This week is all about faculty support. Yes! We can all agree and testify that learner support is of paramount importance in the DE landscape. However, faculty support is just as important. In fact, their equal importance evokes the saying mental health is just as important as physical health. With that said, support for faculty and staff alike should not be neglected by higher education institutions. However, this is often the case at several institutions globally. Interestingly, the literature has documented faculty’s dissatisfaction with institutional support in distance education. Precisely, according to Tersoky and Heasley (2015), approximately 70% of online faculty members highlighted that their higher education institutions were underperforming in the level of support that was provided (as cited in Sprute et al., 2019). This suggests that there is room for improvement. To do so, post-secondary institutions should ensure that they receive adequate feedback from their faculty and staff regarding the support systems. Additionally, such institutions should ensure that they attend to their faculty’s psychological and professional development needs.
Professional development needs
The rapid increase of online course offerings and student enrollments over the years have resulted in the increased need for competent online instructors. As such, it is crucial that faculty members are trained and prepared to teach in the online environment. In fact, researchers pointed out that the appropriate training and preparedness of online faculty members can minimize turnover rates among faculty and improve student retention rates in higher education (Sprute et al., 2019). According to Carney et al., (2015), “professional development is the key to higher student success rates” (as cited in Sprute et al., 2019, p. 36). It is therefore quite evident that professional development has a relational effect on students. Faculty members are also positively impacted by professional development programs. More specifically, it can enhance the quality of their online instruction, enhance their competencies, reduce negative attitudes and perceptions, and boost their self-efficacy on online teaching. Essentially, it can help faculty members utilize the best online instructional practices that facilitate the learning process of all learners, especially those with disabilities.
"Maslow's hierarchy of needs" by Timvandevall
Psychological needs
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs thoroughly explores our psychological needs which are comprised of esteem needs like confidence and our need to belong. These human needs are sometimes overlooked by several higher education institutions, but they are quite significant in the online landscape. You see, instructors can feel isolated in the DE environment. A participant of a recent study confirmed such feelings specifically stating that “as adjuncts, we feel like islands” (Sprute et al., 2019, p. 40). However, as the saying goes, no man is an island. As such, it is imperative that higher education institutions provide support measures that attend to the emotional and psychological needs of their faculty. This can be done through the establishment of virtual communities of practice, and small faculty groups.
These professional groupings have been found to create a sense of community among faculty in the online environment and gives them a sense of belonging. In fact, a participant of a recent study said that “there is a feeling of belonging in a group and getting support from the university and mentor teachers. You feel supported and it makes you happy and you feel like you belong” (Sprute et al., 2019, p. 40). Not only that, but there are other perks of faculty circles and communities of practice. Particularly, faculty members get to share resources, collaborate with other faculty, and learn from each other’s experiences.
Altogether, professional development should be of high priority because it ensures that faculty is confident, competent, up to date, and equipped with the ever changing DE landscape. Research also highlights that it helps change faculty’s perceptions and attitudes towards learning technologies and helps them better support all learner groups especially students with disabilities. Once professional development is addressed, institutions should attend to their faculty’s psychological needs. Ensuring that there are free accessible psychological services along with virtual professional communities, small professional groups among other things helps online faculty members combat isolated feelings, and most importantly increases that sense of community and belongingness.
What say you on these two areas of support for faculty? I anticipate your remarks in the comment section below!
Krista
MDE student
University of Maryland Global Campus
University of Maryland Global Campus | UMGC
References
Sprute, K., McCabe, C., Basko, L., Danuser, P., & Mandernach, J. (2019). Virtual professional communities: Integrative faculty support to foster effective teaching. Journal of Instructional Research, 8(2), 34–43. Click here to access the article