Strasser, Timothy
(2019)
An Analysis of Online Adjunct Faculty Perspectives of Institutional Support at Doña Ana Community College.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
This needs assessment study used the theoretical frameworks of andragogy and social development theory to investigate the perspectives of online adjunct faculty from Doña Ana Community College in Las Cruces, NM regarding institutional support for online teaching. The purpose of this study was to uncover the needs and wants of online adjunct faculty and to learn from their voices about the experiences in teaching online and with the institutional support. This study provides valuable insight into the experiences of the online adjunct faculty, the challenges they face and their suggestions on how support for them could be improved.
Twenty online adjunct faculty from Doña Ana Community College volunteered to participate in this study. Five focus group sessions were conducted with each last approximately 1 hour. The primary findings suggest that 1. Online adjunct faculty feel isolated from the academic community, 2. Online adjunct faculty feel a great sense of anxiety from not feeling sufficiently prepared to teach online, 3. Online adjunct faculty encounter barriers in seeking assistance because of time limitations and their varied lives and careers.
The focus groups revealed a desire by the online adjunct faculty for recognition and appreciation for high quality online teaching and online teaching-related trainings and certifications. Participants also expressed a desire for high-quality support that includes improved guidance and mentoring. This study revealed that DACC would benefit by focusing attention on strategies to better support online adjunct faculty, and conversely, the findings revealed that online course quality could become a negative factor in DACC’s efforts to establish a successful online education presence.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
16 December 2019 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
31 July 2019 |
| Approval Date: |
16 December 2019 |
| Submission Date: |
2 December 2019 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
118 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Education > Administrative and Policy Studies |
| Degree: |
EdD - Doctor of Education |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Online education, adjunct faculty, online adjunct faculty, faculty support |
| Date Deposited: |
16 Dec 2019 14:53 |
| Last Modified: |
16 Dec 2019 14:53 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/37916 |
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