University of New England
Professor of Education Michael F. Beaudoin recently
published the results of his research titled "From Campus to
Cyberspace: The Transition of Classroom Faculty to Distance
Education Roles."Beaudoin’s study looked at many
important facets of distance learning and teaching,
including:
- How faculty have adapted and adjusted to teaching
at a distance.
- How effective they feel.
- What tools they utilize.
- How satisfied faculty are with their new online
teaching roles.
- Faculty members’ perception of their students’
satisfaction with them and the course material.
The study utilized a 35-question survey that he sent to
approximately 100 faculty currently teaching full-time or as
part-time adjunct at six institutions (two in New England
and four in other regions of the U.S.) which offer graduate
degree programs delivered through distance education
modalities. Criteria for participation were a minimum of two
years teaching in a classroom environment, and a minimum of
one year of distance teaching experience. Fifty respondents
completed and returned the survey.
One unique aspect of Beaudoin’s study examined
respondents’ perceptions of the opinions and attitudes of
their colleagues toward distance education in general.
Although faculty engaged in distance teaching generally
found their new role challenging and rewarding, their
colleagues still don’t view distance education favorably.
As stated in his research, Beaudoin found that "nearly
half of the respondents felt most other faculty considered
distance teaching less important than classroom instruction.
Only one responded that colleagues considered distance
teaching equal to classroom teaching, yet 12 percent
indicated colleagues felt distance teaching was more
difficult. Just over one-quarter perceived their colleagues
to be largely indifferent to distance education.
"Reasons cited for why many of their colleagues did not
view distance education favorably are: It is too impersonal;
it is too new; it is not effective. Several felt their
classroom counterparts underestimated the time involved in
distance teaching, or did not recognize the rigor of this
form of education. The survey asked respondents if they
believed their respective academic department and/or
institution recognized their impact as distance educators on
their students. Fifty-eight percent feel they get some
acknowledgment for their role from their organization, and
22 percent replied they did not get any sense of
recognition. A few who did sense some positive recognition
made a distinction between their department and the overall
institution, with most indicating that their own academic
department was more attuned to their distance education
roles and responsibilities."
