| The primary purpose of this study was to better understand the faculty experience when developing an online course as part of a collaborative team. Although collaborative approaches to course development are routinely implemented at single-mode institutions focusing exclusively on online education (e.g., The Open University), faculty at dual-mode institutions have traditionally had the freedom and responsibility to design and develop courses autonomously. Thus, participating in collaborative course development is a significant departure from how faculty members typically approach course design and development.; To minimize frustration and facilitate success for all involved in online course development, there needs to be a better understanding of the faculty experience in the collaborative course development process. In order to examine the faculty experience in-depth, four faculty members and their teams were followed closely throughout the course development process and their stories are presented. Data was also collected from other faculty and staff participants in order to elaborate on the faculty case studies and draw conclusions regarding the factors that impact the faculty experience in the collaborative online course development process. A variety of data gathering techniques were employed including interviews, focus groups, observations, document analysis, questionnaires, and inventories.; A number of factors impacting the faculty experience were identified and can be grouped into five general categories of faculty characteristics, teaching philosophy, expectations and flexibility, team dynamics, and resources and support. Based on these factors, recommendations are made to aid staff members who are working collaboratively with faculty members to develop an online course, to identify issues to consider when selecting faculty participants to participate in such programs, and for best structuring collaborative online course development programs to ensure faculty success. |
