A study of online faculty preparation for online teaching: Determining a best practices model

The Sloan Consortium reported that over 1.9 million students studied online in the fall of 2003 with institutions expecting the number of online students to grow to over 2.6 million by the fall of 2004 (Sloan, 2004). As institutions continue to expand online learning, focus continues to be given to institutional and student satisfaction, while little has been made available as to the best preparation techniques for faculty to teach online. This study reviewed faculty perceptions and experiences leading to a compilation for a best practices model.; The study was conducted through a mixed method design noted as a concurrent triangulation strategy (Creswell, 2003). The methodology allowed for use of both a qualitative and quantitative data collection. The data was collected to answer the following research question: What are the key components of faculty training programs that offer the best preparation for teaching in the online environment. The data collection was conducted through the use of an online survey and telephone interviews administered to three groups selected through a convenience sampling of participants who met the criteria of participating in an online training program and at least one semester of online teaching experience at a four-year college, university, or private school.; The study sought to capture the participant's individual perspectives and the similarities in training procedures that offered quality information to prepare faculty for online teaching. Quantitative data was collected through participant responses to twenty questions regarding technology, training materials, facilitator performance, and support. All of the studies utilized the Likert scale (Gay, Airasian, 2003). Qualitative data was extracted through responses from one group participation in semi-structured interviews to gather additional feedback regarding experiences in the online environment.; The results of the study offered many points regarding the support of faculty for preparation to teach online. The four topic areas, Technology, Training Materials, Facilitator Performance, and Support, proved to be noteworthy areas for discussion. Additionally, threads of relationship were found in the areas of faculty and technology, training materials, facilitated training, and support leading towards a compilation of concepts for a best practices model when developing an online training program.