Online Faculty as Adult LearnersFaculty Development that Works

Suzanne G. James, Ph.D.David Binder, MBA

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Rapid Growth of Online Learning

• 2008 Sloan survey: 12% increase in online education over the past year

• Increasing need for effective faculty• Reliable and effective training is rare (Ko and

Stevens, 2004)• Nature of current training varies from

– No formal training– Platform based training only– Few address faculty as adult learners

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Principles of Adult Learning

• Active involvement

• Opportunities for dialogue

• Regular feedback

• Incorporation of life experiences

• Relevancy

• Application immediacy

• Creation of a social environment

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The Walden University Model

• Over 400 faculty employed in the Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership

• Faculty are addressed as adult learners through faculty development stressing– Collaboration– Mentoring– Application immediacy– Supportive environment and community– Reflective practice

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The Walden Model – Part One

• New Faculty Orientation– A four week course– Faculty are introduced to the history, mission,

values, goals and educational philosophy of Walden

– Faculty participate as students as they collaborate on assignments and participate in discussions and reflective practice

– A sense of community is fostered

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The Walden Model – Mentoring

• Lead faculty member in each course– An expert in subject matter– An experienced teacher– Understands the online modality– Holds periodic phone conferences– Promotes sharing of experiences– Provides positive feedback and coaching

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The Walden Model – Post NFO training

• A second four week course

• Designed on adult learning principles

• Provides opportunities for faculty to interact

• Course must be successfully completed before a faculty member can serve as a doctoral committee chair

• Faculty participate in teams to evaluate sample capstone papers

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The Walden Model – Monthly Faculty Meetings

• Evening toll-free telephone meetings

• Both full-time and part-time faculty participate

• Attendance not required but encouraged

• Faculty suggest agenda items

• Goal of meetings is to foster a sense of belonging and community, to provide mentoring from experienced faculty, and to provide opportunities to collaborate

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The Walden Model – Monthly Newsletter

• Electronic newsletter called

The Q and A

• Addresses FAQs sent by

faculty

• Responses have been very

positive

• Contributes to sense of community

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The Walden Faculty Development Model -- Summary

• Through a variety of experiences, faculty development at Walden University incorporates collaboration, mentoring, application immediacy, sense of community and reflective practice.

• Regardless of the course modality, the most important variable for course success is the instructor (Miller and King, 2003).

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For More Information…

Faculty as Adult Learners – Faculty Development that Works

Contact:

Suzanne.james@waldenu.edu

David.binder@waldenu.edu

Thank you

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