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Lauryl A. Lefebvre, Ph.D.Indiana University
[email protected] 30, 2009
Sloan-C
Faculty orientation, development, and support in virtual
university settings
1. To examine the demographics and job satisfaction of part-time faculty at for-profit virtual universities
2. To review their institutional support preferences with respect to:› Orientation topics and delivery
methods› Professional development resources› Support services
Purpose
Study Background Theoretical Framework Research Questions Methodology Select Findings Implications for Practice Future Research
Outline
Foundations16%
Intl.7%
Editorial 10%
Course-level42%
admin.15%
faculty6%
evaluation5%
1986 - 2001 Journal of Distance Edu-cation
Content Analysis
Research Gap at Policy-level
SOURCE: Rourke & Szabo (2002)Course-level: technology and media (16%), instructional design
(13%), learner characteristics (12%), and student support services (15%).
Foundations5% Intl.
2%Editorial
14%
Course-level55%
admin.9%
faculty5%
evaluation11%
2002 - 2008
Course-level: technology and media (13%), instructional design (21%), learner characteristics (13%), and student support services (9%).
1970
1974
1979
1983
1987
1994
1998
2002
2006
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Year
% o
f Par
t-tim
e Fa
culty
Part-time Faculty Usage at U.S. Postsecondary Institutions
SOURCES: Snyder, Dillow, & Hoffman (2009)
8
9
Teaching
• faculty hiring• student admissions
decisions• curriculum development• course design/development• course delivery• evaluation and assessment
Research • Knowledge Generation
Service • Institution, Region, Profession
Typical P-T Virtual Faculty Roles
#1. Faculty Profile. What is the demographic and employment profile of part-time virtual faculty?
#2. Job Satisfaction.
What is their job satisfaction? Are they more intrinsically motivated or extrinsically motivated?
#3. Working Conditions. What are their working conditions? Do these conditions meet their expectations?
Research Questions
contributes to the research gap on faculty attitudes with virtual workplace
provides insight on working conditions that contribute to faculty satisfaction, engagement and retention
guides administrators in the design of university and program policies
Significance
Part-time campus-based faculty
Distance campus-based faculty
Virtual faculty
Literature Review
SOURCE: Maslow (1943)
Theoretical FrameworkSelf-actualization
Self-esteem
Belonging
Safety
Physiological
- a positive emotional response resulting from an appraisal of the job in fulfillment of an individual’s values
SOURCE: Locke, 1984
Object
Cognition
Value Appraisal
Emotion
sensory perception
conceptual identification+=
Job Satisfaction
Maslow (1949)
Alderfer (1969)
Herzberg (1966)
Hygiene
Self-actualizationSelf-esteemSocial
Existence
SecurityPhysiological
Motivator
Relatedness Growth
SOURCE: Ronen (1994)
Hygiene factors → Dissatisfaction (when absent) or No Dissatisfaction (when present)
Motivator factors → Satisfaction (when present) or No Satisfaction (when absent)
Existence Needs
PrivacyJob
Security
Workload
Flextime
PayBenefits
Support
MethodologyN. Alberta (2)
StructuredQuestionnair
e
Closed-endedResponses
Open-endedResponses
Excel SPSS
Semi-structuredInterviews
Interim DataAnalysis
InformsInforms
Transcripts
FinalAnalysis
NVivo
Import of Demographic
s
RQ#1: Faculty Profile
1Sources: Chronister, Baldwin, & Conley (1997), Conley & Leslie (2002), and Forrest, Cataldi, Fahimi, & Bradburn (2005).
Study Samplen = 39
Bricks-and-Mortar1wt. n = 416
Gender (M-to-F) 56:44 52:48
Mean age (yrs) 57 46
Terminal degree 90% 26%
Employment tenure (yrs) 6 6
Appointment as primary 24% 23%
Employed elsewhere 90% n.a.
-# of outside jobs 1.5 1.7
-full-time positions 42% 64%
Retired professional 26% n.a.
Expected retirement >70 yrs 59% 10.7%
Satisfaction Scores
n Mean Std. Error
Std. Dev.
Cronbach's
Alpha
General 32 72.84 2.719 15.38 0.938Intrinsic 37 38.95 1.217 7.41 0.880Extrinsic 35 22.09 1.210 7.16 0.906
RQ#2: Job Satisfaction
Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) response options for 20-item short form: 1 = Very dissatisfied, 2 = Dissatisfied, 3 = Neutral, 4 = Satisfied, and 5 = Very satisfied (Vocational Psychology Research, 1977).
Average of means: 2.751 – Very Dissatisfied, 2 – Somewhat dissatisfied, 3 – Somewhat satisfied, 4 – Very satisfiedGroup A: Very Dissatisfied/ Somewhat Dissatisfied; Group B: Somewhat Satisfied/ Very Satisfied
RQ#2 Existence (Hygiene) Needs
Employment Motivator Mean S.D.
Benefits 1.23 .627Salary 1.64 .811Online teaching experience 2.38 1.138Part-time nature of work 3.18 .942Ability to set own hours 3.32 .809
1 – No influence, 2 – Some influence, 3 – Influential, and 4 – Great influence.
Existence Factors
n Mean S.D. Group A
Group B B – A
rate of pay 39 2.03 0.873 1.64 2.18 0.54
benefits 35 2.31 1.132 1.91 2.50 0.59
orientation 37 2.49 1.070 2.40 2.52 0.12
teaching support 39 2.56 1.021 2.18 2.71 0.53
technical support 38 2.68 0.842 2.50 2.75 0.25
workload 39 2.77 0.931 2.18 3.00 0.82
security 37 2.78 1.031 2.64 2.85 0.21
privacy 38 3.47 0.725 3.18 3.59 0.41
flextime 37 3.70 0.618 3.36 3.85 0.49
Orientation Support ServicesProf. Development
R#3: Working ConditionsOrientation Method Mean S.D.
Online instructor certification courses 2.22 1.058
Newcomers web conferences 2.63 0.942
Newcomers face-to-face workshops 2.84 1.093
Tutorials (self-paced) 2.89 0.924
Faculty handbook 3.00 1.013
Peer mentoring 3.26 0.685
Questionnaire response options for part-time virtual faculty sample: 1 – Not Important, 2 – Somewhat important, 3 – Important and 4 – Very important.
Orientation Topic Mean S.D.
Alumni updates 1.97 1.102
Institutional history 2.66 1.072
Student demographics 2.84 1.027
Institutional performance progress reports 2.97 0.944
Institutional mission 3.21 0.991
Organizational culture 3.24 0.943
Policies clarification 3.50 0.647
Teaching philosophy 3.58 0.722Faculty resources 3.71 0.515
Questionnaire response options for part-time virtual faculty sample: 1 – Not Important, 2 – Somewhat important, 3 – Important and 4 – Very important.
Professional Development Method Mean S.D.
3- and 5-day short courses offered by outside educational vendors 2.03 1.038Faculty exchange program with other virtual institutions 2.33 1.060
Release time/sabbatical 2.53 1.224
Web conferences 2.62 0.990
Professional association memberships 2.69 1.030Face-to-face workshops offered by institution 2.95 0.972
Faculty retreat 3.03 1.013
Teaching and learning professional staff 3.21 0.978
Conference travel stipends 3.44 0.912
Course platform management
Student advising
Group discussion forum facilitation
Assessment (course + student)
Support Service Mean S.D.
Multimedia design 2.82 1.023
Andragogical assistance 2.92 0.997
Live concierge helpdesk 3.26 0.993
Librarian 3.38 0.815
Information technology 3.79 0.469
Questionnaire response options for part-time virtual faculty sample: 1 – Not Important, 2 – Somewhat important, 3 – Important and 4 – Very important.
Identify reflection opportunities focused on
teaching strategies and outcomes assessment
Embed just-in-time IT and library services in
the virtual space
Serv.
Orient
P. Dev.
Foster peer-to-peer interactions for
cross-fertilization of ideas and
reduction of faculty isolation
Virtual universities have attracted an older and more experienced/educated workforce.
Work need theories provides a basis for examination of faculty work attitudes.
WASC virtual faculty are intrinsically motivated. The existence needs of faculty orientation,
development, and support were not dissatisfiers for WASC faculty.
Review
Maslow (1949)
Alderfer (1969)
Herzberg (1966)
Hygiene
Self-actualizationSelf-esteemSocial
Existence
SecurityPhysiological
Motivator
Relatedness Growth
SOURCE: Ronen (1994)
Research GapPart-time Faculty TrendsTheoretical FrameworkRQ#1: Demographic ProfileRQ#2: Job SatisfactionRQ#3: Working Conditions – Support
Questions?
See also: Lefebvre, L.A. (2008). Demographics, roles, and employment motivations of part-time faculty at virtual universities. In N. Van Note Chism (ed.), Faculty at the margins, New Directions in Higher Education (no. 143, pp. 37-44), San Francisco, Jossey-Bass.
Chronister, J. L., Baldwin, R. G., & Conley, V. M. (1997). Retirement and other departure plans of instructional faculty and staff in higher education institutions. (Report No. NCES 98-254), Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
Conley, V. M., & Leslie, D. W. (2002). Part-time instructional faculty and staff: Who they are, what they do, and what they think. (Report No. NCES 2002-163), Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
Forrest Cataldi, E., Fahimi, M., Bradburn, E. M. , & Zimbler, L. (2005). 2004 National study of postsecondary faculty (NSOPF:04): Report on faculty and instructional staff in Fall 2003 (Report No. NCES 2005-172). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
Locke, E. A. (1984). Job satisfaction. In M. M. Gruneberg, & T. D. Wall (Eds.), Social psychology and organizational behaviour (pp. 93-117). Chichester, England: Wiley.
Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370-396.
Ronen, S. (1994). An underlying structure of motivational need taxonomies: A cross-cultural confirmation. In H. C. Triandis, M. D. Dunnette, & L. M. Hough (Eds.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (2nd ed., Vol. 4, pp. 241-269). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
References
Rourke, L., & Szabo, M. (2002). A content analysis of the Journal of Distance Education, 1986-2001. Journal of Distance Education, 17(1), 63-74.
Snyder, T. D., Dillow, S. A., & Hoffman, C. M. (2009). Digest of education statistics 2008. (Report No. NCES 2009-020). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
Vocational Psychology Research. (1977). Minnesota satisfaction questionnaire (short-form ed.). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota.