Faculty in online distance education: An exploration of four faculty members' experience

Online distance education is growing in prevalence across institutions of higher education. Faculty are key to the success of educational innovations such as distance teaching, yet research of their experience is limited. It is important to recognize the role of faculty within distance education efforts in order to formulate strategies for the effective development and implementation of distance education efforts.; An interpretivist case study design was use to investigate the personal experiences of four faculty members with experience of participating in the same online distance education program. Semi-structured interviews were employed, with each participant asked to describe his or her experiences of participating in distance education as they felt relevant.; The findings of this interpretive study emerged from the data provided by the participants in the interviews. This in-depth exploration has identified several recurring themes which informed the development of the main findings and conclusions of the study.; Five main categories emerged from the interview data: (1) change, (2) technology, (3) support infrastructure, (4) student benefit and (5) instructor/student relationship. The main findings of this study suggest that the as traditional faculty transition into online distance education several factors are of relevance to understanding their experience.; The experiences of the four professors interviewed suggest that participation in online distance education requires, (1) individual learning and conceptual change and (2) a commitment to teaching and extension of learning opportunities, and is supported by an appreciation of, (3) personal compatibility and development of technological proficiency and (4) appropriate support services and infrastructure. The results of this study contribute to an understanding that the increased prevalence of distance education efforts within higher education may have a profound impact on the role and responsibilities of the faculty.; The product of this inquiry is a comprehensive account of the experience of participating in online distance education within one program. This account provides an interpretation of how the faculty in this study experienced and managed change in their role and responsibilities as a result of participating in online distance education.