The Future of Qualitative Inquiry: Qualitative Pedagogy at a Distance

While online offerings of methodology courses are increasing, little research has yet focused on the instructor and student experience of teaching and learning qualitative methods at a distance. Starting in fall 2014, students at the University of Georgia have had the option to take courses in our graduate certificate program in Interdisciplinary Qualitative Studies completely online. In this presentation we will 1) describe this transition; 2) share lessons learned from program design and implementation; 3) discuss results from the first year of data collection on student and instructor experiences; 4) listen to experiences of audience members who may be undergoing similar transitions. Our research questions include: What are students’ responses to use of fully online modes for delivery of core content in the IQS program? What challenges and affordances do students encounter in learning about qualitative research methods online? What challenges and affordances do instructors encounter in using online modes of delivery? How might online modes of delivery be used to effectively deliver content? Our longitudinal qualitative study includes an in-depth analysis of six courses over the first two years of program development and implementation. Data includes asynchronous online discussions, synchronous online meetings, instructor-generated materials, learning management system analytics, student evaluations and interviews. The focus of our data analysis has been to examine and describe students’ actions and responses to classroom activities and the instructor’s actions and responses to classroom events. We will propose implications for others involved in transitioning to online teaching and learning