CETL Publications
Donnelli, E., Mandernach, B. J., & Dailey, A. (2007). Development on Demand©: Professional Enhancement Resources for a Geographically-Diverse Faculty. Distance Learning Reports, 11(11), 5-6.
As more and more institutions segregate distance programs from their traditional, daytime counterparts, faculty become more and more dispersed, both physically and culturally. Faculty development programs designed to reach all faculty, while difficult and sometimes costly to implement, are essential mechanisms for unifying faculty and ensuring quality across instructional modalities. The Park University Development on Demand© initiative serves as one example of how an institution can provide critical professional enhancement resources to a geographically-diverse faculty for relatively little cost beyond CD copying and mailing (or the posting of resources online). The Development on Demand© approach ensures that all faculty at an institution, regardless of their location, can benefit from the same content and quality of resources. When faculty can unite through shared professional development materials and experiences, the gap is lessened among them, both geographically and culturally, resulting in a greater sense of shared institutional identity.
Mandernach, B. J., Dailey-Hebert, A, Donnelli-Sallee, E. (2007). Frequency and Time Investment of Instructor’s Participation in Threaded Discussions in the Online Environment. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 6(1).
With the continued growth of online learning, increasing numbers of faculty are transitioning into the online classroom. The movement into online education has raised concerns about the equivalence of teaching workloads between online and face-to-face classes. Research indicates that faculty report a greater time investment for online classes than for equivalent face-to-face courses. Concerns about time investment are compounded with the considerable ambiguity surrounding the perceived availability of faculty teaching in a 24/7 online environment. Unlike a scheduled face-to-face class in which there are pre-set constraints on the timing of a class period, office hours and instructor work-day, the continuous, open nature of the virtual classroom raises a host of questions surrounding the frequency of expected instructor interaction, the timing of interactions and an instructor’s availability to students. One of the most popular forms of virtual classroom interaction is via threaded discussions. The purpose of the current study was to examine frequency and time investment of an online instructor’s participation in course-specific threaded discussions. Results indicated considerable variability in both frequency and time investment of threaded discussion participation. While research indicates the threaded discussions are a very effective means of promoting active involvement with course materials, it appears as though there is little agreement among experienced online instructors as to the instructional investment required to take advantage of the educational gains available through this type of electronically mediated instruction.
Mandernach, B. J., Donnelli-Sallee, E., & Hebert-Dailey, A. (2006). Selecting and Implementing a Course Management System. Journal of Educational Technology, 2(4), 52-66.
Institutions of higher education are embracing the role of the Internet as a medium to promote on-demand communication between faculty and students. As such, online course management systems have become an efficient and effective means of facilitating learning outside the classroom. To ensure that a course management system meets the needs and goals of an institution, it is vital that the selection and migration of content to an online courseware platform is done systematically. This article highlights key stages in the selection and migration process. In addition, practical recommendations are provided focusing on sensitivity to an institution’s culture, resources, political climate, and goals for quality and growth.
Mandernach, B. J., Hebert-Dailey, A., & Donnelli, E. (2006). Frequency and Time Investment of Instructors’ Participation in Threaded Discussions in the Online Classroom. Submitted to the Journal of Interactive Online Learning.
The movement into online education has raised concerns about the equivalence of teaching workloads between online and face-to-face classes. Research indicates that faculty report a greater time investment for online classes than for equivalent face-to-face courses. Concerns about time investment are compounded with the considerable ambiguity surrounding the perceived availability of faculty teaching in a 24/7 online environment. Unlike a scheduled face-to-face class in which there are pre-set constraints on the timing of a class period, office hours and instructor work-day, the continuous, open nature of the virtual classroom raises a host of questions surrounding the frequency of instructor interaction, timing of interactions and an instructor’s availability to students. One of the most popular and pedagogically effective forms of virtual classroom interaction is via threaded discussions. The purpose of the current study was to examine frequency and time investment of an online instructor’s participation in course-specific threaded discussions. Results indicated considerable variability in both frequency and time investment of threaded discussion participation. While research indicates the threaded discussions are a very effective means of promoting active involvement with course materials, it appears as though there is little consistency among experienced online instructors as to the instructional investment required to take advantage of the educational gains available through this type of electronically-mediated instruction.
Mandernach, B. J., Donnelli, E. & Hebert-Dailey, A. (2006). Learner Attribute Research Juxtaposed with Classroom Practice: Predictors of Success in the Accelerated, Online Classroom. Journal of Educators Online, 3 (2). Available online at www.thejeo.com.
Research examining student success in online education has focused extensively on internal learner attributes with little emphasis on external, controllable factors that may mediate a student’s ability to perform within the distinctive environment of the virtual classroom. The purpose of this study is to balance student characteristic research with external, direct data from the perspective of online instructors in order to provide a practice-oriented understanding of the unique factors predictive of student success in accelerated, online courses. Experienced online educators were surveyed to identify practical skills, strategies or factors most likely to lead to success for students enrolled in online courses. A content-analysis of open-ended responses revealed 23 relevant factors that clustered into six broad themes. Within these themes, four issues emerge as the most predictive of online learner success: time, technology, initiative, and competence. Discussion examines the practical, deliberate application of this information to facilitate students’ successful completion of online courses.
Mandernach, B. J., Dailey, A. & Donnelli, E. (2005). Personalizing the Distance Learning Relationship: Perceptions of the Relative Importance of Faculty Web Site Components. Journal of Educational Technology, 2(3), 50-59.
Instructors teaching in the online classroom are faced with the unique challenge of creating a personalized relationship in a virtual environment that lacks the traditional outlets for establishing an informal connection with students. While there are various means of facilitating the online student-teacher relationship, faculty Web pages are often used as a simple, low-cost means of sharing information about an instructor’s personal life (including interests, hobbies, family, etc). The purpose of the current study was to examine students’ perception of the relative importance of various types of information placed on a faculty Web page. It was hypothesized that online students would desire more personalized content on an instructor’s Web page as these students would lack the face-to-face, informal interactions that typically reveal this type of information. Contrasting the hypothesis, this study found online students and face-to-face students placed little importance on the personalized components of a faculty Web site. Rather, regardless of educational delivery format, students placed high importance on basic contact and course-specific information, with very little importance on an instructor’s personal information.
Mandernach, B.J., Donnelli, E., Dailey, A. & Schulte, M. (2005). A Faculty Evaluation Model for Online Instructors: Mentoring and Evaluation in the Online Classroom. The Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 8(3). Available online at http://www.westga.edu/~distance/jmain11.html.
The rapid growth of online learning has mandated the development of faculty evaluation models geared specifically toward the unique demands of the online classroom. With a foundation in the best practices of online learning, adapted to meet the dynamics of a growing online program, the Online Instructor Evaluation System created at Park University serves the dual purpose of mentoring and faculty evaluation. As such, the model contains two distinct phases of interaction: formative reviews and a summative evaluation. Beyond its critical role in instructor retention, program assessment, and accreditation, this faculty evaluation system signals the University’s commitment to ongoing professional development. The Online Instructor Evaluation System maximizes the potential of faculty evaluation to inspire reflection and growth; encourages the persistent professional development needs of online instructors; emphasizes the process of teaching as well as product; incorporates multiple perspectives to capture a comprehensive view of instructor performance; and educates key on-ground university constituents about online learning.
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