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25 Performance Improvement, vol. 47, no. 10, November/December 2008 ©2008 International Society for Performance Improvement Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com) DOI: 10.1002/pfi.20036 IMPLEMENTATION OF BEST PRACTICES FOR ONLINE TEACHING AND LEARNING IN AN ONLINE INSTITUTION Sonja A. Irlbeck The article documents the creation of and rationale behind best practices to maintain high performance for teaching and learning at an online university. The grassroots involvement of faculty, building on best practice efforts that guided faculty in the past, the effort to engage the full faculty in the review of documents describing best practices that were generated by a team of faculty, and the support for implementation of best practices to maintain high performance for Capella University faculty are described. THE STRONG GROWTH OF the online learning mar- ket (technology mediated distance learning) has been accompanied by a number of organizations providing “principles, guidelines, or benchmarks to ensure quality distance education” (Institute for Higher Education Policy, 2000, p. 5). Best practices help inform teaching- learning processes and performance improvement, while technology helps enhance the relationships. The concept presented in this article is that best practices should be focused on and related to performance improvement as it relates to teaching and learning, rather than the tech- nology being used. This premise is described in relation to recent activities that were initiated in an accredited online organization, Capella University, and its support of best practices in teaching and mentoring for a full and robust faculty engagement and improved faculty perfor- mance in the teaching and learning processes. As Capella University matures as an accredited online university and prepares for more adventures in online worlds, the importance of faculty involvement and clear under- standing of the best practices for improving teaching and learning are crucial. A number of resources (Abel, 2005; Institute for Higher Education Policy, 2000; International Board of Standards for Training, Per- formance and Instruction [IBSTPI], 2006; Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications [WCET], 2001) were reviewed as Capella University fac- ulty began to coalesce around ideas that defined high- quality teaching at Capella University. The results loosely aligned with key criteria noted by Abel and the IBSTPI 2003 instructor competencies (2006). Those relation- ships will be highlighted in this article. CONTEXT Toward that end, in 2007, Capella University involved its faculty in a series of explorations regarding Capella’s understanding of best practices for teaching and mentor- ing in the online environment. During the year, faculty were brought together both virtually and physically to explore what best practices meant to the faculty within the Capella learning environment. Through continuing discussions and review of the literature, faculty moved the focus from the mechanics (tips and tricks that help improve the specific moment of contact with learners, which may be technology dependent) toward the over- arching guiding principles that align with Capella’s vision and values that define the organization. Perhaps some context will be helpful. Capella Univer- sity was established in 1993, becoming fully accredited a few years later. The organization’s mission and vision drove the strong focus on assisting learners to perform and to help them succeed in pursuits of high-quality online post-secondary educational opportunities. From Capella University’s vision and mission came the impor- tant value of delivering superior learning outcomes and

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Performance Improvement, vol. 47, no. 10, November/December 2008©2008 International Society for Performance Improvement

Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com) • DOI: 10.1002/pfi.20036

IMPLEMENTATION OF BEST PRACTICES FORONLINE TEACHING AND LEARNING IN ANONLINE INSTITUTION

Sonja A. Irlbeck

The article documents the creation of and rationale behind best practices to maintain high

performance for teaching and learning at an online university. The grassroots involvement of

faculty, building on best practice efforts that guided faculty in the past, the effort to engage the

full faculty in the review of documents describing best practices that were generated by a team

of faculty, and the support for implementation of best practices to maintain high performance

for Capella University faculty are described.

THE STRONG GROWTH OF the online learning mar-ket (technology mediated distance learning) has beenaccompanied by a number of organizations providing“principles, guidelines, or benchmarks to ensure qualitydistance education” (Institute for Higher EducationPolicy, 2000, p. 5). Best practices help inform teaching-learning processes and performance improvement, whiletechnology helps enhance the relationships. The conceptpresented in this article is that best practices should befocused on and related to performance improvement asit relates to teaching and learning, rather than the tech-nology being used. This premise is described in relationto recent activities that were initiated in an accreditedonline organization, Capella University, and its supportof best practices in teaching and mentoring for a full androbust faculty engagement and improved faculty perfor-mance in the teaching and learning processes. As CapellaUniversity matures as an accredited online university and prepares for more adventures in online worlds, theimportance of faculty involvement and clear under-standing of the best practices for improving teaching and learning are crucial. A number of resources (Abel,2005; Institute for Higher Education Policy, 2000;International Board of Standards for Training, Per-formance and Instruction [IBSTPI], 2006; WesternCooperative for Educational Telecommunications[WCET], 2001) were reviewed as Capella University fac-ulty began to coalesce around ideas that defined high-

quality teaching at Capella University. The results looselyaligned with key criteria noted by Abel and the IBSTPI2003 instructor competencies (2006). Those relation-ships will be highlighted in this article.

CONTEXTToward that end, in 2007, Capella University involved itsfaculty in a series of explorations regarding Capella’sunderstanding of best practices for teaching and mentor-ing in the online environment. During the year, facultywere brought together both virtually and physically toexplore what best practices meant to the faculty withinthe Capella learning environment. Through continuingdiscussions and review of the literature, faculty moved thefocus from the mechanics (tips and tricks that helpimprove the specific moment of contact with learners,which may be technology dependent) toward the over-arching guiding principles that align with Capella’s visionand values that define the organization.

Perhaps some context will be helpful. Capella Univer-sity was established in 1993, becoming fully accredited afew years later. The organization’s mission and visiondrove the strong focus on assisting learners to performand to help them succeed in pursuits of high-qualityonline post-secondary educational opportunities. FromCapella University’s vision and mission came the impor-tant value of delivering superior learning outcomes and

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superior learner experiences (Capella University, 2006).To provide superior learner experiences, the organizationalso needed to focus on faculty performance, and theirexperiences and commitment to providing superiorlearning opportunities. A superior experience (influencedby faculty) can result in a superior learning outcome(produced by learners). This is based on the premise thatCapella University is a learning-centered community that values human potential, achievement, collaborationand teamwork, innovation, and integrity (CapellaUniversity, 2006).

A further extension of Capella University’s values wasthe shared commitment to define teaching and mentor-ing best practices for Capella University’s teaching andlearning environments. Through appreciative inquiry,Delphi techniques, and other processes, four founda-tional statements (best practices) determined by Capellafaculty were delineated:

• Build faculty-learner relationships.

• Manage and facilitate the learning process.

• Build and communicate professional expertise.

• Assess learning and teaching (Capella University,2007a).

These high-performance strategies were informed by theCapella faculty’s actual experiences as well as throughexploration of the literature related to teaching and learn-ing best practices, including best practices developed byChickering and Gamson (1987) and WCET (2001), alongwith IBSTPI’s (2006) updated instructor competencies.Although the format, richness, and sophistication ofonline learning has grown since the 1980s and 1990s,the underlying foundation of a nurturing teaching andlearning environment dedicated to help learners improvetheir performance still has relevance to educators andhuman performance technology (HPT) professionalstoday. This foundation is reflected in Capella University’sinterpretation of best practices.

BLENDING THE LITERATURE ABOUT BESTPRACTICES IN ONLINE TEACHING WITHAPPLICATIONBenchmarks or guidelines related to high-quality teach-ing coalesce the thinking and strategies suggested by col-leges, universities, faculty, and professional organizationsinvolved with online learning. Six key elements wereraised by Abel (2005) as a way to determine whether alearning institution’s best practices measured up: (a) keymission objectives aligned with online learning activities;(b) an effective executive process, program selection pri-oritization; (c) most of the effort focused on the programlevel; (d) grassroots faculty efforts supported and pro-moted; (e) reliable access for learners; and (f) metrics thatprovide balance between quality and growth. These keyelements were addressed in a variety of ways as CapellaUniversity’s best practices were formulated.

Alignment with industry standards helps an orga-nization have a sense of the context in terms of how they fitwithin the industry and potential areas of strategic impor-tance. In 1993, IBSTPI first published a set of instructorcompetencies; in 2000, the IBSTPI board created a taskforce whose goal was “to review and update the instructorcompetencies to reflect developments in teaching andlearning and the use of online delivery system[s]” (IBSTPI,2006). The four foundational statements delineated byCapella University’s faculty align with the five IBSTPI over-arching competencies, as shown in Table 1.

At Capella University, a strong curricular foundation isvigorously supported through the process of coursedesign and development. A team of content experts (fac-ulty), instructional designers and developers, mediadevelopers, graphics experts, and others provide planningand preparation (denoted by “*” in Table 1) and areresponsible for consistent approaches to this process.With the level of support in the design and developmentfunctions, the two IBSTPI subcompetencies related toplanning and preparation are subsumed within the fourCapella University foundational statements.

How do the four Capella University teaching and men-toring best practices translate into an online environmentthat includes a learning management system (LMS)incorporating various media aspects and interactivelearning opportunities? The literature suggests that theprimary focus should be on the interaction and relation-ship between faculty and learner (IBSTPI, 2006; WCET,2001), rather than the technology being used. A trulyeffective focus on the teaching-learning relationship,from an organization-wide perspective, needs to be fullysupported by the organization, communicated throughthe administration to faculty, and translated by the devel-opment team.

...best practices should befocused on and related toperformance improvement asit relates to teaching andlearning, rather than thetechnology being used.

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Performance Improvement • Volume 47 • Number 10 • DOI: 10.1002/pfi 27

SUPPORT FOR BEST PRACTICES

Abel (2005) summarized common denominators for suc-cess in Internet-supported learning, which included theneed for institutions to nurture grassroots faculty ideas,clearly communicate about the online process, and sup-port faculty with technology and pedagogy (p. 75).Through faculty involvement in the creation of best prac-tices or foundational statements, these key elements wereimplemented, beginning with a well-articulated educa-tional philosophy and learning model that “focuses ondeveloping scholar-practitioners through learning thatincorporates both theoretical knowledge and relevantexperience” (Capella University, 2007b, p. 2). Amala(2007) reinforced the importance of these key drivers forquality e-learning experiences, emphasizing that “strongpillars for building a quality e-learning environment needto be in place before implementing successful and qualitye-learning courses and programs” (p. 26). Some of the keydrivers included planning, providing user-friendly tech-nology delivery systems, creating and maintaining arobust e-learning infrastructure, and establishing highstandards for developing, designing, and implementingcourses (p. 26)—all ideas that were supported by IBSTPIand implemented by Capella University.

Abel’s study (2005) supported the importance of pro-viding leadership and involving faculty in the creation ofbest approaches for teaching and learning within an insti-tutional context. One need not “reinvent the wheel” of bestpractices but should garner the wisdom of those who havethoroughly investigated the topic and then harvest the

ideas that help the institution and learners thrive. ArizonaState University (ASU; March, 2002) used this approachvia a best practices subcommittee that created specific bestpractices that were compiled from several resources in thedocument, which focused on faculty orientation, creatingsocial communities, learning facilitation, motivationenhancement, moderation of discussions, improvinginteraction, feedback strategies, assessment, and evalua-tion. These issues are related to high-quality instructionand performance in any setting and were specificallytranslated for ASU’s distance learning environment.Capella University followed similar processes of facultydevelopment and study to arrive at the best practices thatguide its faculty engagement with learners.

The Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommu-nications (WCET) published best practices that weredeveloped by the “eight regional accrediting commissionsin response to the emergence of technologically mediatedinstruction offered at a distance as an important compo-nent of higher education” (WCET, 2001). These regionalcommissions were not concerned with specific imple-mentation of strategies in technologically mediatedinstruction, that is, online LMS or multiuser virtual envi-ronments (MUVES) such as Second Life®, but with theglobal “essentials of institutional quality . . . applicable tothe emergent forms of learning” (WCET, 2001). WCETfurther corroborated the ideas, explaining that details willbe found in the actual implementation with-in the learn-ing environment. Capella University faculty carried outfurther exploration through the specification of the four foundational statements, supported by specific

ALIGNMENT OF CAPELLA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATIONAL TABLE 1 STATEMENTS AND IBSTPI INSTRUCTOR COMPETENCIES

CAPELLA UNIVERSITY TEACHING AND IBSTPI COMPETENCIES FOR ONLINE ANDMENTORING BEST PRACTICES FACE-TO-FACE ENVIRONMENTS

Build and communicate professional expertise Professional foundations

* Planning and preparation

Build faculty–learner relationships Instructional methods and strategies

Assess learning and teaching Assessment and evaluation

Manage and facilitate the learning process Management

Source. Capella University, 2007a; IBSTPI, 2006.

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techniques for improving their performance in the onlineenvironment. The techniques included ideas related toworking with advisees and learners, managing the course-room, and so on.

FURTHER DEFINITION OF CAPELLAUNIVERSITY BEST PRACTICES ANDFOUNDATIONAL STATEMENTSAs faculty participated in the process of defining andrefining best practices, they provided further corrobora-tion for each best practice statement (Capella University,2007a). The four strategies were delineated into basic,exemplary, and additional techniques to carry out thebest practices.

Faculty-Learner Relationships Building faculty-learner relationships is a best practicethat focuses on regular communication and interaction,coaching, structure, and discipline, and creating and par-ticipating in communities within all levels of the univer-sity. Faculty strive to implement this best practice in avariety of ways, such as the following:

• Gain knowledge of learner and strategies for effectiveengagement with learners.

• Use the courseroom effectively by personalizing thecourse, offering flexibility to learners, providing per-sonalization, and sharing professional experiences.

• Understand and implement Capella’s processes, tools,and systems to effectively communicate with andengage learners, faculty, and staff to promote positivefaculty-learner relationships.

Learning Process Managing and facilitating the learning process focuses oneffective facilitation of the learning process through a fac-ulty presence that incorporates the Capella values. Facultystrive to implement this best practice, as follows:

• Apply instructional strategies that recognize individu-ality and encourage learner engagement through con-tent, peers, and instructor.

• Understand and implement Capella’s processes,tools, and systems to carry out administrative dutiesrelated to record keeping, documentation, andcourse management.

Professional ExpertiseThe importance of building and communicating profes-sional expertise was the focus of this best practice.Professional expertise is achieved through effective com-

munication within the faculty to bridge theory and pro-fessional application. Faculty strive to implement this bestpractice, as follows:

• Create an environment to encourage development ofthe scholar-practitioner model.

• Maintain flexibility and responsiveness to variouslearning styles.

• Demonstrate competence in the professional disci-pline as evidenced by current or continuing education,research, publications, continuing practitioner experi-ence, and consulting in the field.

• Demonstrate ongoing professional development.

Assessing Learning and Teaching Performance improvement and performance-basedinstruction rely on fair and accurate assessment of learn-ing processes. Faculty strive to implement this best prac-tice, as follows:

• Implement frequent and diverse competency-based orcriterion assessments.

• Assess the effectiveness of teaching strategies andcourseroom environment through collaborative,meaningful, and institutionally supportive approaches(Capella University, 2007a).

The descriptions provide evidence of further alignmentwith the guidelines suggested by others (Abel, 2005;Amala, 2007; IBSTPI, 2006; WCET, 2001). The grass rootsefforts and ongoing engagement of faculty is planned tohelp maintain the document’s currency. By involving fac-ulty in the process of describing their own best practices,and then validating these statements with best practiceguidelines from other educators, Capella University cus-tomized a robust and well-grounded set of instructionalguidelines for use.

ONGOING IMPLEMENTATION OF BESTPRACTICES IN AN ONLINE UNIVERSITYThese best practices or foundational statements guideCapella faculty. With the best practices to provide aframework, an effective faculty member will strive tomaintain the faculty–learner relationship, find ways to help the learning process be successful, assess the learn-ing, and continue to build professional expertise for boththe faculty and the learner. With these four foundationalcornerstones in place, additional faculty support can beprovided to help implement the best practices throughspecific techniques and approaches that are compatiblewith the present technology, whatever it may be. Theorganization continues to focus on effective learning

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Performance Improvement • Volume 47 • Number 10 • DOI: 10.1002/pfi 29

through the high performance of faculty who support themission and vision set forth by the university.

REFLECTIONSChange and growth take time. In 2006, the process ofinvolving faculty, gathering ideas about their implemen-tation of best practices, and researching the literaturebegan. In 2007, initial faculty input and engagement wereactively sought over a period of several months, and for-mal documentation was finalized in early 2008, alongwith a corporate commitment and plans to continue tofind ways to incorporate best practices for faculty.Performance improvement literature (Baxter & MacLeod,2008; Chang & DeYoung, 1996; Rothwell, Hohne, & King,2007) emphasizes the ongoing need to manage and sup-port change and performance improvement to maintainsuccess; the Office of Faculty Engagement is reinforcingthe best practices effort. This director-level departmentcontinues to bring focus to key aspects of success inteaching and learning at Capella. Continued evidence ofquality and learner performance, along with continuedenhancements to best practices, will be confirmed viadata gathered over future quarters. Opportunities foradditional research about best practices continue.

References

Abel, R. (2005). Implementing best practices in online learning. Educause Quarterly, 3(75), pp. 75–77. Retrieved September 17, 2008, from http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eqm05312.pdf.

Almala, A.H. (2007). Preview of current issues in quality e-learning environments. Distance Learning, 4(3), 23–30.

Arizona State University. (2002, March). Best practices for deliv-ering quality online courses: Guidelines for instructors (Reportto College of Extended Education by best practices subcom-mittee of distance learning and technology advisory board).Retrieved September 17, 2008, from http://www.utdc.vuw.ac.nz/blackboard/docs/DistanceGuidelines2.pdf.

Baxter, L.F., & MacLeod, A.M. (2008). Managing performanceimprovement. New York: Routledge.

Capella University. (2006). Vision and mission statement.Unpublished document. Capella University.

Capella University. (2007a). Capella University teaching andmentoring foundational statements. Unpublished document.Capella University.

Capella University. (2007b). Capella University educational philosophy. Unpublished document. Capella University.

Chang, R.Y., & DeYoung, P. (1996). Measuring organizationalimprovement impact: A practical guide to successfully linkingorganizational improvement measures. London: Kogan Page.

Chickering, A.W., & Gamson, Z.F. (1987, March). Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education.The American Association for Higher Education Bulletin.Retrieved September 17, 2008, from http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/7princip.htm.

Institute for Higher Education Policy. (2000, April). Quality onthe line: Benchmarks for success in online education. RetrievedSeptember 17, 2008, from http://www.ihep.org/Publications/publications-detail.cfm?id=69.

International Board of Standards for Training, Performanceand Instruction. (2006). 2003 instructor competencies.Retrieved September 17, 2008, from http://www.ibstpi.org/Competencies/Instructor_competencies.htm.

Rothwell, W.J., Hohne, C.J., & King, S.B. (2007). Human per-formance improvement: Building practitioner competence.Burlington: Elsevier.

Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications.(2001). Best practices for electronically offered degree and certificate programs. Retrieved September 17, 2008, fromhttp://www.wcet.info/services/publications/accreditation/Accrediting_BestPractices.pdf.

SONJA A. IRLBECK serves as full-time faculty for Capella University in the Instructional Design forOnline Learning program. She was the Harold Abel outstanding faculty recipient in 2006 and hasextensive experience designing and developing distance education opportunities for business andeducation. Prior to joining Capella, she owned a small consulting business that focused on trainingand performance improvement. She may be reached at [email protected].