Higher Education Faculty Training for the Online Environment

Universities continue to focus on providing opportunities for students to attain a degree. With more college courses moving to an online format, the faculty are not always prepared to teach in this new environment. The local university does not have a formal training program for faculty as they transition to teaching online. This study’s purpose was to examine the available training and mentoring support for faculty as they gain the pedagogical skills to teach online. The concerns-based adoption model and constructivist theory inform how people learn, the support needed to adopt new learning, and how perceptions influence that adoption. The research questions involved the faculty’s perceptions of their training needs and the resources for online teaching. A case study design was used to capture the training and support needs of faculty as they transition to teach online. Semistructured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of 10 faculty, including 1 faculty member who had never taught online, 3 who had taught less than 2 years online, and 6 who had taught over 2 years online. NVivo software was used for transcribing, coding, and the extraction of themes during the data analysis process. After analyzing, the themes identified were lack of formal training, student success in online courses, and support from other faculty or online resources. To address these themes, a 3-day training program was created that focuses on developing online courses and using online instructional tools to impact teaching and learning. An education empowers students to use their tools and mind to influence others and educators must assist students with facilitating their learning. As faculty continue to expand their learning to teach in an online environment, they are empowering their students to gain an education and developing positive social change for the communities in which they live