Expectations and Demands in Online Teaching: Practical Experiences

342 Pages·2008·3.47 MB·english

by  Sorin Gudea

Expectations and Demands
in Online Teaching:
Practical Experiences
Sorin Gudea
Claremont Graduate University, USA
Information Science Publishing
Hershey • New York
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Expectations and demands in online teaching : practical experiences / Sorin Walker Gudea, editor.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary: “This book offers a better understanding of how teachers experience the online environment by
exploring various dimensions of online teaching”--Provided by publisher.
ISBN 978-1-59904-747-8 (hardcover) -- ISBN 978-1-59904-749-2 (ebook)
1. Teaching--Computer network resources. 2. Computer-assisted instruction. 3. Distance education. 4. Inter-
net in education. I. Gudea, Sorin Walker.
LB1044.87.E97 2008
371.33’4--dc22
2008008464
British Cataloguing in Publication Data
A Cataloguing in Publication record for this book is available from the British Library.
All work contributed to this book is original material. The views expressed in this book are those of the authors,
but not necessarily of the publisher.
Expectations and Demands
in Online Teaching:
Practical Experiences
Table of Contents
Foreword...........................................................................................................vi
Preface.............................................................................................................viii
Acknowledgment..........................................................................................xxiv
Chapter.I
Perspectives.on.Online.Teaching.....................................................................1
Introduction ........................................................................................................1
Background ........................................................................................................1
Perspectives on Online Teaching .......................................................................2
Conclusion .......................................................................................................16
References ........................................................................................................17
Chapter.II
Teacher Profiles...............................................................................................27
Introduction ......................................................................................................27
Background ......................................................................................................28
Teacher Profiles................................................................................................29
Conclusion .......................................................................................................44
References ........................................................................................................45
Endnote ............................................................................................................47
Chapter.III
What.to.Expect.When.Teaching.Online........................................................48
Introduction ......................................................................................................48
Background ......................................................................................................48
What to Expect When Teaching Online ............................................................50
Conclusion .......................................................................................................63
References ........................................................................................................65
Chapter.IV
Determinants.of.Online.Teaching.Success....................................................66
Introduction ......................................................................................................66
Background ......................................................................................................66
Determinants of Online Teaching Success .......................................................68
Conclusion .......................................................................................................86
References ........................................................................................................88
Chapter.V
The.Online.Teaching.Experience:.Teaching.With.Technology...................90
Introduction ......................................................................................................90
Background ......................................................................................................91
Teaching With Technology ...............................................................................92
Conclusion ......................................................................................................110
References .......................................................................................................111
Chapter.VI
Online.Teaching.Demands.............................................................................113
Introduction .....................................................................................................113
Background .....................................................................................................113
Online Teaching Demands ..............................................................................115
Conclusion .....................................................................................................134
References ......................................................................................................135
Chapter.VII
Gains.and.Losses...........................................................................................137
Introduction ....................................................................................................137
Background ....................................................................................................137
Gains and Losses ...........................................................................................139
Conclusion .....................................................................................................158
References ......................................................................................................160
Chapter.VIII
Teaching.Tradeoffs........................................................................................162
Introduction ....................................................................................................162
Background ....................................................................................................162
Teaching Tradeoffs .........................................................................................164
Conclusion .....................................................................................................179
References ......................................................................................................181
Chapter.IX
Central.Ideas:.Teaching................................................................................183
Introduction ....................................................................................................183
Background ....................................................................................................183
Central Ideas: Teaching .................................................................................185
Conclusion .....................................................................................................207
References ......................................................................................................208
Chapter.X
Central.Ideas:.Technology............................................................................210
Introduction ....................................................................................................210
Background ....................................................................................................210
Central Ideas: Technology ..............................................................................211
Conclusion .....................................................................................................232
References ......................................................................................................233
Chapter.XI
A.Theory.of.the.Online.Teaching.Experience.............................................236
Introduction ....................................................................................................236
Background ....................................................................................................236
A Theory of the Online Teaching Experience ................................................250
Conclusion .....................................................................................................258
References ......................................................................................................259
Chapter.XII
Conclusions.and.Recommendations............................................................268
Introduction ....................................................................................................268
Background ....................................................................................................268
Implication and Recommendations ................................................................269
What to do Next: Practical Advice .................................................................284
Future Trends .................................................................................................291
Conclusion .....................................................................................................292
References ......................................................................................................293
Appendix........................................................................................................294
About.the.Author..........................................................................................310
Index................................................................................................................312
vi
Foreword
One way in which I make a personal judgment of a manuscript’s worthiness is by
the number of margin notes I make. Judging from the amount of ink I went through
when reading the manuscript for this book, the text is worthy indeed. As both a
researcher and practitioner of online teaching, I found many interesting and pro-
vocative insights in Dr. Gudea’s book. My copy of the manuscript is littered with
margin notes such as “Interesting!” “Research idea?” and the like.
Regardless of the context, effective teaching requires both motivated teachers
and motivated learners; one without the other borders on the useless. Despite the
considerable, growing interest in online education, there are few in-depth studies
of teachers’ attitudes and perceptions of online teaching. This book is a refreshing
exception. Through his ambitious research project, Dr. Gudea provides those inter-
ested in online teaching with two significant gifts. First, he offers a comprehensive,
well-supported theory of online teaching. Such a theory is a clear contribution to
researchers interested in this area by providing a ready means for developing testable
hypotheses. Second, the insights offered throughout the text hold significant value
for teachers and administrators. Teachers and administrators interested in online
learning can use this text as a handbook full of valuable insights. The author care-
fully crafted the book so the reader can “skip around,” reading chapters of particular
interest in whatever order strikes one’s fancy.
In addition to the focus on teachers’ perceptions and attitudes, several other features
set this book apart. First, it is based on extensive and rigorous research. Dr. Gudea
followed a well-established, rigorous methodology while conducting his research. (In
fact, this book can serve as a roadmap for others interested in qualitative research.)
He interviewed literally dozens of educators engaged in online teaching, yielding
a rich set of data, which he analyzes using well-established methods. Throughout
the book he also compares his findings to previous research, pointing out areas of
vii
agreement and divergence. This technique has the dual benefit of solidifying earlier
research and pointing out areas that need further investigation.
Second, Dr. Gudea took pains to interview a wide variety of online teachers. This
yields a great diversity of opinions, which I found quite fascinating. Of particular
interest is his inclusion of part-time, adjunct faculty. These individuals, who may
teach for multiple universities, make up an increasing portion of college faculty.
However, few researchers bother to tap this resource. Part-time faculty face a number
of unique challenges and pressures; by interviewing these individuals, Dr. Gudea
is able to bring many of these challenges to light.
Another feature of the text that I found particularly useful is the inclusion of a great
many direct quotes, which adds considerable value. Including these quotes enables
readers to gain a deeper understanding of the teachers’ thoughts. In addition, the
quotes allow readers to draw their own conclusions, rather than solely relying on
the author’s interpretation. Many of these quotes make for fascinating reading and
provide interesting glances into the minds of the instructors.
Like it or not, online teaching and learning is here to stay. According to the Sloan
Consortium, over 2.5 million people are currently taking online courses, and over
100,000 teachers are involved in online teaching. These numbers are only going to
increase. Therefore, it is imperative that teachers, researchers and administrators un-
derstand what it takes to effectively deliver and manage online learning. Dr. Gudea’s
timely and insightful text goes a long way towards helping build this understanding.
Anyone interested in the teaching side of online education is well advised to read
this book; it is an investment that will be rewarded many times over.
Craig Van Slyke
Craig Van Slyke is an associate professor of management information systems and chair of the
Decision Science/Management Information Systems department at Saint Louis University. Prior
to joining SLU, he was on the faculties of University of Central Florida and Ohio University. He
teaches a variety of courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He holds a PhD in
information systems from the University of South Florida. Dr. Van Slyke also spent many years
in the information technology industry in a number of capacities. His current research interests
focus on issues related to the adoption of information and communication technologies. Dr.
Van Slyke has published in a number of journals, including Information Resource Management
Journal, Communications of the ACM, Journal of the AIS, European Journal of Information
Systems, Decision Sciences, and Database for Advances in Information Systems, among other
journals. He serves on the editorial board of Information Resource Management Journal and
the Journal of Information Systems Education. In addition, he has coauthored three information
systems textbooks. Dr. Van Slyke holds leadership positions in AIS SIG:ED and the Southern
Association for Information Systems.
viii
Preface
Introduction
Educational researchers have conducted many studies to investigate individual and
group learning, as well as the impact of technology on the learning process. A great
deal of literature is available to the researcher, a clear indication of the degree of
interest around online learning and distance education in general. However, the
great majority of the studies focus on the students’ perspectives (H.-L. Yang &
Tang, 2003). A review of the literature finds only a handful of studies that attempt
to address the teachers’ point of view. Little has been published on the online
teaching experience itself. Furthermore, the literature review reveals tremendous
inconsistency in findings.
My interest in the online learning environment started in early 2000, as I began
teaching technology courses for the University of Phoenix.1 It was there that, for
the first time, I got acquainted with the field of distance education and the use of the
Internet to teach courses. Over time, based on my own observations and discussions
with other online teachers at different universities, it occurred to me that the teachers
describe their online experiences as either satisfying or frustrating to various degrees.
Yet, none of them are left untouched by their online teaching experiences. As I later
discovered, these stances were not unique to one teacher, or to one university. Rather,
online teachers from different educational institutions and universities, responsible
for teaching different subject matters, report similar experiences.
If teachers are using information technology (IT) to teach online, what does that
mean to them? What variations in meaning exist? What do online teachers experi-
ence? How do teachers in an online setting view teaching? How do they view it
otherwise? What do they think the expectations are? What are the demands? Teach-
ers seem to adjust to the teaching environment and to embrace change. Yet, as they
ix
adjust, what do they give up? What do they feel they are gaining? These are some
of the questions I try to answer in this book.
The material presented in this book is based on numerous hours of personal inter-
views, and the answers to the previous questions came from the online teachers
themselves. For this, I am immensely grateful and would like to once again give
thanks to all the teachers who had accepted to be interviewed. They gave even more
of their time so that this study could be completed for the benefit of the entire pro-
fession, for students and teachers alike, and for the society as a whole as it marches
into the uncharted territories of teaching online.
What gives value to this book is the light it sheds on the lesser known territory of
teaching online from the teachers’ perspectives, and, even more so, the invaluable
quotes coming from the interviewed participants; the honesty, sincerity, and cour-
age with which they opened their hearts and looked into the good and bad of their
work and profession as it goes through this transitional process of developing a new
way of guiding thoughts and disseminating information. Teachers that tackle online
teaching are pioneers, ground breaking new territories as this new way of education
develops into its own. The integration of cutting-edge technology into one of the
oldest professions known to human kind is no simple thing.
The book, intended to be a handbook, is written in such a way that each chapter can
stand on its own and can be read individually. Hence, some repetitions occur, and
I hope you will accept them. This is particularly the case in Chapters III through
VIII, which attempt to paint a picture that is as complete as possible. The many
quotes sprinkled throughout the book pass on the passion of the respondents and
help frame the research questions mentioned previously. Furthermore, these quotes
are paramount to presenting teachers’ thoughts, perceptions, and beliefs; their lived
experiences in online teaching.
Several categories of people stand to benefit from the information relayed by this
study. Some of them are the teachers themselves; others are the course developers;
the educational technology specialists; the school administrators; and last, but not
least, the students or anyone else interested and questioning this new area of de-
velopment in the field of education. The teachers who are teaching online, or those
considering doing it, would benefit from reading this book because it is based on
information shared by other teachers who have experienced online teaching. In a
similar manner, course developers could benefit from the insight provided by the
teachers who teach online in order to produce courses that take into account the
shortcomings of the technology used for delivery. Educational technology specialists
stand to learn from the teachers’ experience teaching online through better being
able to identify new potential directions for research and technology development,
as well as for educational systems that are more user friendly, easier to use and to
support rich media interfaces.