College teaching in the virtual classroom: Faculty perceptions of the effectiveness of online instruction

This study investigated the perceptions of the effectiveness of online instructional delivery among a cohort of full-time faculty experienced teaching both online as well as in traditional classroom environments. The study also investigated the relationship between these perceptions and instructional experience, academic rank, academic field, online instructional experience, and course levels. Data were collected via a survey based upon the Faculty Inventory developed by Chickering, Gamson, and Barsi (1987).;The researcher distributed the survey to over 700 faculty at public and private colleges and universities in the United States. Responses to open-ended questions sent to respondents who agreed to provide additional information supplemented the survey data. There were 218 usable surveys returned. The respondents rated online instruction as slightly more effective overall ( p = .049, alpha = .05) and also more effective for promoting prompt feedback, promoting time on task, communicating high expectations, and promoting respect for diverse learning styles. For the primary research question, respondents rated online instruction as less effective for promoting student faculty contact and cooperation among students.;In regard to the additional research questions, the respondents consistently rated promoting student faculty contact significantly lower for online instruction and they consistently rated promoting prompt feedback and promoting time on task higher. Additionally, the perceived effectiveness of online instructional delivery increased with the number of online courses taught, course level of the classes taught online, and overall instructional experience. Academic field had a more limited influence. Significant between-group differences were found between faculty in Education and Engineering/Technology Studies.;The research found that the respondents in this study perceived student-faculty and student-student interaction as a weakness of online instruction while they perceived the ability of online environments to facilitate instructional delivery and feedback to be among its strengths. However, the major theme that emerged from the open-ended responses did indicate that monitoring student input and providing feedback involved more time on task for faculty and that issues of workload should be taken into consideration. The study provides a set of instructional and institutional recommendations based on the findings from the survey data and the responses to the open-ended questions.