
Grants
Instructional design assistance
Technical Assistance
Smaller class size
Visibility
Training Opportunities
UMUC
Where the distance
between the dream of an education and
the reality…
Is as close
as your modem
www.umuc.edu
Toda Raba
Sheelot?