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Supporting faculty for successful online instruction: factors for effective onboarding and professional development

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Supporting faculty for successful online instruction: factors for effective onboarding and professional development

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Content Running head: SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION

SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION: FACTORS FOR
EFFECTIVE ONBOARDING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

by
Phuong M. Vuong
___________________________________________________________________

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

August 2016

Copyright 2016 Phuong My Vuong
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First and foremost, I would like to thank USC Rossier School of Education for giving me
the opportunity to join this wonderful Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership program.
It has been a challenging and growth inspiring experience for me. Through this journey, I had
the honor to learn from distinguished professors, colleagues, and guest speakers. Additionally,
the international study tour to Brazil was a valuable and unforgettable experience. I will forever
be grateful for the opportunity to be part of the USC Trojan family and the life changing doctoral
journey.
I would like to thank my dissertation committee members, Dr. Robert Filback, Dr.
Melora Sundt, and Dr. Ronni Ephraim, for guiding me through this dissertation process. There
were several challenging moments that I had to overcome, and they were always there to support
me either through email, phone, or video conference. I would not have been able to do this
without their encouragement and constructive feedback.
Working full-time while enrolled in a doctoral program was not easy. I especially would
like to thank my employer and colleagues at the organization for all the support during my
enrollment in the program. I would like to thank my C.E.O. for allowing me to work around my
school schedule. I would also like to thank my colleagues for filling in for me when needed, but
also dealing with me during stressful times.
Writing a dissertation does not happen in a few days, but rather a few months or more. I
would like to thank some of my close USC classmates who have been there to not only answer
my questions, but who also kept me up during the late writing nights. Even though some of our
late nights consist of chatting online or posting on social media, it was still a motivating factor to
not give up. I definitely would not have made it through without my classmates.
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION iii
More importantly, I would also like to extend my sincere appreciation to my family and
friends. I want especially to thank my mother. Although we had our ups and down the last
couple years, I am still grateful for your unconditional love and understanding while I was in the
program. You have your own unique way of supporting me and I love you for everything that
you have done for me. To Dad, thank you for being my guardian angel from above. Friends, I
know I have been M.I.A., but thank you for still being there for me and still including me in the
get-togethers, even if I do not attend sometimes.
I would like to thank the one person who has been there for me through thick and thin,
my fiancé: Jimmy Ngo. He has always been there for me regardless of my mood. When I first
started the program, I heard from colleagues that joining a doctoral program can really make or
break a relationship. Well, I guess it made our relationship! Not only did we get engaged, we
also became new home owners with a cute little puppy: Yogiooo. I would not have finished my
dissertation on time without the support from my fiancé, my own quiet home to write, and a
loving puppy by my side during my late writing nights. Although I am ending my doctoral
journey, I am on my way to starting another journey with my new family!
Last but not least, I have to thank yoga for being part of my life. Yoga kept me sane and
balanced, and will continue to do so. Coming to my yoga mat is my way of resetting for the day
or the week. Yoga reminds me to breathe, be mindful and present, and also reflect upon myself
and others. Balancing on a yoga mat is just like balancing myself in life. Yoga keeps me
healthier, mentally and physically, stronger to live and enjoy my life.
Namaste!

SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................ ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................... iv
LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... viii
LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... ix
ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... x
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1
Organizational Context and Mission ........................................................................................... 3
Organizational Performance Status ............................................................................................. 4
Related Literature ........................................................................................................................ 4
Importance of this Study ............................................................................................................. 8
Organizational Performance Goal and Current Performance ..................................................... 9
Organizational Stakeholders ....................................................................................................... 9
Stakeholder for the Study ............................................................................................................ 9
Purpose of the Project and Questions ........................................................................................ 10
Definitions of Terms ................................................................................................................. 11
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................................... 13
Professional Development and Faculty Support ....................................................................... 13
Support from Human Resources ........................................................................................... 14
Professional Development in an Online Asynchronous Setting ............................................ 15
Professional Development in an Online Synchronous Setting .............................................. 15
Professional Development on Technology and Pedagogy .................................................... 16
Adult Learning Theory and Effective Professional Development ............................................ 18
What is Learning? .................................................................................................................. 19
Adult Learning Theory .......................................................................................................... 20
Evaluating Effective Programs .............................................................................................. 21
Factors from Learning and Motivation Theory ......................................................................... 22
Knowledge and Skills ............................................................................................................ 22
Motivation ............................................................................................................................. 25
Organization .......................................................................................................................... 26
Factors that Facilitate or Inhibit Administrators in Effective Professional Development ........ 27
Knowledge and Skills ............................................................................................................ 28
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION v
Factual ................................................................................................................................ 28
Conceptual ......................................................................................................................... 28
Procedural .......................................................................................................................... 31
Metacognitive .................................................................................................................... 33
Motivation ............................................................................................................................. 34
Extrinsic value ................................................................................................................... 34
Cost value........................................................................................................................... 35
Expectancy outcome .......................................................................................................... 35
Organization .......................................................................................................................... 36
Cultural models .................................................................................................................. 36
Cultural settings ................................................................................................................. 36
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 38
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................ 40
Purpose of the Project and Questions ........................................................................................ 40
Methodological Framework ...................................................................................................... 40
Presumed Performance Needs and Assets ................................................................................ 42
Scanning Interviews .............................................................................................................. 43
Knowledge and Skills ............................................................................................................ 44
Motivation ............................................................................................................................. 45
Organization .......................................................................................................................... 46
Summary ................................................................................................................................... 46
Validation of the Performance Assets ....................................................................................... 48
Validation of the Performance Assets: Knowledge ............................................................... 50
Validation of conceptual knowledge assets ....................................................................... 50
Validation of procedural knowledge assets ....................................................................... 51
Validation of metacognitive knowledge assets .................................................................. 51
Validation of the Performance Assets: Motivation ............................................................... 53
Validation of the Performance Assets: Organization ............................................................ 55
Participating Stakeholders ......................................................................................................... 57
Data Collection .......................................................................................................................... 60
Instrumentation ...................................................................................................................... 61
Surveys ............................................................................................................................... 61
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION vi
Interviews ........................................................................................................................... 62
Document analysis ............................................................................................................. 62
Trustworthiness of Data ............................................................................................................ 62
Role of Investigator ................................................................................................................... 63
Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 64
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND FINDINGS................................................................................. 65
Results and Findings for Knowledge Assets ............................................................................. 65
Conceptual Knowledge Assets .............................................................................................. 65
Addressing both pedagogical and technological components ........................................... 66
Pedagogical and technological professional development content .................................... 69
Procedural Knowledge Assets ............................................................................................... 77
Offering professional development in multiple modalities ............................................... 77
Application of principles of instructional design by modeling and providing feedback ... 78
Metacognitive Knowledge Assets ......................................................................................... 81
Ability to reflect on areas of need for improvements ........................................................ 82
Monitor faculty performance to provide on-going faculty support ................................... 83
Synthesis of Results and Findings for Assumed Knowledge Assets..................................... 85
Results and Findings Motivational Assets ................................................................................ 89
Task Value ............................................................................................................................. 90
Professional development supports institutional growth and student needs ...................... 90
Professional development can help maintain student engagement, student satisfaction,
retention for both faculty and students, and program sustainability .................................. 90
Professional development is a cost benefit ........................................................................ 91
Expectancy Outcome ............................................................................................................. 92
Professional development results in smoother transition for faculty and more positive
student learning outcomes .................................................................................................. 93
Synthesis of Results and Findings for Assumed Motivational Assets .................................. 93
Results and Findings Organizational Assets ............................................................................. 95
Cultural Models and Settings ................................................................................................ 96
Support for innovation in teaching practice ....................................................................... 96
Funding and necessary resources for professional development ....................................... 98
Appropriate time and compensation for professional development ................................ 100
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION vii
Synthesis of Results and Findings for Assumed Organizational Assets ............................. 102
Summary ................................................................................................................................. 105
CHAPTER 5: RECOMMENDATIONS, IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION .......... 108
Validated Assets Selection and Rationale ............................................................................... 108
Recommendations to Increase Motivational Assets ................................................................ 110
Increase Value and Expected Outcomes of Professional Development .............................. 110
Recommendations to Increase Organizational Assets ............................................................ 113
Open Communication and Support ..................................................................................... 114
Time, Compensation, and Budget for Professional Development ...................................... 115
Recommendations to Increase Knowledge Assets .................................................................. 116
Conceptual: Professional Development in Technology and Pedagogy for Adult Learners 117
Procedural: Utilize Various Formats, Model, Engage and Give Timely Feedback ............ 118
Metacognitive: Evaluate and Monitor Performance for On-Going Faculty Support .......... 120
Implementation Plan ............................................................................................................... 122
Evaluation Plan ....................................................................................................................... 123
Level 1: Reactions ............................................................................................................... 124
Level 2: Learning................................................................................................................. 124
Level 3: Transfer ................................................................................................................. 124
Level 4: Impact .................................................................................................................... 125
Limitations and Delimitations ................................................................................................. 126
Future Research ....................................................................................................................... 128
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 129
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 130
APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................ 139
Appendix A: Recruitment Script ......................................................................................... 139
Appendix B: Survey Protocol .............................................................................................. 140
Appendix C: Interview Protocol .......................................................................................... 142
Appendix D: Document Analysis Protocol ......................................................................... 144
Appendix E: Information Sheet ........................................................................................... 145

SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION viii
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Summary of Assumed Assets for Knowledge, Motivational, and Organizational Issues
………………………………………………………………………………………………...… 47
Table 2: Summary of Assumed Knowledge Assets and Their Validation ................................... 51
Table 3: Summary of Assumed Motivational Assets and Their Validation ................................. 54
Table 4: Summary of Assumed Organizational/Culture/Context Assets and Their Validation ... 56
Table 5: Summary of Results and Findings for Assumed Knowledge Assets ............................. 87
Table 6: Summary of Results and Findings for Assumed Motivational Assets ........................... 94
Table 7: Summary of Results and Findings for Assumed Organizational Assets ...................... 104
Table 8: Summary of Validated, Partially Validated, and Not Exhibited Assumed Assets ....... 107
Table 9: Summary of Validated and Partially Validated Assets ................................................. 109
Table 10: Summary of Recommendations to Increase Motivational Assets .............................. 113
Table 11: Summary of Recommendations to Increase Organizational Assets ........................... 116
Table 12: Summary of Recommendations to Increase Knowledge Assets ................................ 121

SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION ix
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Gap analysis process ……………………………………………..………………… 42
Figure 2: Responses to conceptual knowledge survey questions …………...…...…………… 76
Figure 3: Responses to procedural knowledge survey questions ……………….....….……… 79
Figure 4: Responses to motivational survey questions ………………………......………….... 92

SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION x
ABSTRACT
This study examined the faculty onboarding and professional development process across
seven prominent online graduate programs. The study focused on the perspectives of
administrators or those who are involved with onboarding and implementing professional
development for faculty. The Clark and Estes’ (2008) Gap Analysis framework was applied to
identify promising practices to help administrators achieve the goal of adequately preparing
faculty with the pedagogical and technological strategies needed to successfully teach in an
online format. The purpose of the study was to identify the factors that are facilitating or
inhibiting administrators in carrying out onboarding and professional development to support
effective instruction online, particularly in synchronous online classes. Surveys, interviews, and
document analysis were employed to collect data. The data collected were used to validate
presumed knowledge, as well as motivational and organizational assets based on the literature.
Some recommendations were proposed. One recommendation was that online programs support
administrators and faculty by providing clear communication regarding their expectations of
attending professional development. Another recommendation is that professional development
sessions include both technological and pedagogical components, utilizing various delivery
formats and teaching strategies for adult learners, such as modeling and giving timely feedback.
In addition, it was recommendation that online programs monitor both faculty performance and
their own professional development process in order to provide on-going support for faculty. An
evaluation of the implementation plan was suggested to conclude the study.
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 1
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Central to the success of any professional graduate program is the commitment of the
program and its faculty to ensuring effective instructional delivery. Historically, however, the
preparation faculty in higher education received to teach has been varied and largely informal.
Most faculty members never experienced a formal onboarding process or received professional
development on how to teach in the traditional college or university classroom (American
Productivity and Quality Center [APQC], 2013). With the advent of new forms of educational
delivery, this situation has been brought into relief as most institutions have been unprepared to
provide professional development for faculty who teach online (Vaill & Testori, 2012). New
faculty orientation, when it exists, has typically focused on benefits and advantages of working
for the institution rather than on pedagogical skills.
The occurrence of providing professional development for faculty and the content within
the professional development process varies by institution. The accrediting body of the Western
Association of Schools and Colleges’ Senior College and University Commission (WASC-
SCUC) (2013), for example, specifies that faculty hiring, orientation, and evaluation practices
should be aligned with institutional purposes and educational objectives. While bodies like
WASC-SCUC may encourage professional development, however, the reality is that many
instructors in colleges and universities have never been formally taught how to teach (Sundt,
2012).
Professional development for faculty, when it occurs, can take many different forms.
Rubeck and Witzke (1998) described professional development as the process of enhancing
faculty’s educational knowledge and skills that allows them to make educational contributions to
improve programs. Professional development may include orientation, technological and
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 2
pedagogical professional development, along with on-going support for faculty members.
Professional development programs vary between institutions in terms of content, length, and the
quality of the curriculum. Some institutions prepared instructors with one-on-one sessions or
group seminars, and other institutions offer short-term or long-term sessions using a hybrid
format (Vaill & Testori, 2012; Meyer & Murrell, 2014).
Transitioning faculty from traditional classrooms to teaching online with technology can
be challenging for the faculty. Technology can be frustrating, confusing, and intimidating to
many new users (King, 2002). Professional development on technology has therefore been
growing to help faculty become familiar with the online environment and navigate the online
management system. Early on, the content of most onboarding focused on familiarizing faculty
with the technology they would be using (APQC, 2013). Davis and Bensen (2012) found that
online faculty need professional development on how to use the course management system that
is being used to deliver the online instructions. A course management system is also known as a
learning management system (LMS), which is an online portal that hosts course lectures,
assignments, and assessments (Hill, 2012). Literature also suggested changes in faculty’s role to
think of new effective strategies to provide feedback to students in online classes (Berge, 2008).
However, what faculty often receive is mostly technology training with the assumption that that
is all they need to be successful teaching online. In addition to learning about technology
features of the course management system, however, Davis and Bensen (2012) also indicated
that online faculty should receive professional development on effective pedagogical practices
for teaching online.
Pedagogical skills used in brick and mortar classrooms are not necessarily applicable in
an online class (APQC, 2013). Faculty members who perform well in on-ground classes do not
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 3
necessarily perform the same way in online classes (APQC, 2013). Yang and Cornelious (2005)
stated that traditional brick and mortar classes are more professor-centered and online classes are
more student-centered. Faculty and administrators are recognizing that teaching online is
different from teaching on-ground (Ferrario, Hyde, Martinez, & Sundt, 2013; Hixon, Barczyk,
Buckenmeyer, & Feldman, 2011). They are realizing that to teach effectively online, they will
need to develop new skills (Howell, Saba, Lindsay, & Williams, 2004). In the initial stages of
teaching online, technological skills are paramount, but the focus shifts to pedagogical
improvements as the faculty progress in their online efforts (Orr & Pennington, 2009).
As institutions transition to online education, the importance of providing professional
development for faculty increases because teaching online requires not only technological skills
but also online pedagogical skills (Vaill & Testori, 2012). The use of technology for online
classes and preparing faculty to teach online has opened a window to include a pedagogical
component in professional development (APQC, 2013). More recently, particularly because of
the advent of online instruction, institutions have created orientations for faculty teaching online
(Vaill & Testori, 2012). In order to identify promising practices, this study examined several
high-performing online graduate programs that provide onboarding and professional
development for faculty teaching online.
Organizational Context and Mission
This paper presents the results of research on the professional learning approaches taken
by a number of graduate professional schools offering high quality online degree programs.
These schools utilize the same online program management (OPM) system that enables them to
offer their online programs globally. More specifically, these programs offer a highly
synchronous teaching format that allows students to interact with each other and with the faculty
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 4
face-to-face virtually online. Although the mission of each university varies, they all share a
focus on providing live online classes, dynamic course content with immersive and interactive
materials, and real-world experience to ensure students to reach their full potential and
experience a high quality education.
Organizational Performance Status
The majority of the graduate programs included in this study are situated in highly
selective institutions with high rankings in their respective fields (U.S. News and World Report
[USN], 2015a, 2015b). For example, one program is at a university that is ranked 16th within
the Regional Universities North Rankings (USN, 2015b) and the other universities all ranked
above 72 within the National Universities Rankings (USN, 2015a). Moreover, one program
ranked first for having the best online Master of Business Administration (MBA) program in the
U.S. (USN, 2015c). All of the programs are delivered using a similar OPM platform that allows
students to complete their coursework through asynchronous learning and synchronous
interaction with classmates and professors, regardless of where they are located globally. These
programs incorporate live synchronous virtual classes for students and faculty to interact with
each other to ensure no back row. Thus, these graduate programs are likely to place high value
on instructional quality.
Related Literature
New developments in online programming put pressure on faculty to be more versatile
and to be able to teach across a range of delivery formats. In the past, there have been various
models of online education such as an early course delivery via the web and the usage of an LMS
where faculty post their class materials and have access to online tools such as grading and
posting assignments (Hill, 2012). Moreover, Hill (2012) described two dimensions of modality
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 5
and methods of course design such as ad hoc online courses and programs, fully online
programs, blended/hybrid courses, flipped classes, School-as-a-Service, educational partnerships,
competency-based education, and MOOCs. Over time, more universities have included online
components in their educational programming for their students (Hill, 2012).
Understanding adult learning theory is important because faculty members are adults and
administrators must consider adult learning theory to develop a curriculum that fits the needs of
adults to enhance their learning. As adult learners, faculty can also be considered non-traditional
students. For example, the populations of non-traditional students who attend the online
programs include working adults, some dealing with issues related to child or parent care (Sundt,
2014). Adult learners have different needs and requirements than those of children. Likewise,
adult learners may face barriers that fall under three categories: the characteristics of the students
themselves, the student-faculty relationship, and technological difficulties that hinder their
success in an online program (Hillesheim, 1998). Researchers have suggested that theories such
as adult learning theory or constructivism for online learning should be applied in distance
education (Huang, 2002).
The literature also suggested there is a lack of quality professional development being
offered to faculty as they transition to an online environment (Lackey, 2011). As institutions
transition to online programs and encounter a wider range of students, teaching online has
exposed the gap between faculty receiving preparation in content through their education and not
receiving preparation for teaching online (APQC, 2013). Institutions have begun to address this
matter for faculty members who teach online. Betts (2009) asserted that with support from the
program and administrators, faculty are more likely to teach in an online context, be engaged as
an online faculty, and continue to teach online. Additionally, as faculty become more
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 6
comfortable with using new technology and innovative instructional strategies, student
engagement and retention increases (Betts, 2009).
Faculty members teaching in online programs may come across challenges of managing
online courses such as using an LMS, how to grade fairly in an online environment, and creating
a lesson plan for a live virtual class. Other challenges may include time spent in virtual classes,
cognitive overload on learning how to teach online, structure of engaging students, flipped
classrooms, and building relationships (Ferrario et al., 2013). Additionally, it is also suggested
to provide professional development to help faculty develop appropriate communication skills
with students, give timely feedback, and facilitate discussions and projects to meet student needs
(National Education Association [NEA], n.d.).
Online education has evolved along with technology, and the growth of online education
necessitates a need for a professional development process for online faculty members,
especially for synchronous virtual classes. The model of online education in use at the sites of
this study consists of live virtual classes where students and faculty members are able to see and
speak to each other synchronously through computers, tablets, or other electronic devices.
Students participate in seminar-style virtual classrooms and instructors share documents and
videos online. Instructors are able to break students into on-line work groups. This model is
unique because it allows students to participate in a face-to-face class remotely and receive
attention from their students and faculty across the monitor. The evidence suggested that there
was no difference in the overall student performance when comparing brick and mortar classes
with synchronous online classes (Ferrario et al., 2013).
There are various methods institutions have implemented for the professional
development process of online faculty. Online content should be delivered through both
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 7
synchronous and asynchronous presentations, activities, lectures, using multiple communication
methods (Crawford-Ferre and Wiest, 2012). The professional development can be conducted in
one-on-one sessions, short-term sessions, long-term sessions, or seminars that are face-to-face,
online, or in hybrid format (Vaill & Testori, 2012; Meyer & Murrell, 2014). Other methods of
conducting professional development may include web-based tutorials, peer discussions,
mentorships, and observations (Clay, 1999). Virtual professional development can also help
faculty get acclimated to teaching in an online environment (Chen, Sugar, &Bauer, 2012; Wang,
Chen, & Levy, 2010).
Professional development content for online teaching may include the LMS,
technological tools, some pedagogy used in face-to-face classes, online resources, and
instruction. However, content can also vary depending on the goals of the institutions.
Crawford-Ferre and Wiest (2012) summarized effective practices in online instructional
methods, including course design, interactions between students and teachers, and instructor
preparation and support. Moreover, Vaill and Testori (2012) introduced a three-tiered approach
for online professional development consisting of orientation, mentoring, and ongoing support.
More recently, some onboarding preparation included technological professional development,
adaptation of online environment, navigating the LMS, skill building, and some basic
pedagogical principles (APQC, 2013). In addition, resources on how to incorporate technology
in a course were readily available but there was a lack of the pedagogical step to use those
resources (Cueller, 2002). Although the literature showed that institutions provide professional
development to faculty, it is still unclear how much emphasis institutions should place on
providing professional development to improve online pedagogical skills, including pedagogical
skills to conduct online synchronous virtual classes.
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 8
There is much to consider when conducting professional development, including factors
such as understanding learning theories, methods of delivering professional development, and
content to include in the professional development curriculum. Since faculty members teaching
in institutions are adults, it is important for administrators to understand adult learning theory
and principles for teaching adult learners. Faculty may face challenges that hinder them from
teaching effectively online; however, if they receive the proper professional development and
support from administrators, then they are more likely to engage in teaching online (Betts, 2009).
Professional development can be delivered in many ways including in-person, virtually, one-on-
one, or in group sessions. The content that should be included in professional development
varies between institutions and their goals for professional development. This study explored the
professional development system and promising practices for online programs of study to the
extent of exploring how these programs prepare their faculty on pedagogical skills for online
synchronous virtual classes.
Importance of this Study
A number of institutions nationwide have implemented online graduate programs
requiring professional development of large numbers of faculty to effectively teach in a
synchronous online environment. While historically there has not been much preparation of
faculty for effective teaching on-ground, the growth of online instructors is leading to the
provision of at least some professional development in online teaching (APQC, 2013). However,
a lot is still unknown about this professional development or to what extent it is helping faculty
to effectively teach online classes. Online synchronous instruction is also a growing feature of
programs and is an important facet of this study. Lackey (2011) suggested a push for more
professional development to prepare faculty to teach online and increase their confidence in
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 9
teaching in an online environment. Therefore, it is important to discover the best practices of
other institutions to further assist other online educational institutions with developing faculty
members to teach effectively in an online synchronous environment.
Organizational Performance Goal and Current Performance
This study focused on the graduate programs that prepare students to succeed in a wide
range of settings. The seven participating institutions are highly competitive and consist of
graduate programs in business administration, social work, public administration, international
relations, information, and data science. The courses in the graduate programs feature live
weekly synchronous classes, which students must prepare for by reviewing materials
asynchronously. The graduate programs in this study have partnered with the same OPM to
support their online classes. Part of the success of these programs involves preparing faculty to
be fully prepared by the first day of an online class to teach effectively in that environment.
Organizational Stakeholders
The main stakeholders that influence the performance of the programs in this project are
faculty members, administrators, and students. Faculty members are those who conduct the
online classes and will be receiving the professional development from the institutions and OPM
provider. The administrators have roles as staff, faculty members, or are deans who provide the
professional development and on-going support for faculty to successfully and effectively teach
online courses. The students receive the instruction provided by the faculty, which will
demonstrate the results of the professional development process for faculty.
Stakeholder for the Study
The stakeholder group I have focused on in this study is comprised of administrators who
are involved with professional development for faculty to prepare them for online instruction,
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 10
including teaching in the synchronous classroom. The administrators may serve as a staff or
faculty member or may have other roles, but they must be directly involved with the process of
professional development for online teaching.
Purpose of the Project and Questions
The purpose of the study is to identify the factors that are facilitating or inhibiting
administrators in carrying out onboarding and professional development to successfully deliver
instruction online, particularly in synchronous online classes.
1. What knowledge, skills, motivational and organizational factors facilitate or inhibit
administrators in providing professional development for faculty to successfully teach
online, including synchronous online classes?
2. For those factors perceived to be facilitating professional development, what promising
practices could be adapted to and utilized by other units in the same agency? For those
factors perceived as inhibitors, what recommendations may be helpful for improving
professional development within the organization?
3. How might those interventions, whether promising practices or recommendations, be
evaluated for effectiveness?

SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 11
Definitions of Terms
Asynchronous. Online interactions that do not require any real-time communication
between students or between students and instructors, but rather are supported through
discussion forums, emails, and video or audio recordings that can be completed on students’ own
time (Huang & Hsiao, 2012).
Course Coordinator/Course Lead. One who not only created a particular course and
mentors a number of faculty members who all teach this same course, but also the one who
provides additional professional development to faculty (personal communication, February 21,
2016).
Learning Management System (LMS). A learning management system (LMS) is an
online portal that hosts course lectures, assignments, and assessments (Hill, 2012), and is also
referred to as a “course management system” that consists of multiple features allowing
instructors to create and facilitate a course by providing syllabi, discussion forums, quizzes, and
assignments by integrating them in the online system (Koszalka & Ganesan, 2004).
Onboarding. The process of helping new hires adjust to social and performance aspects
(Bauer, 2012), job responsibilities, and organizational culture and values (Pike, 2014).
Professional Development. The enhancement of faculty’s educational knowledge and
skills that allows them to make educational contributions to improve programs (Rubeck &
Witzke, 1998). Activities that provide additional education and practice to teachers for
improvements and can come in forms of workshops, local and national conferences, and can be
embedded in co-teaching, mentoring, reflections, and discussions (Desimon, 2011).
OPM provider. The third party that provides a cloud-based platform that enables
institutions to offer their online programs.
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 12
Synchronous. Online courses that allow communication between students and students
and instructors virtually through web conferencing, chat rooms, and audio or video capabilities
in real-time (Huang & Hsiao, 2012).
Virtual Classes. Real-time synchronous classes where instructors conduct discussions
with students using video conference software such as Adobe Connect, Blackboard Collaborate,
or Cisco WebEx (Ferrario, Hyde, Martinez, & Sundt, 2013).

SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 13
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
The purpose of this chapter is to identify the assumed factors that contribute to the
effective onboarding and delivery of professional development by program administrators. The
review of research studies begins by describing what faculty professional development looks
like, beginning with strategies used in brick and mortar settings and then focusing on practices
used in online courses. Next, I review the literature on learning and motivation theory, focusing
on the types of knowledge, motivations, and organizational factors that affect human
performance and that could influence the effectiveness of a professional development process for
faculty. Finally, I review the broader literature on professional development in order to identify
other major factors that could facilitate or inhibit administrators in designing and implementing
professional development processes to prepare faculty to successfully teach online.
Professional Development and Faculty Support
Institutions provide support for faculty in various ways to help them onboard and prepare
them to teach, whether in a brick and mortar setting or in an online context. It is important to
note that this literature review is a review of multiple professional development methods for
faculty who have already been hired and methods range from onboarding, orientation,
workshops, to ongoing faculty professional development. Literature from the human resource
perspective was also reviewed in this study. Onboarding is described as the process of helping
new hires adjust to social and performance aspects (Bauer, 2012), job responsibilities, and
organizational culture and values (Pike, 2014). Institutions help prepare faculty to assimilate
with teaching online during the onboarding process, which may include faculty professional
development, technological and pedagogical components with demonstration, practice, feedback,
and on-going support (Vaill & Testori, 2012).
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 14
Faculty professional development varies between traditional brick and mortar programs,
asynchronous online programs, and synchronous online programs. Traditionally in higher
education, faculty have not received formal professional development to teach in brick and
mortar classes (APQC, 2013). Lackey (2011) found evidence that shows online faculty also do
not receive formal professional development, but rather have sought out their own professional
development to help them prepare to teach online effectively. However, other literature shows
there are a variety of initiatives for professional development and orientation to prepare faculty
to teach online (Vaill & Testori, 2012). In the online world, there are various online formats
used by institutions, but the online formats that are discussed in this section include
asynchronous and synchronous with live virtual classes. It is also important to note that faculty
professional development for online programs has typically involved technological professional
development on how to use the online system in asynchronous programs but not much emphasis
has been placed on pedagogical professional development, especially in the synchronous face-to-
face virtual format (Ferrario, Hyde, Martinez, & Sundt, 2013).
Support from Human Resources
Research provides minimal literature on the human resources perspective for faculty
professional development in regards to online teaching, but rather provides a more general
perspective on the resources provided by the department. Concertino (2008) indicated that a
well-defined human resources department offers an opportunity for continuous increases in staff
and faculty skills base though the establishment of learning environments. To manage faculty
needs, the alignment between human resources and achievement of goals should be clear (Patton,
2007). Additionally, through leveraging human resources expertise, some institutions provide
professional development on departmental roles and responsibilities, mission, managing change,
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 15
resolving conflicts, and cultural diversity (Larrance, 2002). On one hand, Aloi’s (2005) research
found that an institution’s human resources practices include building a culture of continuous
improvement in which faculty are motivated to plan for improvements and assess and evaluate
progress in order to make adjustments for improvements. However, Convertino (2008) stated
that interview data in another study shows that deans and chairs are responsible for the hiring
process and receive little assistance from the human resources department, except for the
application process. Thus, it is unclear that the human resources department provides sufficient
professional development for online faculty.
Professional Development in an Online Asynchronous Setting
The professional development components for asynchronous programs vary in many
aspects. Some schools focus on assisting faculty with their main duties only and some focus on
best practices, communication, technology tools, or grading (Vaill & Testori, 2012). Moreover,
some schools deliver professional development through workshops, and other schools also
deliver professional development through orientation, and mentorship with full-time faculty and
part-time faculty (Vaill & Testori, 2012). One institution specifically does professional
development to address main duties for faculty (Vaill & Testori, 2012). Conversely, another
institution provides mentoring programs to connect full-time and part-time faculty members
(Rogers, McIntyre, & Jazzar, 2010). Additionally, there are institutions that provide ongoing
workshops to provide continuing professional development (Lee et al., 2010; Villar & de la
Rosa, 2007).
Professional Development in an Online Synchronous Setting
Most research studies for professional development are for traditional classrooms and
asynchronous online classes. However, as online programs expand, many institutions are also
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 16
including synchronous virtual classes as a component to their programs. Some synchronous
virtual classes even give the opportunity for the students and faculty to have face-to-face live
video-based discussions online with the use of chat rooms, webcams, and microphones (Ferrario
et al., 2013). To prepare faculty to teach in synchronous classes, some institutions conduct
professional development on the synchronous learning management system, which integrates a
variety of technologies that allow faculty and students to communicate through chat box, video
conferencing, desktop sharing and other features (Wang, Chen, & Levy, 2010). Professional
development for faculty sometimes progresses through different stages of learning and supports
faculty differently throughout each stage. Wang, Chen, & Levy (2010) suggest a cyclic
approach of action, reflection, and improvement to support faculty through the different learning
stages. Literature also suggests that professional development should involve asking faculty to
reflect on their learning and experiences related to using the system, content, and support (Wang,
Chen, & Levy, 2010; Chen, Chen, & Tsai, 2009). By supporting the faculty throughout their
progression during the professional development process, administrators are able to not only
capture how faculty learn and respond to challenges, but also determine the type of knowledge,
skills, and support needed for faculty to succeed (Wang, Chen, & Levy, 2010). Although there
was some recent literature on developing teachers to teach in synchronous settings, there is still a
lack of literature available to support this online educational problem.
Professional Development on Technology and Pedagogy
Professional development for faculty was initially about learning how to use the
technology until institutions started to realize the need for a growing pedagogical component in
the professional development process (Ferrario et al., 2013; Vaill & Testori, 2012; King, 2002).
Likewise, in a study on faculty development, Lackey (2011) presented findings that half of the
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 17
faculty interviewed engaged in voluntary professional development and only one consisted of a
pedagogical component. Learning how to use the technology is essentially learning how to
navigate the online platform that is used for the online courses. However, professional
development in pedagogy is important as it includes engaging students or creating more
activities that promote active learning (Orr, Williams, & Pennington, 2009).
Lewis and Abdul-Hamid (2006) present four strategies of effective teaching. These are
fostering interactions, providing feedback, facilitating learning, and maintaining enthusiasm and
organization. Fostering interaction includes creating vibrant interactions between instructors and
students and students with students and facilitating class interactions through group conferences
and group projects (Lewis & Abdul-Hamid, 2006). Moreover, contributions to group
conferences and submitted assignments should follow with instructor’s feedback to promote
positive learning (Lewis & Abdul-Hamid, 2006). Furthermore, learning is facilitated by
introducing the learning objectives in the syllabus and using strategies including class
announcements and activities to reinforce the learning goals (Lewis & Abdul-Hamid, 2006).
Lastly, communicating virtually with students requires faculty to maintain enthusiasm and
organization by giving detailed and structured information from the beginning of the course and
weekly updates (Lewis & Abdul-Hamid, 2006). Keeping students informed of course highlights
and assignment updates can prevent miscommunication and also encourages students to be
proactive in their learning.
In order to develop effective professional development for faculty and encourage
learning, institutions need to look at how one learns and the process of learning for adults
(Knowles, 1975). Understanding how learning works and how to foster learning will help
faculty improve their teaching and approaches to engage students. Faculty members who
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 18
comprehend how learning works can identify and refine teaching approaches that work better for
their students throughout current and new courses (Ambrose et al., 2010).
Huang (2002) found that the adult learning theory should be applied to provide support to
faculty as they are adults themselves. Adult learners face challenges and barriers such as
personal characteristics, relationships, and technology (Hillensheim, 1998). If administrators
understand how adults learn, they can facilitate the most appropriate teaching strategies to
support faculty. Additionally, a professional development curriculum can include real-world
problems that requires one to use one’s existing knowledge to create new knowledge that can
promote effective learning (Merrill, 2002).
To ensure the professional development process is effective, there must be an evaluation
of the professional development curriculum along with student evaluations of faculty. The
professional development program can be evaluated through reactions from faculty to the
professional development, their performance, knowledge transfers or changes in behavior, and
how the professional development has impacted the effectiveness of their teaching (Kirkpatrick,
2006). The evaluation of faculty can also be done through end-of-course student evaluations
(Benton, 2011).
Adult Learning Theory and Effective Professional Development
Due to the lack of literature on effective professional development for faculty, the
following section is a review of the literature on how learning works based on adult learning
theory and analyzes this literature to help describe what an effective professional development
process would look like. Understanding the concept of learning and how one learns is important
to creating a professional development process. Ambrose, Bridges, DiPietro, Lovett, & Norman
(2010) present the seven holistic and developmental principles of learning. Merrill (2002)
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 19
describes the first five principles of instruction through his review of instructional design
theories. Likewise, understanding adult learning theory is relevant to professional development
because faculty members are all adults. Subsequently, in order to determine if the professional
development process is effective, Kirkpatrick (2006) developed four levels of evaluation to
measure effectiveness. Since literature shows very little evidence of effective professional
development, this section uses what researchers have discussed about learning and adult learning
theory to describe what an effective professional development process would entail.
What is Learning?
One of the main things to know when providing professional development to a group of
faculty is to understand how their learning works (Merrill, 2001; Knowles, 1975). Learning is a
process that leads to change through the past and present experiences of the students (Ambrose et
al., 2010). In other words, learning takes place in the mind and involves a change in one’s
knowledge, beliefs, behaviors, or attitudes, leading to how learners interpret or respond to prior
or present experiences (Ambrose et al., 2010). Learning is a developmental process that includes
knowledge, skills, social, and emotional experiences that motivate the students through their
values and perceptions (Ambrose et al., 2010). Ambrose et al. (2010) suggest seven key
principles that underlie learning discovered through evidence drawn from the fields of cognitive
science, educational research, developmental and social psychology. The seven holistic and
developmental principles that influence learning are as follows: (1) student’s prior knowledge,
(2) how students organize knowledge and apply what they learn, (3) student’s motivation, (4)
acquisition of component skills, practice integrating them, and application, (5) goal-directed
practice with targeted feedback, (6) student’s current level of development interacts with the
social, emotional, and intellectual climate of the course, and (7) to become self-directed learners
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 20
(Ambrose et al., 2010). These learning principles can help administrators support and provide
professional development to faculty because it helps them become more aware of the learners
and know how to strategically motivate the learners, provide appropriate feedback, and develop
learning activities that require students to use prior knowledge and new knowledge to monitor
their own learning.
Adult Learning Theory
As adults, faculty have different learning environments, situations, challenges, and needs
that are similar to other adult learners (Vaill & Testori, 2012). Adults face various challenges
that may hinder their ability to succeed in any learning due to time, family obligations, personal
characteristics, faculty-trainer relationships, or technological challenges (Sundt, 2014;
Hillesheim, 1998). Since adults learn differently from children, understanding adult learning
theory is necessary for developing adult learners and to assist them with challenges and different
situations (Knowles, 1975). Knowles (1975) introduced the term “andragogy” to describe how
adults learn differently from children, which includes motivation and self-direction, relation to
life experiences and existing knowledge, and also relevancy and practicality to life situations.
Understanding the learning process and adult learning theory can assist administrators with
meeting the needs of their “students” during onboarding and professional development
(Knowles, 1975).
While Knowles’s (1975) learning theory emphasizes that adults learn through motivation
and self-direction, Merriam (2001) questioned if these characteristics of andragogy are limited to
adults. Some adults are not self-directed and may need more structure, while some children are
more independent during their learning (Merriam, 2001). Similarly, children may be more
intrinsically motivated to learn, whereas adults may learn through extrinsic motivation (Merriam,
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 21
2001). Both children and adults may exhibit the same characteristics. Therefore, Merriam
(2001) argues that andragogy is more of a guiding principle to design programs such as
professional development for adults.
Merrill (2002) identified a set of principles that relate to instructional design theories and
models that are problem-centered situations. The process of professional development can
require knowing how to create a professional development curriculum design for adults.
Andragogy describes how adult learners learn better when they use their existing knowledge and
relate it to their life experience or problems that are practical in the real-world (Knowles, 1975).
Similarly, effective learning involves one activating one’s prior experience, demonstrating skills,
applying skills, and integrating the skills in real-world activities (Merrill, 2002). The following
are the five first principles of effective instructions for learners: learning is promoted when (a)
learners are engaged in solving real-world problems, (b) existing knowledge is activated as a
foundation for new knowledge, (c) new knowledge is demonstrated to the learner, (d) new
knowledge is applied by the learner, and (e) new knowledge is integrated into the learner’s world
(Merrill, 2002). Thus, Merrill (2002) found that understanding these principles can help
administrators effectively support faculty. Furthermore, effective instructions will also need to
be evaluated in order to determine the effectiveness of the instructional design, which is
discussed in the following section.
Evaluating Effective Programs
The determination of an effective program must be evaluated to demonstrate its
effectiveness. Kirkpatrick (2006) designed four levels of learning evaluation to assess
professional development programs. The four levels of evaluation that can measure the
effectiveness of professional development programs are as follows: (1) reactions, (2) learning or
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 22
performance, (3) transfer or behavior, and (4) results or impact (Kirkpatrick, 2006). Faculty
going through the professional development process should be asked about their satisfaction.
Moreover, faculty should also demonstrate their increase in knowledge. Likewise, faculty
should be transferring their knowledge and skills to their teaching. Lastly, faculty performance
should increase and meet the institution’s expectations if the professional development was
effective.
Factors from Learning and Motivation Theory
For administrators to develop an effective professional development system for faculty,
the administrators themselves must possess basic factors related to human performance. The
factors, based on learning and motivation theory, include the necessary knowledge and skills,
adequate motivation, and the appropriate organizational culture (Clark and Estes, 2008). The
following section breaks down the factors within knowledge and skills through the categories of
factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive. Moreover, the different types of
motivational factors are discussed below along with the organizational factor consisting of
cultural models and settings.
Knowledge and Skills
In order for administrators to develop a professional development process for faculty,
they need to have the appropriate knowledge to carry out a successful professional development
system. Krathwohl’s (2002) learning taxonomy suggests a framework to assess the following
four knowledge types: factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive knowledge.
Administrators need to know the content and components of what to include in the professional
development process (factual), how adults learn with respect to adult learning theory
(conceptual), how to conduct professional development (procedural), and reflecting the process
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 23
and results to modify any necessary approaches, strategies, or monitoring progress
(metacognitive) (Anderson, Krathwohl, & Bloom, 2001).
As administrators develop the professional development process for faculty, certain
content and components should be considered in the professional development curriculum. One
of the main professional development components for faculty include providing professional
development on how to use technology with instructional purpose in class (Yang & Cornelious,
2005). Not only do faculty need to learn how to navigate the online platform, but also how to
use technology to engage students. Cueller (2002) suggests the importance of providing
professional development to help faculty in designing course syllabi and interactive activities,
and operate and troubleshoot potential technological problems. Pedagogical strategies for
effective practices for faculty include fostering interactions, providing feedback, facilitating
learning, maintaining enthusiasm, and organization (Lewis & Abdul-Hamid, 2006). Therefore,
there are various content and components that can be included for faculty during onboarding and
professional development.
Before proceeding with onboarding and professional development, administrators should
understand that faculty are adult learners; therefore, it is necessary to understand adult learning
theory in order to help faculty learn (Knowles, 1975). Understanding this concept of how adults
learn, administrators can design the professional development process to include real-world
problems relating to teaching online so that it is relevant for the faculty (Merrill, 2002; Ambrose
et al., 2010). Moreover, administrators can introduce and demonstrate new knowledge by
building upon existing knowledge that faculty should have already (Merrill, 2002). Additionally,
during professional development, activities presented can require faculty to apply new
knowledge learned from the professional development process to participate in the activities
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 24
(Merrill, 2002). Furthermore, the professional development should be relevant enough for
faculty so that they can integrate it into their actual online classes (Merrill, 2002).
After knowing what to include in a professional development process and how to assist
adult learners, administrators need to know how to use both factual and conceptual knowledge to
conduct the professional development effectively (Rueda, 2011; Clark and Estes, 2008).
Professional development can be delivered in various ways. Professional development can start
with orientation, mentoring, and on-going support (Vaill & Testori, 2012). Moreover, Lackey’s
(2011) study revealed delivery models such as collaboration, one-on-one assistance, and online
technological and pedagogical professional development. Professional development may not
only be in one-on-one settings online or face-to-face, but it can also be done in small or large
groups (Meyer & Murrell, 2014).
Most importantly, administrators will need to reflect on their own practice, instructions,
and also monitor the performance of faculty to determine whether the professional development
process needs to be tweaked to improve the process (Wang, Chen, & Levy, 2010).
Administrations can request faculty to observe each other as they practice and learn from each
other (Ferrario et al., 2013). Similarly, administrators can also conduct classroom observations
of faculty to see how they perform and provide feedback. Research shows that annual classroom
observation ratings were significantly related to student achievements (Galbraith & Merrill,
2012). Student evaluations can be taken into consideration regarding the performance of faculty
(Benton, 2011). Thus, observations, feedback, and student evaluations can be used as part of
administrators’ reflection process in order to use these as measures to monitor faculty
performance.

SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 25
Motivation
Clark and Estes (2008) describe motivation as something that gets people going, moving
forward, and the amount of effort they have to put in to achieve their goals. There are three
motivational indexes or processes in any environment: (1) active choice, (2) persistence, and (3)
mental effort (Clark & Estes, 2008). Active choice is when one makes a choice (or fails to make
a choice) to pursue a goal (Clark & Estes, 2008). Persistence is dividing one’s attention and
staying focused on the one goal while also maintaining other goals (Clark & Estes, 2008).
Mental effort is being able to support both the choice and persistence of achieving the goal
(Clark & Estes, 2008). More specifically, several motivational variables may affect
administrators in supporting faculty such as task value (intrinsic value, extrinsic value,
attainment value, and cost value), expectancy outcome, self-efficacy, attributions, goal
orientation, goals, and affect (Clark & Estes, 2008). Clark and Estes (2008) found motivational
values that can be used by administrations to provide professional development to faculty. These
include task value, specifically attainment value and cost value, and expectancy outcome.
Task value consists of four values, which are interest value, utility value, attainment
value, and cost value (Clark & Estes, 2008). The two task values that pertain to administrators
are extrinsic value and cost value. Extrinsic value is based on the value that administrators have
for faculty and their contribution to the institutional growth, student academic performance,
satisfaction, needs, and also faculty retention. Institutions need to acknowledge that teaching
online is a new skill that must be learned and developed for institutional growth and to support
student needs (Vaill & Testori, 2012). Cost value is based on how beneficial professional
development would be if administrators were to develop a professional development process.
Onboarding and providing professional development to faculty with the right attitude towards
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 26
online teaching, appropriate technological skills, and pedagogy can help benefit the students by
giving them a positive experience about online learning and support them in ways such as by
providing interactive virtual activities or virtual office hours (Volery, 2000).
Expectancy outcome is when administrators expect a certain outcome from the
professional development process (Eccles, 2006). For example, with an expectation to smoothly
transition faculty to teach in an online setting, in hoping to improve student experience, and
increasing student satisfaction (Vaill & Testori, 2012). Volery (2000) also indicated that when
faculty members possess a positive attitude towards online instruction, students are more
inclined to have a positive experience and higher student outcomes. Betts (2009) found that
faculty retention is critical to the growth and suitability of online programs. Retention is a
motivational factor for administrators to develop an onboarding process and professional
development for faculty in order to give them a positive and successful teaching experience so
that they are willing to stay with the institution.
Organization
Within an organization, there are features such as culture, structure, and policies and
practices to consider when analyzing organizational gaps (Rueda, 2011). Culture and cultural
processes are not always visible or transparent to individuals within a specific organizational
setting (Rueda, 2011). However, every organization consists of an organizational culture that is
created by people within the groups of the organization. Rueda (2011) describes culture as the
process that is jointly created and recreated by individuals through the course of our daily life
and the groups we associate ourselves with during that period. Organizational culture consists of
two notions: cultural settings and cultural models (Clark & Estes, 2008). Organizations are
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 27
characterized by cultural models, but also consist of cultural settings, where policies and
practices are enacted within an organization (Rueda, 2011).
Cultural settings are visible, familiar, and concrete manifestations of cultural models that
appear within activity settings. For example, institutions can implement policies and procedures
to require every faculty member to attend the professional development process. Likewise, the
institutions can demonstrate effort and support by providing the appropriate funding, time,
resources, and additional workshops or developmental activities for new faculty (Orr, Williams,
& Pennington, 2009).
Cultural models are the shared mental schema or normative understandings of how the
world works, or ought to work (Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001; Rueda, 2011). They are familiar
and can be invisible or unnoticeable (Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001). Within an organization,
cultural models help shape its structure, values, practices, policies, and reward structures (Rueda,
2011). Institutions should create a culture of open communication, transparency, trust, fairness,
and positivity so that administrators can feel supported by the organization.
Factors that Facilitate or Inhibit Administrators in Effective Professional Development
The following section of this review outlines how the factors of knowledge and skills,
motivation, and organization may influence administrators to onboard and provide professional
development to faculty as interpreted from the existing literature. All four components of
knowledge and skills are evident in the literature as important factors and are discussed in detail.
Four types of motivational factors are important for administrators, including attainment value,
cost value, expectancy outcome, and goals. Lastly, based on the literature, several organizational
facilitators and barriers are also discussed.

SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 28
Knowledge and Skills
There are four main knowledge and skill factors that can influence administrators to
provide professional development for faculty. The four knowledge and skill factors: factual,
conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive, were drawn from the literature review. The
following section discusses each knowledge and skill factor with its relevancy to administrators
and the process of designing and delivering professional development.
Factual. In order to onboard and support faculty successfully, administrators should
know both technological and pedagogical aspects of online education. Berge (2008) suggests
that the instructor’s roles in virtual worlds should consist of a social, technological, managerial,
and pedagogical role. It is essential to combine both pedagogical and technological professional
development to help faculty transition to online teaching (Vaill & Testori, 2012). A lesson
learned from two institutions regarding their professional development is not to only teach
faculty how to use the LMS but to also provide effective pedagogical strategies (Davis and
Benson, 2012; Ferrario et al., 2013). Furthermore, Meyer and Murrell (2014) also indicate five
broad groups of professional development content: (1) navigating the course management system
(2) technological tools, (3) appropriate pedagogy, (4) online resources, and (5) instructional
design principles or models.
Conceptual. Research shows that before developing a professional development process
for faculty, administrators should understand faculty as learners in order to help adults with their
learning barriers. The literature presents different theories of understanding learners, such as
learning styles and adult learning theory. Administrators will be able to appropriately onboard
and support faculty if they understand specific background principles about how adults learn and
what content to include during the professional development curriculum elaboration. Clay
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 29
(1999) suggests providing faculty with on-going support by including technological assistance,
course development, and techniques to engage students. Additionally, faculty should receive
support in back-up and contingency plans, copyright and policy issues, managing behavioral
problems, assessing students, and using various instructional methods to meet the needs of
students (Clay, 2009).
Davis and Benson (2012) describe the study with Alpha Community College and how the
authors reviewed faculty learning styles and teaching strategies for the online environment.
However, there is a lack of empirical evidence to support the use of learning style assessments as
instructional support (Pashler, McDaniel, Rohrer, & Bjork, 2008). Rather, administrators should
understand how adults learn and the challenges they struggle with as adult learners. Adults face
different challenges than child learners. Hillesheim (1998) emphasizes the importance of
knowing the barriers of adult learners, such as personal characteristics and situational
characteristics. Personal characteristics may include low expectations and insecurity about
academic success, the need for more feedback, procrastination, and attitude towards school
(Hillesheim, 1998). Situational characteristics include career expectations, time available for
school, family obligations, and funding (Hillesheim, 1998). Therefore, it is important that
administrators have the conceptual knowledge of how faculty learn, more specifically, how
adults learn.
Understanding adult learning theory will help administrators know how to motivate the
faculty. Adult learning theory specifies that adults learn through motivation, self-direction, and
making relations to life situations and existing knowledge (Knowles, 1975). Fish and
Wickersham (2009) suggest that when providing professional development to adult learners, the
curriculum content should be applicable to real-world problems. Effective course content
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 30
preparation can motivate adult learners to think critically through meaningful interactions (Fish
& Wickersham, 2009).
In preparing faculty to teach in synchronous virtual classes, there are a few other
important components that administrators need to understand. Ferrario et al. (2013) elaborated
on some of the following components: (a) that time feels different in live virtual class, (b)
cognitive overload can impact faculty, (c) engaging students requires more structure, (d) flipping
the class is critical for synchronous classes, and (e) understanding the students is rewarding. In
order to deal with the time in a synchronous virtual class, faculty created asynchronous lectures
and used the synchronous virtual classes for short lectures with group discussions and small
group work (Ferrario et al., 2013). Ferrario et al. (2013) indicated that during professional
development for faculty, the technology experts initially coached the faculty on how to deal with
technological issues and then had them fix the virtual class as they sabotaged it during the
professional development session. Learning how to engage students in a virtual setting can also
be challenging. Faculty were introduced to activities such as online polling and using the chat
box to engage students (Ferrario et al., 2013). Through the various activities and ways of
interacting online, faculty and students were able to build a professional relationship that created
trust and eagerness for students to engage with faculty (Ferrario et al., 2013).
In another review of synchronous teaching, Wang, Chen, and Levy (2010) studied eight
tertiary Chinese language teachers in their learning process through virtual face-to-face
synchronous professional development programs. The teachers went through two phases of
professional development consisting of online platform professional development along with
online teaching practice and observation. Wang, Chen, and Levy (2010) found that there was a
learning curve that was characterized through four stages: (1) the “wow” stage, (2) the “oh-oh”
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 31
stage, (3) the anxious stage, (4) and the internalizing stage. The teachers received support
throughout each stage through a cyclic approach of action, reflection, and improvement (Wang,
Chen, & Levy, 2010). The four stages included professional development that was physically
face-to-face in the beginning and followed by additional support provided synchronously online.
By understanding these four stages, administrators can identify the different stages teachers are
in and determine the necessary knowledge and skills they need to learn or the kind of support
they need during certain points of the process (Wang, Chen, & Levy, 2010). One of the biggest
factors in the professional development program is the request for teachers to reflect on their
learning experiences during all four stages, including their teaching and observation experiences
(Wang, Chen, & Levy, 2010). Chen, Chen, and Tsai (2009) suggest faculty should be given
opportunities to reflect and monitor their own knowledge construction and manage their learning
process.
Woodcock, Sisco, and Eady (2015) reported on a study that examined the effectiveness
of an online synchronous platform to support pre-service teachers using a blended learning
approach. Findings shows that the technological tools used for synchronous online teaching are
effective learning tools that increase the pre-service teachers’ e-learning competency
(Woodcock, Sisco, & Eady, 2015). Woodcock, Sisco, and Eady (2015) suggested that pre-
service teachers’ ability to learn and demonstrate online teaching techniques depends on four
hierarchal conditions: (1) ease of use, (2) psychologically safe environment, (3) e-learning self-
efficacy, and (4) competency. Understanding these conditions will help administrators prepare
the appropriate ways to support faculty.
Procedural. To ensure that faculty receive the appropriate instruction, administrators
need to know how to conduct the professional development processes for faculty. Some
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 32
professional development formats include one-time sessions, face-to-face workshops or seminars
(Vaill & Testori, 2012; Lackey, 2011). Clay (1999) recommends professional development
programs to include at least four of the following types of professional development: group
sessions, one-on-one sessions, web-based tutorials, printed materials, listservs, mentorships,
monthly peer discussions, and observations of distance courses. Moreover, professional
development can also be conducted virtually in order to facilitate faculty use of the online setting
(Chen, Sugar, & Bauer, 2012). In addition, Meyer and Murrell (2014) presented the different
ways professional development was delivered, including LMS, online seminars, consultation
with instructional design experts, and short (hours) and long (days) workshops.
When planning adult learning, administrators can consider Merrill’s (2002) five first
principles of effective instruction to guide faculty through their professional development.
Administrators can create a professional development curriculum that includes real-world
problems and requires faculty to use their existing knowledge to create new knowledge during
the activity (Merrill, 2002). Moreover, administrators can promote learning by demonstrating
and modeling to faculty (Merrill, 2002). One institution facilitated orientation with an
instructional designer and experienced faculty members by having them model to the new
faculty (Vaill & Testori, 2012). The instructional designer and experienced faculty members
modeled by participating in the discussions, maintaining a clear presence, and providing timely
feedback, just as it should be done from a faculty-to-student standpoint (Vaill & Testori, 2012;
Lee et al., 2010; Fish, 2009). Additionally, administrators can create activities that require
faculty to apply their new knowledge during the professional development and in their practice.
APQC (2013) recommended the customization of the professional development to meet the
appropriate skill level and experience of faculty members who already have previous online
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 33
teaching experience. Thus, Merrill’s (2002) five first principles can be used to help
administrators understand how to onboard and provide professional development to faculty for
online teaching.
Metacognitive. Administrators should acknowledge and reflect upon the results of the
professional development process in order to improve the process. Davis and Benson (2012)
presented a study where an institution acknowledged their areas of need for improvement and
addressed the needs based upon what the instructors expressed by contracting with WebCT and
Blackboard to provide professional development to the faculty. However, through the process of
reflection, the institution realized that they made a mistake when they only teach faculty on how
to navigate the features of the course management system without any effective pedagogical
practices (Davis & Benson, 2012). To further reflect on whether or not the professional
development process has been beneficial, faculty members completed a self-evaluation
questionnaire to describe their perceptions and their satisfaction (Yang & Cornelious, 2005).
Yang and Cornelious (2005) suggest the questionnaire include questions consisting of
curriculum aligning with institution’s mission and strategy, administrative support, obstacles or
issues, compensation, instructional methods, assessing students, delivery platform, and class
materials. Furthermore, administrators can review completed faculty satisfactory surveys from
faculty for further improvement of the professional development process (Vaill & Testori, 2012).
Therefore, it is important for administrators to know how to reflect upon the professional
development they provide to faculty, learn from their experience, and use that to improve the
process for a better professional development program (Rueda, 2011; Clark & Estes, 2008).
As administrators recognize and reflect upon the professional development process, it is
important to realize that ongoing support for faculty is necessary to continue the process of
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 34
developing faculty throughout their teaching experience with the institution. Vaill and Testori
(2012) indicated that after the orientation, the instructional designer and staff provided ongoing
support with using the online system along with additional pedagogical support. Administrators
occasionally ask for feedback through evaluations to ensure faculty concerns regarding
technology or pedagogical needs are addressed appropriately (Vaill & Testori (2012).
Motivation
There are many motivational factors that can influence administrators to develop
professional development for faculty. Motivational factors, including two task values (extrinsic
value and cost value) and expectancy outcome were discovered through the reviewed literature.
The following section details each motivational factor with its relevancy to administrators and
the process of designing and delivering professional development.
Extrinsic value. Administrators must have the extrinsic value of having a professional
development process in order to be motivated to move forward in creating the professional
development process. Davis and Benson (2012) indicated that providing professional
development to faculty adds value to the institution. Therefore, the Distance Education Faculty
Manual, which includes items such as policies for distance education, getting approval for online
courses, and suggestions for a successful online course, was developed. Likewise, administrators
view the importance of developing faculty because they believe that well-prepared and
supportive faculty will result in improving student experiences and increasing student
satisfaction (Vaill & Testori, 2012; Lee et al., 2010; Fish, 2009). More importantly,
administrators are motivated to onboard and support faculty through extrinsic value because
“quality faculty development is critical to the success of online programs and students” (Vaill &
Testori, 2012, p. 112).
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 35
Cost value. Cost value is a motivational component for administrators when they feel
that it is important enough to invest time and money to develop a professional development
process. A few examples were found from the literature that demonstrate there was cost value to
provide professional development for faculty. First, administrators felt the importance of
workshops and spent time and money on developing summer workshops and seminars (Orr,
Williams, & Pennington, 2009). Second, Cuellar (2002) found that when appropriate
professional development for faculty to teach online is provided, administrators can benefit
through the smooth transition process for faculty and experience less conflict occurring with
faculty and students. Moreover, programs are likely to have successful outcomes, positive
program evaluations, and gains in the financial aspect (Cuellar, 2002). Last, faculty play an
important role in student engagement, retention, and the long-term sustainability of the program
(Betts, 2009). Therefore, Betts (2009) found that the interactive and personalized method of
working with faculty online resulted in high retention rates and both students and faculty were
highly satisfied.
Expectancy outcome. Another motivational factor for administrators to develop a
professional development process is to believe that onboarding and providing professional
development to faculty will result in a smoother transition to teaching online. Teaching online
requires using technology and engaging students virtually. However, some faculty faced culture
shock and fear of change (Davis & Benson, 2012). The use of technology is something that has
been non-existent in many instructors’ teaching background and experience. Therefore, Vaill
and Testori (2012) describe that administrators expect faculty to successfully transition to
teaching online by receiving professional development regarding teaching online. Faculty are
expected to develop a new skill to support instructional growth and student needs (Vaill &
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 36
Testori, 2012). Moreover, another expected outcome from professional development is that it
can result in faculty having a positive attitude towards technology and online delivery of course
content; therefore, creating a ripple effect for students to more likely experience more positive
learning outcomes (Yang & Cornelious, 2005; Volery, 2000).
Organization
There are two main factors under the organization that influence administrators to
develop a professional development process for faculty. The two factors are cultural models and
cultural settings. The following section will detail both factors and describe relevancy to
administrators and the process of designing and delivering professional development.
Cultural models. The beliefs and attitudes of the organization also influence the
administrators in their goal of developing a professional development process for the faculty.
Faculty members generally are more satisfied when online teaching is valued by the institution
and administrators (Bolliger & Wasilik, 2009). Davis and Benson (2012) indicated that the
college offered very little professional development in the past because they were too busy
staying in competition with other schools offering online classes. Not so long ago, there was
reluctance in the engagement of technological development and limited adoption of innovative
practice to teach online in higher education (as cited in Dykman & Davis, 2008). Institutions
transitioning to online programs may not have the appropriate mindset or structure to readily
support faculty. Therefore, it is important for institutions to believe in innovative technological
practices of teaching online in order to provide support for administrators in providing more
professional development for faculty to teach online.
Cultural settings. The transition to online education is new to some institutions and
professional development varies between the institutions. Davis and Benson (2012) elaborated
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 37
on the decision made by administrators to require instructors, chairs, and associate deans to
attend professional development for online teaching. Faculty are also more satisfied when
policies are in place that support the faculty (Bolliger & Wasilik, 2009). Moreover, as the
institutions progress through the cultural change to an online environment, administrators give
support by providing funding and resources to onboard and provide professional development to
faculty (Davis & Benson, 2012). For instance, Magnussen (2008) suggests that it is necessary to
have the institutions’ willingness to invest in technical support and equipment in order to
implement successful online programs. Without the appropriate technical support and equipment
provided by the organization, administrators will lack the resources to onboard and provide
profession development to faculty.
Conversely, Orr, Williams, and Pennington (2009) discovered faculty barriers that were
possibly caused by not having support from the organization. Barriers included compensation
for course development, time given for course development, institutional leadership for online
learning, and the development of pedagogical and technological skills (Orr, Williams, &
Pennington, 2009). Similarly, some concerns faculty have include: time, adequate
compensation, and a reward system (Bolliger & Wasilik, 2009). On one hand, Vaill and Testori
(2012) and Lee et al. (2010) indicate that faculty are set up to enroll in orientation early in the
semester, prior to their teaching assignment, in order to have sufficient time to practice and gain
experience. On the other hand, some administrators do not understand the time and commitment
required of the faculty; therefore, they provide limited support and resources for any professional
development efforts (Lackey, 2011). Without the appropriate support from the institution, it will
be more challenging for administrators to develop a successful professional development process
for the faculty.
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 38
Conclusion
In this review, background literature was described to provide a background on the
history of professional development for faculty teaching in traditional and online settings. The
literature was then synthesized concerning the knowledge and skills, motivational theories, and
organizational factors that facilitate or inhibit administrators from providing professional
development and support to teach online, especially in synchronous online instruction (Clark &
Estes, 2008; Krathwohl, 2002). Knowledge and skills consists of all four categories: factual,
conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive. The motivational factors consist of attainment value,
cost value, and expectancy outcome. The organizational factors are a consideration of cultural
models and cultural settings.
There is specific factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive knowledge required
from administrators to carry out a successful professional development process for faculty.
Administrators should know that it is essential to provide professional development in both
technological and pedagogical components for online teaching (Vaill & Testori, 2012).
Moreover, understanding adult learning theory and how to use teaching approaches for varied
students is important to developing a professional development curriculum (Hillesheim, 1998).
Likewise, the format of professional development such as one-on-one, group sessions, in-person
or online, and the sorts of activities, and motivational methods such as feedback and rewards are
all important types of procedural knowledge to understand before developing a professional
development process for faculty. It is also important for administrators to have metacognitive
knowledge to reflect on the results of the professional development and to evaluate faculty (Yang
& Cornelious, 2005).
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 39
The motivational factors of focus are attainment value, cost value, and expectancy
outcome. Administrators have to value and acknowledge the importance of having a
professional development process for faculty. If they see the cost value such as benefits of
creating a smooth transition for faculty, then onboarding and providing professional development
to help faculty teach more effectively will influence the program sustainability, student
engagement, and retention (Cueller, 2002). Lastly, administrators expect students to have a
positive experience and achieve learning outcomes through effective teaching from the faculty,
which is a direct result of an effective professional development process (Yang & Cornelious,
2005; Volery, 2000).
Organizational improvements are dependent on the cultural models and cultural settings
because these affect the administrators, faculty, and students of the institutions. The beliefs and
attitudes of the organization towards online education and professional development affect how
the administrators will be able to onboard and support faculty. The support, funding, and other
resources provided by the organization will determine the extent of how much the administrators
can do to create a professional development process for the faculty.
Therefore, all three areas of knowledge and skills, motivation, and organizational factors
were explored in this study. Examining these underlying factors is important to meet the intent
of the study, which was to identify the best practices of developing faculty to teach synchronous
online programs. The next section discusses the methodology that was used in conducting the
study.

SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 40
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
Purpose of the Project and Questions
The purpose of my project was to explore promising practices in faculty professional
development for effective online instruction. The study sought to identify, from administrators’
perspectives, the factors that facilitate or inhibit the successful professional development for
faculty to successfully deliver instruction online, particularly in a synchronous online
classroom. As such, the questions that guided the promising practice study were the following:
1. What knowledge, skills, motivational and organizational factors facilitate or inhibit
administrators in providing professional development for faculty to successfully teach
online, including synchronous online classes?
2. For those factors perceived to be facilitating professional development, what promising
practices could be adapted to and utilized by other units in the same agency? For those
factors perceived as inhibitors, what recommendations may be helpful for improving
professional development within the organization?
3. How might those interventions, whether promising practices or recommendations, be
evaluated for effectiveness?
Methodological Framework
The problem-solving framework Gap Analysis Model of Clark and Estes (2008) was used
to guide this methodology. The Gap Analysis Model assesses the performance of an
organization based on the goals the organization is striving to accomplish. Moreover, the model
determines where the organization has a gap in its performance by basing itself off the ideal
performance goal for the assessment. Once the gaps have been identified, one can search for the
knowledge, motivational, and organizational barriers that are hindering the success of the
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 41
organization. Understanding the facilitators and barriers leading to gaps enables one to
implement recommendations in attempt to improve the knowledge, motivation, and
organizational gaps in order to achieve ideal performance. It is significant to understand that the
gap analysis processes is cyclical and requires constant reflection, assessment, and evaluation to
achieve the desired goal. The Gap Analysis Model displayed in Figure 1 includes identifying
performance goals; determining performance gaps; analyzing gaps to determine and validate
causes as it relates to knowledge, motivation, and organizational assets or barriers; developing
recommendations and solutions; and evaluating outcomes (Clark & Estes, 2008; Rueda, 2011).
Moreover, to assess different types of knowledge gaps, Krathwohl’s (2002) taxonomy was used
to evaluate knowledge causes in terms of factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive
knowledge. Analysis of motivational gaps was further guided by the frameworks of Clark and
Estes (2008), Eccles (2006), and Rueda (2011) in order to determine the motivational causes and
recommendations. Subsequently, organizational variables were diagnosed by using the
conceptual framework of organizational culture from Schein (2004) in addition to the
components of organizational gaps as described by Clark and Estes (2008). The framework for
this study utilized various data collection modalities including surveys, interviews, and document
analysis. All of the collected data was appropriately analyzed to ensure a thorough assessment of
the data. The evaluation framework suggested by Kirkpatrick (2006) was briefly discussed as a
plan to evaluate the closing of the gap. For the purpose of this study, the performance goal that I
sought to evaluate is assuming that the graduate degree programs were providing excellent
professional development for faculty to prepare them to teach online in both asynchronous and
synchronous online formats.
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 42

Figure 1. Gap analysis process
Presumed Performance Needs and Assets
According to Clark and Estes (2008), causes of performance gaps are often assumed, but
not validated. Not validating assumed causes can lead to incorrect solution choices (Rueda,
2011). Many individuals often surmise causes and jump to solutions to solve problems, and
causes for performance gaps are omitted in their process of problem solving (Clark & Estes,
2008; Rueda, 2011).
It is important to understand the root causes of the performance gap and analyze the three
possible types of causes: knowledge, motivation, and organizational. Recommendations will not
be implemented if the root of the problem has not been identified by thoroughly assessing the
causes that are contributing to the performance gap. Recommendations can be implemented
without validating the cause, but there will be risks of selecting the wrong recommendations.
Therefore, the first step to resolving a problem was to have a thorough investigation of the
assumed causes of performance gaps, which could come from the following sources: (a)
scanning (informal) interviews with stakeholders; (b) learning, motivational, and
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 43
organization/culture theory; and (c) review of literature on specific topic and stakeholder under
question. Aside from scanning interviews, presumed causes for the stakeholders were generated
through the literature review conducted in Chapter 2, which included learning and motivation
theory and the literature related to the topic of professional development for faculty.
Scanning Interviews
A scanning interview was conducted with the third party that provides an online program
management (OPM) system to the participating programs in this study. The third party is
identified as the “OPM provider” in this study. Based on the scanning interview data, the OPM
provider supports faculty by giving them an introduction to the live virtual session, professional
development in the different learning management systems, live session practice, and live
session planning. The OPM provider’s professional development sessions are divided into an
asynchronous module and several live sessions. The OPM provider found that there is a
difference in knowledge and skill when faculty reviewed the asynchronous materials before the
live sessions. However, only approximately 60% of faculty review the asynchronous portion.
Topics included in the asynchronous modules include the LMS, use of the course wall, grading,
navigating the portal, asynchronous videos with questions, the virtual platform, creating a live
session, using pods and breakout sessions, body language in a virtual class, and practice with role
playing and activities. The OPM provider does not dive into content with faculty but rather
encourages faculty to talk to their course leads or course coordinators. The term course leads or
course coordinators are used interchangeably in this study to define the faculty member who
created a particular course and mentors a number of faculty members who all teach this same
course and who provides additional professional development to faculty (personal
communication, February 21, 2016). All faculty teaching an online course in the program under
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 44
study are required to participate in the standard professional development provided by the OPM
provider. Additionally, during the first two weeks of class, a member from the OPM provider is
available in the faculty member’s class to provide live support. Faculty are provided with
refresher professional development by the OPM provider when a faculty member self-identifies a
need or when a course lead refers the faculty member for more preparation and support.
The OPM provider sends the leadership team of their partner schools a report of
participants who have attended their professional development. They also send reports of any
concerns they have received regarding the experience with the faculty with issues such as their
wireless connection due to the location of the faculty. These reports area sent to administrators
of the programs including the chairs, program directors, or recruiters. At the same time, these
administrators also reach out to the OPM provider to have them contact new and existing faculty
who need beginning professional development or additional assistance. Faculty often need
assistance from the OPM provider regarding issues, including connection issues, getting kicked
out of the virtual room, troubleshooting, and updating course work in the LMS. Furthermore, the
OPM provider also hosts live sessions once a month to have faculty share their experience and
provide additional enriching professional development to faculty. Both onboarding and on-going
support are provided by the OPM provider.
Knowledge and Skills
Based on the literature review, assumed assets were identified and arranged according to
the four categories of factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive. Two assumed factual
knowledge and skills were identified. It is an asset when administrators know it is essential to
combine both pedagogical and technological components to help faculty transition to online
teaching. Moreover, administrators should know the type of content to include in the
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 45
professional development curriculum such as effective teaching strategies and navigating the
online platform, and utilizing technological tools and online resources. The assumed conceptual
knowledge was that administrators understood the principles of instructional design based on
how learning works and adult learning theory. Subsequently, three assumed procedural
knowledge and skills were drawn from the literature; administrators conducted professional
development in various ways: one-on-one or group seminars, hybrid, or virtual. Additionally,
administrators know how to apply the principles of instructional design by modeling and
providing timely feedback to faculty during professional development. Similarly, administrators
know how to create activities to engage faculty by applying adult learning theory. Lastly, two
assumed metacognitive knowledge and skills were identified from the literature. Administrators
have the ability to reflect on the area of need for improvement, adjust the issue, evaluate the
professional development results (i.e. faculty performance, evaluation etc.). Administrators
know to monitor faculty performance in order to provide on-going faculty support. All
presumed knowledge and skill assets were assessed and more details are discussed later in this
chapter.
Motivation
Assumed motivational assets identified from the literature include task value (attainment
value and cost value) along with expected outcomes. The literature revealed that it is important
for administrators to believe in the importance of professional development because it can help
faculty with their skills to succeed in teaching online and influence their commitment to achieve
their goals in supporting institutional growth and student needs (Clark & Estes, 2008).
Moreover, administrators see the cost benefit of providing professional development; therefore,
they spend time and money on creating professional development. Administrators also see the
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 46
benefits of professional development because it can maintain student engagement, student
satisfaction, retention for both faculty and students, and program sustainability. Lastly,
administrators expect that professional development can create a smooth transition for faculty,
which results in their positive attitude and willingness to teach and engage students. A positive
attitude results in students having more positive learning outcomes. The assumed motivational
assets were all responsible for encouraging administrators to assist with professional
development for faculty and are further discussed in the validation section.
Organization
Assumed organizational assets were drawn from the literature; there was one from the
cultural model and there were two from the cultural setting. In the cultural model, the
organization believes in innovative technological practices of teaching online; therefore, they
support administrators in providing more professional development for faculty. As for the
cultural setting, the organization supports administrators by providing funding and resources
necessary to provide professional development for faculty. Additionally, the organization
provides appropriate time and compensation for both administrators and faculty for conducting
and attending professional development. The assumed organizational assets are summarized and
discussed in the following section along with the validation methods.
Summary
A summary of the sources of assumed assets categorized as knowledge, motivation, and
organization from Chapter 2 is found in Table 1. Chapter 2 covered the theories of learning,
including adult learning theory and learning and motivational theory with respect to knowledge,
motivation, and organizational factors.

SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 47
Table 1
Summary of Assumed Assets for Knowledge, Motivational, and Organizational Issues
Knowledge
(F)actual, (C)onceptual,
(P)rocedural, or (M)etacognitive
Motivation

Organizational

Administrators know it is
essential to combine both
pedagogical and technological
professional development to
help faculty transition to
online teaching. (C)

Administrators know the type
of content to include in the
professional development
curriculum should include
effective teaching strategies
and navigating the online
platform, utilizing
technological tools and online
resources. (C)

Administrators understand the
principles of instructional
design based on how learning
works and adult learning
theory. (C)

Administrators conduct
professional development in
various ways: one-on-one or
group seminars, hybrid,
virtual, etc. (P)

Administrators know how to
apply the principles of
instructional design by
modeling and providing
timely feedback to faculty
during professional
development. (P)

Administrators know how to
create activities to engage
Administrators believe
professional development is
important because faculty
learning how to teach online can
support institutional growth and
student needs. (Task Value:
Extrinsic Value/Utility)

Administrators see the cost
benefit of providing professional
development; therefore, they
spend time and money on
developing professional
development. (Task Value: Cost
Value/Benefit)

Administrators see the benefits
of professional development for
faculty because it can maintain
student engagement, student
satisfaction, retention for both
faculty and students, and
program sustainability.
(Task Value: Extrinsic
Value/Utility)

Administrators expect that
professional development will
create a smooth transition for
faculty, which results in their
positive attitude in willingness to
teach and engage students,
which result in students having
more positive learning outcomes.
(Expectancy Outcome)
The organization believes
in innovative
technological practices of
teaching online (cultural
model: constant
competition and/or
acceptance of the need for
change); therefore, they
support administrators in
providing more
professional development
for faculty. (Cultural
Setting: Autonomy and
Choice; Resources).

The organization supports
administrators by
providing funding and
resources necessary to
provide professional
development for faculty.
(Cultural Setting)

The organization provides
appropriate time and
compensation for both
administrators and faculty
for professional
development. (Cultural
Setting)

SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 48
faculty by applying adult
learning theory. (P)

Administrators have the
ability to reflect on the area of
need for improvement, adjust
the issue, and evaluate the
professional development
results (i.e. faculty
performance, evaluation etc.)
(M)

Administrators know to
monitor faculty performance
in order to provide on-going
faculty support. (M)

Validation of the Performance Assets
Having established an understanding of the knowledge, motivational and organizational
assets that contribute to or inhibit the achievement of a performance goal, it is necessary to
discuss the strategies that were used to validate the factors in the programs that are included in
this study. The remainder of the information in this chapter is focused on establishing a
framework for validating the performance indicators discussed.
The findings presented later in this dissertation are organized by the categories of
knowledge, motivation, and organization. The goal was to validate each of the factors assumed
to facilitate or inhibit onboarding and professional development processes for online faculty. To
determine the validation of each assumed asset, both qualitative and quantitative data were
collected through surveys, interviews, and document analysis.
Surveys were distributed via email by me and others who either were participants
themselves or had recommended other participants to participate in the study. A recruitment
script is provided in Appendix A. It was unknown how many potential participants received the
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 49
survey because the survey was sent to a point of contact from each participating institution and
the point of contact forwarded the email on to other potential participants. Some of the main
points of contact from each online program were also participants in the study. Among the seven
participating institutions, the survey was completed by fifteen participants (n=15). To analyze
the survey findings, frequencies were enumerated and the critical assumed knowledge and
motivational assets were identified and evaluated. The survey instrument consisted of twelve
items based on a 5-point Likert scale from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree,” six of which
measured the knowledge assets and the other six measured the motivational assets. Among the
six knowledge survey questions, four items assessed conceptual knowledge, and the other two
items assessed procedural knowledge. Of the six motivational survey questions, five assumed
motivational causes were related to task values and the sixth question was related to expectancy
outcome. Out of the five assumed motivational causes related to task values, four survey items
measured the participants’ extrinsic value and one survey item measured their cost value.
Thirteen participants also consented in an interview. Interviews were all conducted via
virtual conference rooms or phone to explore the knowledge, motivational, and organizational
causes that facilitate or inhibit professional development and onboarding of faculty who teach
online. The thirteen interviews were with administrators or those who are in charge of
implementing professional development or onboarding to faculty who teach online. Each
interview was recorded and transcribed for data analysis. Out of 11 interview questions, six
interview questions assessed participants’ knowledge assets and five interview questions
assessed their organizational assets. Within the six knowledge questions, two questions assessed
conceptual knowledge, two questions assessed procedural knowledge, and two other questions
assessed metacognitive knowledge. Additionally, under organizational causes, all five questions
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 50
were used to validate cultural setting. Four questions were exploring if there was organizational
support and the other question was developed to see if there were organizational resources.
Documents were analyzed in order to gain a deeper understanding of the onboarding and
professional development process for faculty to triangulate with the survey and interview
responses. Three types of documents were requested, including their professional development
curriculum to understand its different components such as pedagogy and technology, and the
different activities that are included in the professional development curriculum. Participants
were also asked to show how the results of student evaluations for synchronous online classes
compare to on-ground classes. However, only some participating institutions provided
documents for analysis, which is further discussed in future sections.
The first step was to email all recommended points of contact with the survey link along
with a request for an interview included in the template. The interview process began shortly
after the surveys were distributed. Documents were requested during or after the interviews.
Surveys, interviews, and document analysis took place from November of 2015 through
February of 2016.
Validation of the Performance Assets: Knowledge
In the following subsections I describe how I validated the administrator’s assets based
on their knowledge and skills within the categories of factual, conceptual, procedural, and
metacognitive. Validation included assessing through surveys, interview questions, and
document analysis. The survey, interview questions, and documents addressed the assets that
have been identified in Table 1.
Validation of conceptual knowledge assets. To validate the assumed conceptual
knowledge assets, administrators were asked to complete a Likert-scale survey. Survey
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 51
questions assessed administrators for their knowledge of learning in relation to the adult learning
theories. Items included statements about whether or not administrators believe learning of new
knowledge is built upon existing knowledge, or whether learning is promoted if new knowledge
is applied by the faculty and integrated in their world.
Validation of procedural knowledge assets. To validate the assumed procedural
knowledge assets, administrators were asked to complete a Likert-scale survey, answer interview
questions, and present document analysis of the professional development curriculum. Likert-
scale survey items included statements about how much modeling and feedback administrators
provide to faculty. Interviews included questions about the professional development format,
professional development strategies, and types of activities used to engage faculty. Furthermore,
administrators were asked to describe activities from the professional development curriculum.
Validation of metacognitive knowledge assets. To validate the assumed metacognitive
knowledge assets, administrators were asked interview questions and were asked to show
evidence of student evaluation for faculty, administrator, and self-evaluation of faculty members.
The interview included questions about how administrators evaluate the professional
development process and make improvements for professional development. Administrators
were also asked how they monitor faculty to determine their needs and areas of improvement. A
summary of assumed knowledge assets and its validation method are presented below in Table 2.
Table 2
Summary of Assumed Knowledge Assets and Their Validation
Assumed knowledge asset* How was it validated?
Administrators know it is essential to
combine both pedagogical and technological
components in professional development to
help faculty transition to online teaching. (C)
Likert-scale survey items (“strongly agree”
to “strongly disagree”).
To adequately prepare faculty for teaching
online, it is essential to provide professional
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 52
development in both technology and in online
instruction. (C)

Interview
What type of balance or how much emphasis
is placed on technology professional
development versus developing skills in the
area of online teaching or pedagogy? Please
elaborate. (C)
Administrators know the type of content to
include in the curriculum for professional
development should include effective
teaching strategies and navigating the online
platform, utilizing the technological tools and
online resources. (C)
Interview
Can you tell me about the type of faculty
development that is provided to help faculty
transition to teaching online? (C)

Document analysis
Review professional development curriculum
or any other type of related documents
demonstrating what items are covered during
professional development. (i.e., agenda, list
of topics, asynchronous course, etc.)
Administrators understand the principles of
instructional design based on how learning
works and adult learning theory. (C)

Likert-scale survey items (“strongly agree”
to “strongly disagree”).
Adults learn best if new concepts or skills are
presented in a way that builds on existing
knowledge. (C)

Adults learn better when there is opportunity
to apply new knowledge or skills. (C)

Adult learning is promoted if new skills or
knowledge can be integrated into the learner’s
work. (C)

Administrators conduct professional
development in various ways: one-on-one or
group seminars, hybrid, virtual, etc. (P)
Interview
What are the different ways administrators
conduct professional development? For
example, is it one-on-one or in groups? Is it
done completely on-ground, hybrid, or
completely online? Why is that the method
of choice? (P)
Administrators know how to apply the
principles of instructional design by modeling
and providing timely feedback to faculty
during professional development. (P)
Likert-scale survey items (“strongly agree”
to “strongly disagree”).

Adult learning is promoted when new
knowledge is modeled for the learner. (P)

SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 53
Adults learn best when provided with timely
feedback regarding their performance. (P)
Administrators know how to create activities
to engage faculty by applying adult learning
theory. (P)
Interview
What type of learning activities are used?
Can you give some specific examples? (P)

Document Analysis
Review agenda or lists of topics covered
during faculty meetings or professional
development. (P)
Administrators have the ability to reflect on
the area of need for improvement, adjust the
issue, evaluate the professional development
results (i.e., faculty performance, evaluation
etc.) (M)
Interview
How do you evaluate the process you use to
prepare faculty for online teaching, for
example, to determine if it’s working, or to
make improvements? (M)
Administrators know to monitor faculty
performance in order to provide on-going
faculty support. (M)
Interview
How do you determine the needs of your
faculty who teach online and the areas where
improvements are needed? (M)

Document Analysis
Review evidence of student evaluations of
faculty or related documents. (M)

Validation of the Performance Assets: Motivation
To validate the motivational performance assets, administrators were asked to complete a
Likert-item survey and answer some interview questions. Survey items included questions about
whether or not administrators feel that professional development for faculty is important because
it can contribute to institutional growth and student needs (extrinsic value). Administrators were
also asked if they believe addressing student needs with faculty help faculty increase student
engagement, student satisfaction, retention for both faculty and students, and also maintain
program sustainability (extrinsic value). In addition, administrators were asked if they believe
effective professional development is worth spending time and money on to help faculty (cost
value). Furthermore, administrators were asked if they believe helping faculty transition
smoothly to teaching online will give faculty a positive attitude about teaching online and
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 54
improve their student engagement (extrinsic outcome). Lastly, administrators were asked to
explain what results they expect from providing professional development (expectancy
outcome). A summary of assumed motivational assets and its validation method are presented
in Table 3.
Table 3

Summary of Assumed Motivational Assets and Their Validation
Motivational asset Possible cause(s)* How was it validated?
Administrators provide
onboarding and
professional development.
Administrators believe
professional development is
important because faculty
learning how to teach online
can support institutional
growth and student needs.
(Task Value: Extrinsic
Value/Utility)

Likert-scale survey items
(“strongly agree” to “strongly
disagree”).

Professional development in
the area of online instruction is
important because it prepares
faculty to effectively teach
online and increase student
learning, which can contribute
to institutional growth and
student needs. (Task Value:
Extrinsic Value/Utility)
Administrators allocate
time and money for
onboarding and
professional development.
Administrators see the cost
benefit of providing
professional development;
therefore, they spend time
and money on developing
onboarding and professional
development. (Task Value:
Cost Value/Benefit)

Likert-scale survey items
(“strongly agree” to “strongly
disagree”).

Providing professional
development to improve the
online teaching skills of our
faculty is important, even if it
requires additional time and
money. (Task Value: Cost
Value/Benefit)
Administrators address
student needs in faculty
professional development.
Administrators see that
professional development
benefits faculty because it
can maintain student
engagement, student
satisfaction, retention for
both students and faculty,
and program sustainability.
Likert-scale survey items
(“strongly agree” to “strongly
disagree”).

The development of the online
teaching abilities of our faculty
is important because it
improves the academic
performance of our students.
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 55
(Task Value: Extrinsic
Value/Utility)

(Task Value: Extrinsic
Value/Utility)
If our faculty receive effective
professional development in
online teaching, it will help
increase student engagement
and student satisfaction (Task
Value: Extrinsic Value/Utility)

If our faculty receive effective
professional development in
online teaching, it will help
with the retention of faculty.
(Task Value: Extrinsic
Value/Utility)
Administrators provide
professional development
to help faculty transition
from teaching on-ground to
online.
Administrators expect that
onboarding and professional
development will create a
smooth transition for
faculty, which results in
their positive attitude and
willingness to teach and
engage students, which
results in students having
more positive learning
outcomes. (Expectancy
Outcome)
Likert-scale survey items
(“strongly agree” to “strongly
disagree”).

I am sure that professional
development in online teaching
does/will create a smooth
transition for faculty from
teaching in on-ground
classrooms to teaching online.
(Expectancy Outcome)

Validation of the Performance Assets: Organization
To validate the assumed organizational assets, administrators were asked to complete
some Likert-scale survey items along with interview questions. They were asked if the
organization believes in innovative technological practices of teaching online (cultural model);
therefore, they support administrators in providing more professional development for faculty
(cultural setting). Interview questions included asking administrators to explain the kind of
support they receive from the organization for faculty professional development. Additionally,
administrators were asked if they are provided with the appropriate budget and resources to
develop professional development (cultural setting). Administrators were asked if the
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 56
organization has given administrators sufficient time to conduct professional development and if
faculty has been allotted sufficient time and compensation to participate in professional
development (cultural setting). A summary of assumed organizational assets and their validation
methods are presented below in Table 4.
Table 4

Summary of Assumed Organizational Assets and Their Validation
Organizational
Asset
Possible Organizational
Cause(s)*
How was it Validated?

Administrators are
supported by the
organization to
provide professional
development for
faculty.
The organization believes in
innovative technological
practices of teaching online
(Cultural Model: Culture of
constant competition and/or
acceptance of the need for
change); therefore, they
support administrators in
providing more professional
development for faculty.
(Cultural Setting: They give
autonomy and choice; they
provide resources; they do
not create unnecessary
barriers).
Interview
Can you tell me about the
organizational culture? For
example, how much support is there
for innovations in online teaching,
and how does that translate into the
support you have for professional
development for faculty? (Cultural
Model, Cultural Setting)
Is the development of faculty skills
in online teaching part of someone’s
role or set of responsibilities? Can
you elaborate? (Cultural Setting –
Support)
Administrators are
given the appropriate
budget to provide
professional
development.
The organization supports
administrators with
providing funding, and
resources necessary to
provide professional
development for faculty.
(Cultural Setting)
Interview
What type of budget is there for the
preparation or ongoing development
of faculty for online teaching? Can
you elaborate? (Cultural Setting -
Resources) Possible follow-up: Is it
adequate?

Administrators and
faculty are given time
and compensation to
deliver and receive
professional
development.
The organization provides
appropriate time and
compensation for both
administrators and faculty
for professional
development. (Cultural
Setting)
Interview
Are faculty given sufficient time
separate from their teaching
assignments to attend professional
development? Can you elaborate?
(Cultural Setting – Support)
Are faculty members given
sufficient compensation to attend
faculty development? Can you
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 57
elaborate? (Cultural Setting –
Support)

Participating Stakeholders
The stakeholder population of focus for this study included administrators or others who
are involved in the process of faculty onboarding and professional development for online
teaching. The criteria for choosing the stakeholders were that they are individuals (a) who are
responsible for conducting the professional development programs and/or (b) who are
responsible for designing the professional development. The administrators may have had a dual
function of designing the professional development curriculum and also serving as a faculty
member in their program. The participants for the interview component of this study were
selected based on their agreement to be interviewed and surveyed. Administrators were selected
based on purposive sampling with a snowballing technique and were contacted for survey,
interviews, and to present documents for analysis. The stakeholders were chosen because of
their role and their responsibilities of designing and conducting onboarding and professional
development in the respective online graduate programs.
Seven online programs participated in this study. Some online programs had recently
started working with the OPM provider and some had been working with them for quite some
time. There was one online program that has been working with the OPM provider for about
five years and another had been working with them for about eight years. Before the sample
selection of participants, appointments were scheduled with members from each participating
online program to direct me to a main point of contact in order to proceed with selecting
participants for the study. Subsequently, I contacted the point of contact. The point of contact
either participated in the study and/or recommended other potential participants. If other
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 58
potential participants were recommended, the point of contact also specified if he or she was
going to send the survey to the potential participants directly first or if contact information would
be given to me. Therefore, it is unknown how many potential participants received the survey.
On the other hand, interviews were all scheduled by me either with the point of contact or
through the snowball method. Each participant who was interviewed also completed the survey.
For interview participants, out of the seven online programs, there was one participant per
program for five of the programs. The other two programs consisted of four participants for each
program who also participated in an interview. A total of 15 participants completed the survey
and 13 participants agreed to an interview with me.
Participants who were interviewed varied in their position between the seven online
programs. One faculty served as a faculty advisor and had been teaching in synchronous online
courses for about two years. This person’s job was to support faculty who are in the online
course development process and also help faculty get involved with their pedagogical
approaches. Another participant held a director’s role and had been teaching synchronously
online for about five years. The participant collaborated with individual faculty in the
development of online and hybrid courses and participates in many activities relating to online
delivery and professional development offerings for the online program. A director from one of
the online programs participated and had been teaching synchronous online for about 15 months.
The participant’s role was to onboard and provide professional development to faculty with on-
going support. The participant supported faculty by meeting with them at least biweekly and
sending them resources online on a shared platform. A second participant who had held a
director’s role for about three years had been teaching in the on-ground program not the online
program. This participant was responsible for interviewing potential faculty and selecting
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 59
faculty who have substantial background in the field of the particular online program. A third
participant had held a director’s role for about five years and had never taught in the synchronous
program but had about 20 years of experience teaching in asynchronous programs. This
participant worked with faculty as the liaison with the OPM provider, in addition to onboarding
and orienting faculty to learn the LMS and how it connects with teaching.
One of the online programs that had been working with the OPM provider for at least five
years had four participants who were interviewed. The first participant from this particular
online program held an administrative position and had three years of synchronous online
teaching experience. The participant’s role was to oversee the operations of the virtual and on-
ground classes of the online program, faculty dismissals, program directors, and program
budgets. The second participant also held an administrative role and oversaw faculty
development and had been teaching for about three years in synchronous online courses. This
participant presented at several faculty orientations on topics related to pedagogical skills, and
also reviewed student evaluations in order to determine which faculty were struggling in their
courses. The third interviewee held a director’s role and had been teaching for nine years. The
director was responsible for interviewing potential faculty, assigning the right faculty to classes,
and connecting them with the course leads. The fourth interviewee also held the highest
administrative position, overseeing all of the other participants from the same online program.
This participant had been teaching synchronous classes for only one year, but taught in an
asynchronous setting for six years. The administrator oversaw all academic fairness issues and
student services, including all academic programs of that department.
The last four participants were from an online program that had been working with the
OPM provider for about eight years. Three of the participants were course coordinators of
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 60
certain classes within the online program. The first course coordinator had been teaching for six
years in synchronous online settings. The course coordinator reviewed student evaluations to
find out if any faculty were struggling and provided additional professional development to
support faculty. Similarly, the second course coordinator had been teaching for about six and a
half years and also taught faculty about the pedagogical side of using technology in a
synchronous classroom. Likewise, the third course coordinator had been teaching around seven
years. In addition to mentoring faculty, the course coordinator also revised syllabi, updated
readings, and found the right faculty to teach the courses. Lastly, the fourth participant held a
director and course coordinator role and had been teaching for about eight years. This particular
participant was involved in the initial design of the online program that started approximately
eight years ago when it first partnered with the OPM provider. The participant’s director role
was unrelated to faculty professional development and was completely separate from the course
coordinator role.
In sum, a variety of different roles were included as participants because they are all
involved with onboarding and supporting faculty with professional development. Administrative
roles include directors, deans, and course coordinators/course leads. Some participants taught
within the synchronous online programs and some were strictly administrators supporting faculty
without any teaching duties.
Data Collection
Permission from the University of Southern California’s Institutional Review Board
(IRB) was obtained to proceed with this study. In order to validate knowledge, motivation, and
organizational assumed causes, an online survey, in-person or telephone or video conference
interviews, and document analysis were conducted. This study was structured to include various
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 61
methods of data collection in order for triangulation to occur and ensure the trustworthiness of
the data. The anonymity and confidentiality of respondents was of utmost importance
throughout the study. As a result, all surveys were conducted online anonymously prior to the
interview meetings with the stakeholders. The surveys were conducted anonymously and no
identifiable information was collected. Since anonymity is not possible in interviews,
identifiable information was safeguarded via a password-protected document. Information
regarding the participants was only shared with my classmates and dissertation chairs. The
document with all identifiable information was destroyed at the culmination of the study.
Additionally, when the findings were reported, all identifiable characteristics were removed and
pseudonyms were used for the participating online programs to protect the identities of both
participants and online programs.
Instrumentation
Surveys. Once approval from the University of Southern California (USC) Institutional
Review Board (IRB) was received, surveys were distributed through online software. The
survey items were developed based on existing valid and reliable motivation instruments.
Knowledge and organization items were designed specifically for the study. The survey was
administered in English. The survey was distributed to administrators and those who are
involved with the professional development of faculty. The survey ended with a request to
submit an email address for a follow-up interview. Survey responses were collected
anonymously via Qualtrics, tabulated through software, and a copy was made for back up
purposes, and was stored on an external hard drive and located in a locked drawer. All results
were kept on a password-protected laptop. Upon completion of the data analysis, the back-up
copy and all recordings were destroyed. The survey instrument can be found in Appendix B.
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 62
Interviews. Interview protocols were created and questions were mapped to address the
professional development process based on knowledge, motivation, and organization. The
interviews were conducted at the graduate professional schools and a snowballing technique was
used to find participants for the interviews. The interviews were conducted in English and were
recorded and transcribed. Interviews expanded upon knowledge, motivation, and organizational
assumed facilitators or causes. The participants at the professional graduate schools were
interviewed individually. Each interview was conducted following a standard interview protocol
beginning with demographic questions before transitioning to the interview questions relative to
the assumed facilitators or causes. Interview questions were specifically created to map directly
to the assumed assets. Questions probed for deeper elaboration relative to the administrators’
perceptions, information gathering processes related to selection of higher education, and
decision making criteria. The interview protocol is included in Appendix C.
Document analysis. Documents related to the professional development process and
evaluation were reviewed to triangulate with results from the surveys and interviews. The
professional development topics were analyzed to review the type of content being used to
prepare faculty. Student evaluations of faculty were reviewed to understand the performance of
faculty. The document analysis protocol is included in Appendix D.
Trustworthiness of Data
Maxwell (2013) emphasizes the importance of following the process to rule out validity
threats and increase the credibility of the study. According to Maxwell’s (2013) checklist, there
are eight items to consider when checking for validity threats: (1) intensive, long term
involvement, (2) rich data, (3) respondent validation, (4) intervention, (5) searching for
discrepant evidence and negative cases, (6) triangulation, (7) numbers, and (8) comparison.
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 63
Therefore, individual interviews and document analysis were conducted in this study to increase
validity. Each interview was scheduled for at least thirty minutes or more to increase
involvement with the candidates. Interviews were transcribed. In addition, interview responses
were triangulated with document analysis. The strategy of using various methods to collect
information from multiple ranges of individuals and settings reduces the chances of biases and
increases the validity through explanations of the data (Maxwell, 2013). All data was analyzed
and compared.
To ensure that the study was done ethically, the researcher followed guidance by Patton
(2003) and Merriam (2009), who emphasize the importance of protecting the respondents from
harm, the right to privacy, and the notion of informed consent. Therefore, an information sheet,
available in Appendix E, was created for all respondents to review and sign before participating
in the interview. The consent form stated that as the researcher, I have their consent to interview
and record them and they have the right to request to stop the recording at any time. Moreover,
the consent form also ensures that their identity and responses are protected and only I have
access to the data. Additionally, all participants in this study were informed that while this study
is being conducted as part of a dissertation, the findings might be shared with the participating
programs upon request in order to advance learning and practice.
Role of Investigator
I conducted this study while a graduate student at one of the graduate schools included in
this study. In this role, I collected data at the online professional graduate school and interacted
with participants from this school. In doing so, I explained that my role was to conduct a
promising practices investigation in order to understand the organizations’ performance.

SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 64
Data Analysis
Descriptive statistical analysis was conducted once all survey results were submitted
from the participants. I began the data analysis during data collection and then made sure a
system was devised to organize and manage the data. I then used the data to construct categories
and themes (Merriam, 2009). I coded the data into themes that reflect the knowledge,
motivation, and organization categories. During the data collection, I wrote observer’s
comments for my interviews and document analysis. I analyzed these data using the a priori
categories of knowledge, motivation, and organization factors that contribute to onboarding and
professional development in addition to employing open coding to find unexpected, emergent
themes. Merriam (2009) emphasized that the coding process is very challenging to put these
categories together and then develop the themes from the data analysis. Interviewees were given
pseudonyms to protect their privacy. After interviews were conducted, all interviews were
transcribed. Interviews with individuals were conducted and documents were analyzed to
triangulate the data. The document data was used to cross check with the interview data to see if
the reported data from the interviews also appeared in the documents.

SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 65
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND FINDINGS
The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that facilitate or inhibit
administrators in providing onboarding and professional development for faculty to effectively
teach online. The question guiding this study was: what knowledge, skills, motivational, and
organizational factors facilitate or inhibit administrators in providing professional development
for faculty to successfully teach online, including synchronous online classes? In previous
chapters, factors assumed to facilitate or inhibit the development of faculty for synchronous
online teaching were delineated, based on informal interviews and a review of the literature. The
assumed factors in the areas of knowledge, motivation, and organized were then assessed in
order to discern the validation of these factors.
Results and Findings for Knowledge Assets
Instruments including a survey, interviews, and document analysis were used to validate
or not validate the assumed knowledge assets. The assumed assets were delineated from the four
types of knowledge: factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive (Anderson et al., 2001).
This four-type knowledge framework was the foundation for identifying which type of
knowledge or skills facilitate or inhibit the onboarding and professional development process for
faculty who teach in a synchronous online format. The following section further discusses the
assumed conceptual and procedural knowledge assets.
Conceptual Knowledge Assets
Conceptual knowledge is the dimension of knowledge that involves the connection of
factual knowledge, such as isolated content such as terminology or specific details (Anderson et
al., 2001), by creating schemas and organizing the details in order for an individual to understand
the information. Conceptual knowledge allows individuals to have a deeper understanding of
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 66
concepts, principles and theories (Anderson et al., 2001). It is important that administrators have
sufficient knowledge on what is needed in order to prepare faculty to teach online. Teaching
online requires not only learning how to use the technology but also the appropriate pedagogy
for online teaching. Other aspects of conceptual knowledge may include the type of professional
development to introduce to faculty that will assist them with teaching online. Additionally, it is
important to know the concepts of instructional design and adult learning theory in order to know
the right methods to help faculty absorb and apply the information being presented to them
during professional development. Therefore, the following section describes survey results and
interview data from administrators regarding their conceptual knowledge on combining
pedagogy and technology, type of content included in professional development, and application
of instructional design and adult learning theory.
Addressing both pedagogical and technological components. The research literature
revealed that it is important that administrators have an understanding of the need to provide
professional development in both technology and in online pedagogy to adequately prepare
faculty transition to teaching online. According to the results of both survey and interviews, this
assumed asset was validated. Findings showed that the administrators in this project all agreed
that faculty should receive onboarding and professional development in both technology and
pedagogy. In addition to the survey results that showed the inclusion of technology and
pedagogy in professional development, the OPM provider also played a big part in providing
onboarding for the faculty in regards to the technology aspect. Interviews provided insights that
a little over half of the programs focused on pedagogy, while the other half focused on
technology.
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According to the survey results, 100% of the participants indicated that they strongly
agreed it is important to provide professional development in both technology and in online
instruction in order to properly prepare faculty to teach in a synchronous online format. Contrary
to survey results, interviews revealed a different response. Three participants mentioned faculty
receive professional development in both pedagogy and technology equally. However,
participants also reported that faculty receive professional development in technology by the
OPM provider as part of their onboarding process before teaching their first online synchronous
course. Thus, interview data varied between the programs on how much emphasis is on
technology versus pedagogy. The following section elaborates the different foci the programs
had when onboarding and providing professional development to faculty.
Various participating programs have different approaches on what they emphasize when
preparing faculty to teach online. Six out of 13 participants advised that during the onboarding
with the OPM provider, the professional development was only based on technology and not on
content of the course or pedagogy. More specifically, one participant stated, “That’s the training
how to use the Adobe Connect, the LMS, ongoing development with regards to technology, and
how to think about the tools in the Adobe Connect as pedagogical tools, not just the little cute
bells and whistles.” Additionally, another participant indicated,
I think in the two places where it’s functional is in the OPM provider’s asynchronous
module, where they’ve built out the faculty training, and then the faculty support
meetings. The meetings address “How do you use a break out room?”, “How do you use
the layouts?” Our coordinating faculty are really developing the synchronous plan.
That’s where you’re thinking, “What are the learning objectives, what are the outcomes,
how do we really keep our students engaged?”
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 68
A participant emphasized that their program spends about “Seventy-five pedagogy and
twenty-five technology.” Additionally, seven participants indicated that they provide more
professional development about pedagogy in the program rather than in technology. These seven
participants are from three of the seven participating online programs. Therefore, participants
from three programs emphasized more pedagogy, but the other four programs emphasized more
technology. For example, one participant said, “I will teach them about the pedagogical side of
using the technology in a synchronous classroom, because the OPM provider is really good at
teaching you the nuts and bolts of how the technology works.” More interestingly, three out of
four participants from the same online program were indicating that the emphasis was more on
pedagogy. However, the fourth participant voiced that:
I think at the beginning most of the emphasis was on using the technology. I guess for
better or worse we assumed that we knew we thought faculty knew how to teach the
content and they were all aligned with the pedagogy. We had a series of meetings to
review the pedagogy to see if there were things we wanted to change, but generally the
emphasis was on the technology and not on the pedagogy.
This participant may have a different perspective because the participant has been with the
program since it first started with the OPM provider several years ago, and has also been there
longer than the other participants at that particular online program.
As the three programs emphasize more pedagogy, the other four programs focus more on
technology. These four programs each had one participant that responded rather than multiple
participants from the same programs. As evidence a participant stated, “I would say we place
most of our emphasis, 90% of it, on the technology professional development. We hire people
who we assume are expert in the field, who have practical experience, who can teach the subject
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 69
matter.” Likewise, another participant also stated, “We hire people who we assume are expert in
the field, who have practical experience, who can teach the subject matter.” Hence, throughout
all seven programs, three programs worked a little different from the other program in terms of
providing onboarding and professional development for online faculty.
To conclude, both survey and interview questions confirmed that faculty receive both
pedagogical and technological components of professional development to help faculty transition
to teaching online. Although the survey shows 100% of participants strongly agreed to
combining both technology and pedagogy, the administrators depend on the OPM provider to
onboard faculty with the technology professional development, while they focus on the
pedagogical aspect. The interview responses demonstrated that there is a strong emphasis on
pedagogy from over half the participants. Participants from three programs focused more on
pedagogy, while participants from four programs emphasize more technology. Due to the fact
that the participants agreed that the OPM provider also provides onboarding for technology, it
makes sense that some of the programs decided to only focus on the pedagogy. In general, these
programs are utilizing both in-house resources for professional development focused on
pedagogy and outsourcing to the OPM provider for the technology to ensure that both sides of
the content are being addressed during the onboarding and professional development process.
Survey and interview results validated that asset that administrators know it is essential to
combine both pedagogical and technological components in professional development to help
faculty transition to teaching online.
Pedagogical and technological professional development content. The assumed
knowledge asset is that administrators know the type of content included in the curriculum for
professional development should include effective teaching strategies and navigating the online
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 70
platform, utilizing technological tools and online resources. Based on the interview data and
documents, the assumed asset was validated. An interview question was asked to validate or not
validate the assumed asset regarding the type of faculty development provided to help faculty
transition to teaching online. Administrators were also asked to provide their professional
development curriculum as part of the study’s document analysis. The interview question “Can
you tell me about the type of faculty development that is provided to help faculty transition to
teaching online?” was asked to all participants. Several themes were discovered from the
responses from this question and the data will be discussed later on in this section.
In order triangulate with the interview data, documents were requested for analysis. I
asked a participant from each institution, including the OPM provider, to show professional
development curriculum and its different components, such as technology and pedagogy that are
included in the onboarding process. The OPM provider provided me with a link to their faculty
professional development website. As for the participating programs, out of those eight
institutions, only three institutions initially shared materials. However, after noticing the low
response rate with the request for documents, I changed the approach and asked the participants
to provide agendas, list of topics, or any other related documents that can show the type of
content included in professional development. Nevertheless, there were only documents from
four online programs and the OPM provider. One online program stated that there was nothing
tangible to share because they do not do a lot generic professional development, but rather one-
on-one supporting and consulting. Two other online programs did not respond to my document
request. The following section elaborates on the type of professional development provided by
these programs through interview data and document analysis.
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 71
Technological professional development. Eleven out of 13 participants responded that
faculty go through a technology workshop provided by the OPM provider. In one online
program, “All of our faculty go through three one-and-a-half hour synchronous training with a
trainer from the OPM provider. I require them to complete that training before they get access to
the demo versions of their course, which houses the course content,” said a participant. A
participant from another online program reported,
Our partnership with the OPM provider provides a whole another level of different types
of support. We rely on our internal staff, including me as director, faculty mentors, to
support the faculty in their online teaching and how they deliver instruction. The OPM
provider handles all of the technology support and thinking of, "How do I use these
different tools that have been supplied to me to run my class effectively?” That’s not the
same as pedagogy but it closely mirrors teaching technique and how you actually
effectively deliver your instruction outline.
These examples indicate that these programs all use the OPM provider to assist faculty with
learning the technology side.
The professional development faculty training and engagement website provided by the
OPM provider consists of several supporting methods such as registering for a training or
enrichment, downloading slides or reference guides, FAQs, upcoming enrichment events, and
surveys. The appointment section allows faculty to request different types of workshops,
individual meetings, and also additional workshops that are held occasionally for support faculty.
There are two training sessions that are one hour and thirty minutes long covering live session
essentials and live session planning. Additionally, prior to the live sessions, faculty are
requested to complete the OPM provider’s training modules. Training modules include “getting
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 72
ready to teach online, starting a live session, designing live sessions with pods and layouts,
planning for active live sessions with breakout rooms, navigating the LMS, and grading.” At the
end, faculty complete the modules with a final assessment to determine the level of the next
session. Moreover, the website includes a tab with guides that can be downloaded for review.
The tab includes quick reference guides from the training modules and guides on topics such as
“live session essentials, live session room maintenance, quiz settings, and user overrides.
PowerPoints from training session are available for faculty to review. Additionally, based on the
scanning interview and various comments provided by other participating programs, the OPM
provider professional developments covers everything faculty need to know about using the
technology on the platform.
Asynchronous professional development. A participant at one program reported that
there was an asynchronous faculty orientation course that all online faculty must complete as part
of the onboarding process. The access to this asynchronous professional development course
was provided. Through the analysis of the asynchronous orientation course, it is evident that
their orientation is very comprehensive. The content from the course includes components such
as general university information, course introduction, learning objectives, teaching and
pedagogy, and use of technology. The teaching and pedagogy component covers topics such as
the syllabus, students and disabilities, grading and rubrics, classroom management, technology
etiquette, and engaging students. These topics were presented through recorded sessions by
other faculty or administrators. The technology component includes using the asynchronous
LMS and the synchronous virtual class platform. It is also assumed that the orientation course
format is set up the same way a regular course student would enroll in to familiarize the faculty
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 73
with the system. This orientation provided by the online program is additional to the technology
workshop that is provided by the OPM provider.
Pedagogical professional development. Evidence showed that faculty also receive
professional development in pedagogy. A good number of participants indicated that they have
faculty meet with course leads to discuss the course content and how to incorporate different
pedagogical strategies within the class. Additionally, some programs also provide on-going
professional development for other important topics that are necessary to ensure effective
teaching.
Professional development with course leads. Six participants out of the 13 also
mentioned that faculty will meet with the course coordinator, which is the content expert who
created the course. As reported by a participant, “A course coordinator is having weekly
meetings with our faculty team.” Another participant elaborated that,
After they get vetted, we bring them on and onboard them regarding the technology that
is done through the process of our online provider. From our side of the house, we
onboard them with a two or three-hour orientation session. We try to bring them to
campus. If not, we will do this online, and we talk through them the school programs, the
on-campus program, the online program to give them a larger feel of what is going on.
At that point, we put them in contact with the course lead, who actually developed that
class, to start thinking through the course objectives, the course itself, and the course
objectives, how it is being taught, etc. And then, of course, they start teaching.
Similarly, another participant emphasized it is required that faculty meet with their course lead.
The participant stated,
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 74
It’s also to guarantee the consistency in quality across sections. At least one faculty
meeting a term is required and one faculty enrichment. If we do a webinar on academic
integrity and how to have conversations with students if you are suspicious that perhaps
they’ve plagiarized or are cheating. If we have a webinar, you are at least expected to
attend it or watch it because you’re expected to.
Likewise, a participant said, “If I’m course lead for a certain course and I have 15 instructors
then I will meet with them weekly for an hour to an hour and a half every single week for the
whole first semester that they are teaching.” Additionally, the same participant also said,
I bring all of our new people together and I bring all of the course coordinators from
those courses together, and we do a round robin. We all sign into the marketing person’s
Adobe Connect meeting and we do 10 minutes of them teaching to us for the first 10
minutes of a class.
Therefore, interview data demonstrated that course leads play a big part in professional
development for faculty. Topics varied throughout the programs and also is dependent on the
needs of faculty.
On-going professional development. Documents from one online program presented a
list of common topics covered during professional development and were provided as document
analysis. According to the participant, faculty participate in a virtual teaching group and receive
weekly or biweekly postings on online teaching. Additionally, once a month, a live session is
hosted to talk about anything faculty feel necessary. Based on the list of common topics
provided, faculty receive professional development in areas such as creative approaches to
synchronous teaching, managing silence in a class, late assignment submissions, utilizing
breakout rooms, and creating activities for various types of students such as less verbal and
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 75
unaccountable students. Thus, another online program also provides a vast amount of
pedagogical tools to assist faculty with teaching online.
One online program provided a brief description of topics that were covered in previous
professional development session. Topics included classroom management strategies such as
dealing with chronically late students, and managing different types of students and their over or
under participation as it corresponds to the readings and asynchronous materials. In addition, the
course leads also provide weekly meetings to address faculty concerns or discuss necessary
topics that will enhance their teaching. They provide one-on-one meetings with faculty in order
to ensure the faculty are performing effectively.
In summary, faculty from all programs attend the technology workshop from the OPM
provider and schedule professional development sessions and one-on-one meetings with the
OPM provider. Pedagogy, on the other hand, is covered by the program course leads and during
their on-going professional development on topics that are necessary to provide faculty with
additional skills to teach more effectively online. Documents available exhibited that these
institutions do know the content which they include in professional development. Therefore, the
assumed asset was validated.
Understanding principles of instructional design. The literature also concluded that
administrators of these institutions should understand the principles of instructional design and
adult learning theory. It was assumed that administrators know how to apply the principles of
instructional design through modeling and giving feedback. The following section provides an
elaboration of findings based on the survey responses.
First, literature indicated that adults learn best when new concepts or skills are presented
in a way that builds on existing knowledge (Merrill, 2002). Survey results supported the
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 76
literature. For example, the results illustrated that approximately 73% of respondents strongly
agreed. Second, Merrill (2002) also indicated that learning is promoted when adults can apply
the new knowledge. Survey results also supported the literature and presented that 79% of
participants strongly agreed that adults learn better when there is an opportunity to apply new
knowledge or skills. Last, adult learning is promoted if new skills or knowledge are integrated
into the learner’s work (Merrill, 2002). The literature was also supported by the survey results
and approximately 80% of participants strongly agreed and 7% of participants agreed. During
the interviews, participants also confirmed that faculty are given opportunities to practice on the
virtual platform and are given feedback from the administrators. Therefore, findings
demonstrated that the importance of these instructional principles of design appears to be
validated. A visual summary of the survey results for conceptual knowledge is presented in
Figure 2 from the highest knowledge to the lowest knowledge.

Figure 2. Responses to conceptual knowledge survey questions
73%
79%
80%
100%
7%
7%
7%
0%
13%
14%
13%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120%
Q2. Adults learn best if new concepts or skills are
presented in a way that builds on existing knowledge.
(KC)
Q4. Adults learn better when there is opportunity to
apply new knowledge or skills. (KC)
Q5. Adult learning is promoted if new skills or
knowledge can be integrated into the learner’s work.
(KC)
Q1. To adequately prepare faculty for teaching
online, it is essential to provide professional
development in both technology and in online
instruction. (KC)
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 77
Administrators also volunteered that they understand adult learning promoted through
modeling and giving timely feedback. They validated an additional survey questions agreeing
that adults learn better when new knowledge is modeled and feedback is given in a timely
manner. Further evidence is elaborated in the next section on how administrators demonstrate
their understanding of the principles of instructional design.
Procedural Knowledge Assets
Procedural knowledge is the knowledge of how to perform or do something (Anderson et
al., 2001). One usually performs procedural knowledge by following a series of steps or
instructions. There were three assumed procedural knowledge assets that needed to be validated.
All three instruments, survey, interviews, and documents were used to assess the procedural
knowledge assets.
Offering professional development in multiple modalities. The assumed procedural
knowledge is that administrators conduct professional development in various ways. According
to the interview data, this assumed asset was validated. In addition to faculty receiving
technology professional development and on-going support from the OPM provider, review of
data also revealed several approaches to providing professional development in multiple
modalities such as conducting professional development one-on-one or in groups and virtually or
on the ground. According to the interview results, 11 participants responded that they provide
onboarding and professional development to assist new faculty in a one-on-one synchronous
online format. One participant stated, “I think these are almost always one-on-one relationships,
one faculty member, and their one course. We never do this in groups.” In the same manner,
another participant specified that “When I meet with faculty on a course, four to five of us get
together, people who teach the same course. It is group sharing. Faculty come together to
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 78
brainstorm ideas.” Eight participants also indicated the onboarding and professional
development were also conducted in groups synchronously online. Only two participants
mentioned that they also provide an asynchronous component to the onboarding and professional
development either through an asynchronous course on their learning portal or through a blog
that is independent from the OPM provider workshop. Both participants were from the same
online program. The interview data proved that administrators validated the assumed asset since
a majority of the programs conduct professional development in various ways, especially one-
on-one, in groups, and also through asynchronous orientation.
Application of principles of instructional design by modeling and providing
feedback. The assumption for procedural knowledge is that administrators know how to apply
principles of instructional design by modeling and providing timely feedback to faculty during
the professional development. This was validated by two survey questions and one interview
question. The first question asked the participants to agree or disagree if adult learning is
promoted when new knowledge is modeled for the learner. Based on the survey results, 67%
strongly agreed, 20% agreed, and 13% strongly disagreed. The second survey question asked the
participants to select their range of agreement on whether adults learn best when provided with
timely feedback regarding their performance. The results showed that 67% strongly agreed and
13% agreed, while the 7% neither agreed nor disagree and 13% strongly disagreed. These
results are also revealed in Figure 3.
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 79

Figure 3. Responses to procedural knowledge survey questions
The results of both survey questions that measured the assumed asset of administrators knowing
how to apply principles of instructional design through modeling and giving feedback was
validated. Results for both questions represented over 50% of respondents who strongly agreed
in addition to those who agreed. This confirmed the validation of administrators understanding
of how to model and provide feedback.
Although there were no specific interview question to assess this assumed asset,
participants touched upon the concept of modeling and providing feedback during the interview.
According to a participant from, “We have a course lead model, which many online programs
do, where each course has a mentor or mentors.” Additionally, another participant indicated that
“They have access to the live session recordings of that class. They are able to go ahead and
look at one, two, or three faculty who have taught that class in the live session environment, and
see what questions were asked, what materials were used, what approaches were used in Adobe
Connect.” Similarly, the course lead also observes the instructor’s courses and provides
feedback. For example, a participant stated, “I will come back in later on and in the term usually
67%
67%
13%
20%
7%
13%
13%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Q6. Adults learn best when provided with
timely feedback regarding their
performance. (KP)
Q3. Adult learning is promoted when new
knowledge is modeled for the learner. (KP)
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 80
a few weeks in and watch one of their class sessions that’s recorded and give them feedback
based on that. Usually this whole time they are also watching my class sessions from week to
week.”
In sum, both survey and interview responses have assessed the assumed asset. The two
survey questions received over 50% response of strongly agreed and new unexpected interview
data also demonstrated that participants know how to use modeling and provide feedback to help
faculty as part of professional development. Therefore, the assumed asset has been validated by
both the survey and interviews.
Application of principles of instructional design by creating activities to engage
faculty. Another assumed procedural knowledge asset is that administrators know how to apply
adult learning theory and create activities to engage faculty for the professional development.
Through the interview data and documents analysis, the assumed asset was partially validated.
During the interview, participants were asked “What type of learning activities are used? Can
you give some specific examples?” Seven administrators provided activities through meaningful
discussions along with providing recommendations and mentoring. When asked about the type
of learning activities used during professional development, a participant responded, “Webinars
that are lecture and discussion oriented. They also have pedagogy discussion that are voluntarily
on the virtual platform.” Also, another participant delivers activities through the virtual teaching
group where the participant “constantly post tips and send articles to faculty.” Additionally, a
participant strongly asserted, “The most important tool we have is conversation.” Likewise,
seven administrators had faculty observe live class sessions or recordings of classes.
Additionally, four participants also mentioned that they allowed faculty to practice on the
learning platform as part of their activity as well. One of the participants described that, “With
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 81
the technology training that is done, they have demonstrations and provide opportunities to see
how it should be done, and then they can practice at a later point. So its demonstration and
dissemination of information.” This evidence also confirmed that administrators are applying
the principles of instructional design by promoting learning through applying the knowledge and
also giving feedback after the practice demonstrations (Merrill, 2002).
Based on the same documents reported previously, I gathered that some participating
programs provided different approaches on how the professional development programs are
delivered. The more creative activities that were reported were the asynchronous orientation
course from three different online programs. The first online program delivered some faculty
enrichment through the “virtual teaching group”. Another online program provided orientation
that included recorded clips through an asynchronous course which reflects how a student’s
course is similarly set up. The third online program focused on having live discussions with
faculty to address topics such as classroom management. Other programs have some
overlapping methods or activities for faculty professional development mentioned in interviews,
but no documents were provided to triangulate the data. With the interview data and document
analysis, the assumed asset that administrators know how to create activities to engage faculty by
applying adult learning theory is partially validated since not all responses were consistent across
the programs.
Metacognitive Knowledge Assets
Metacognitive knowledge includes one’s knowledge and awareness of their cognitive
process and the capacity to self-regulate and reflect (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001). Two
metacognitive knowledge assets were assumed with administrators in this study. It was assumed
that administrators have the ability to reflect to further improve on their process of providing
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 82
professional development as well as monitor faculty performance in order to provide sufficient
support.
Ability to reflect on areas of need for improvements. As mentioned above, the
assumed metacognitive knowledge asset is that administrators have the ability to reflect on areas
that are in need of improvement, adjust the issue, and evaluate the professional development
results. This particular asset was not exhibited by administrators. An interview question was
used to assess this assumed asset. During the interview, participants were asked, “How do you
evaluate the process you used to prepare faculty for online teaching, for example, to determine if
it’s working, or to make improvements?” In response to this question, a participant said, “We
don’t have a very formal mechanism for doing monitoring and evaluation.” However, prior to
that statement, the participant also stated,
I think there’s a lot of going up to the professors right after they’ve taught their course or
in the midst of them and just asking how’s it going and listening. We also hold online
program faculty meetings within our school and talk with them about their experiences to
find out what’s working from the training all the way through to their teaching.
Likewise, a participant from another online program also said,
We base it off their teaching evaluations and through student comments, things like that.
That’s interesting because really right now it is the only one in the university that
evaluates faculty and we’re actually looking at other ways that are more qualitative.
On the same note, five out of 13 participants advise that they have no formal evaluation process
in place yet. However, eight participants indicated that they review student evaluations to
determine if there are improvements needed or to address any concerns. Six participants
responded that they always informally ask instructors for feedback and listen to their challenges
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 83
and two participants also receive feedback about the instructors from the course coordinators.
Another participant uttered,
We ask informally and then during the lead meetings we would also get information and
then the leads themselves will share their sense of what people are saying about the
orientation as well as if people feel well prepared for the technology part of the program.
In addition, one participant voiced, “I spy on them. I have administrative access to all of the
courses that our faculty teach online, so knowing that they are expected to record those videos, I
will go in periodically and observe them teaching through the video recordings.” Based on the
interviews, five participants also observe the instructors’ live or recorded class sessions.
Participants from two online programs also mentioned the OPM provider distributes their own
survey and some of the participants’ questions are incorporated within the OPM provider’s
survey. There are various ways of evaluating and adjusting approaches that the programs have
mentioned, but the assumed asset was not exhibited because there seems to be no formal way of
doing this, and the responses were inconsistent. This is an important aspect of metacognition of
monitoring faculty for any program’s professional development for faculty; therefore,
recommendations are offered in Chapter 5.
Monitor faculty performance to provide on-going faculty support. The other
assumed metacognitive asset is that administrators know to monitor faculty performance in order
to provide on-going faculty support. This asset was assessed through an interview question and
document analysis and resulted in partial validation. Participants were asked how they determine
faculty’s needs. Subsequently, participants were also asked to provide documents on how
student evaluations differ between synchronous online classes when compared to on-campus
classes.
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 84
One question was asked to assess that administrators know they should monitor faculty
performance, which was “How do you determine the needs of your faculty who teach online and
the areas where improvements are needed?” The participants had similar answers to the previous
question. Nine participants informally ask instructors for feedback in order to address their
concerns. Four participants also observe the instructors’ live or recorded class sessions. In
contrast with what participants from the previous assumed asset mentioned, a participant
indicated, “We have not gone that far, but that is an excellent idea. We have not done that
because it is very important that it is the instructor’s class. When you have that senior person
come in, it can create an odd dynamic.” Also, similar to the previous responses, four participants
also meet with the course leads occasionally to discuss instructors in order to address the
instructors’ needs. Student evaluations were also brought up by three participants.
One of the responses from participants about how to monitor faculty’s performance and
provide on-going support is by reviewing student evaluations. To assess this metacognitive
knowledge asset through document analysis, participants were asked to provide student
evaluations of how they rate the faculty and/or some type of comparison of student evaluation
results between synchronous online courses versus on the ground classes. In response to the
request for the documents to analyze, only one participant from one online program provided
tangible documents. The participant provided some raw data of student evaluations for both
online and on-ground courses. The raw data contained a list of courses by course code and its
multiple course sections that were online or on-ground. The data also included the average
ratings of how students rated a faculty per course section for both online and on-ground formats.
I compared the faculty ratings for both online and on-ground courses. Based on this document
analysis, faculty teaching online courses score higher than faculty teaching on-ground.
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 85
Other online programs were unable to provide data. One participant reported that they
did try to review the student evaluations or other data to make meaning of the data for further
program improvements. This program stated that “they also do not compare online and on-
ground data because they never felt the need to disaggregate data between the online and on-
ground courses.” Another participant in an online program did not provide documents either but
stated that the evaluations between online and on-ground have some universal questions, but the
“online evaluations contain assessment for asynchronous teaching, technology, and live session
instruction, so they aren’t exactly comparable either.” Additionally, another online program
responded that some questions on the evaluations are the same between the online student
evaluations versus the on-ground student evaluations and some are different and cannot be
compared.
The data collected concluded that participants informally ask faculty for feedback and
observe live classes. Moreover, very few documents were collected for analysis. Hence, the
assumed asset cannot be validated and administrators only partially validated that they know
how to monitor faculty performance in order to provide on-going support. Nonetheless,
recommendations are still offered in Chapter 5.
Synthesis of Results and Findings for Assumed Knowledge Assets
Conceptually, administrators know it is essential to combine both pedagogy and
technology in onboarding and professional development. The administrators ensure that faculty
receive both technological and pedagogical professional development through both the OPM
provider and through the programs themselves. Administrators indicated that the type of
professional development provided included technology workshops with the OPM provider,
meetings with the course coordinators, and watching live or recorded class sessions. This was
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 86
evident through the analysis of documents such as the OPM provider faculty website,
asynchronous orientation, and other lists of topics presented during professional development.
Lastly, administrators confirmed that adults learn best with concepts and skills that are built on
existing knowledge, applicable, and integrated in the learner’s work. Therefore, this validated
the assumed asset that administrators understand the principles of instructional design based on
how adult learning theory.
Procedurally, administrators know how to apply the principles of instructional design by
modeling and providing timely feedback during professional development. Although no specific
interview question was assigned to validate this assumed asset, some administrators from
participating programs volunteered their model by asking faculty to observe live or recorded
class sessions. Likewise, other administrators also reported that new faculty are observed while
teaching and will receive feedback for further improvements. Additionally, some also reported
that they have meaningful discussions and mentoring sessions with faculty. Few programs
mentioned that they ask faculty to also practice on the learning platform. The interview data was
also triangulated with the same documents in the previous section, including the onboarding and
professional development materials and activities used such as discussions, asynchronous
courses, and virtual teaching groups. Due to the inconsistency of the reports across all
participants, the assumed procedural knowledge asset was only partially validated.
Metacognitively, administrators did not exhibit the ability to reflect on areas in need of
improvement by evaluating the professional development results in order to make any changes
necessary. Some participants responded that they had no formal process. Other participants
indicated that they use student evaluations and six participants informally solicit feedback from
faculty. A majority of the programs had informal ways of doing this, but there was no actual
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 87
process. Some administrators also mentioned that they still are working on creating a way to
evaluate their process. Additionally, it was also assumed that administrators know how to
monitor faculty performance in order to provide on-going support. Many participants responded
that they also informally solicit feedback from faculty about their concerns. Some participants
also indicated that they observe the faculty’s live or recorded courses and review student
evaluations. To triangulate, one participant was able to provide raw data of student evaluations
for both online and on-ground courses. When compared to on-ground courses, they were not
many differences. Since only one participant was able to provide data, the assumed asset was
only partially validated.
In summary, out of eight assumed knowledge assets, three were validated, four were
partially validated, and one was not exhibited. Most of the ones that were partially validated
were due to not receiving consistent responses from administrators. However, the study
provided a range of practices of what is done out there with online programs. The one assumed
asset that was not exhibited was the evaluation process of the professional development and
whether or not it is working. This is a topic itself that can be explored in further studies. The
following Table 5 is a summary of results and findings for the assumed knowledge assets.
Table 5
Summary of Results and Findings for Assumed Knowledge Assets
Assumed Assets Result Explanation
Conceptual
Administrators know it is
essential to combine both
pedagogical and technological
components in professional
development to help faculty
transition to online teaching.
Validated Survey: 100% indicated strongly agree to the
importance of providing professional
development in both technology and
pedagogy. (Validated)
Interview: Participants from 3 of 7 programs
indicated more emphasis on pedagogy;
participants from 4 of 7 programs indicated
more emphasis on technology; participants
also mentioned that the OPM provider
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provides onboarding for technology.
(Validated)
Conceptual
Administrators know the type
of content to include in the
curriculum for professional
development, which should
include effective teaching
strategies and navigating the
online platform, utilizing the
technological tools and online
resources.
Validated Interview: 11 of 13 participants indicated
faculty will go through technology
professional development with the OPM
provider; 6 of 13 will meet with course
coordinator who is the content expert.
(Validated)
Document Analysis: The faculty support
website from the OPM provider; received
documents to analyze from 3 online
programs; documents include asynchronous
orientation course and list of topics that are
covered in professional development.
(Validated)
Conceptual
Administrators understand the
principles of instructional
design based on how learning
works and adult learning
theory.
Validated Survey: 73% indicated strongly agreed that
adults learn best when new concepts or skills
are presented in ways that build on existing
knowledge. (Validated)
Survey: 79% strongly agreed that adults learn
better when there is an opportunity to apply
new knowledge or skills (Validated)
Survey: 80% strongly agreed adult learning is
promoted if new skills or knowledge are
integrated into the learner’s work.
(Validated)
Procedural
Administrators conduct
professional development in
various ways: one-on-one or
group seminars, hybrid,
virtual, etc.
Validated Interview: 11 of 13 participants conduct
professional development in one-on-one
synchronous online sessions; 8 of 13
participants also do it in groups through
synchronous online sessions; 2 participants
from 1 programs provided an asynchronous
component to onboarding. (Validated)
Procedural
Administrators know how to
apply the principles of
instructional design by
modeling and providing timely
feedback to faculty during
professional development.
Validated Survey: 67% strongly agreed that adult
learning is promoted when new knowledge is
modeled for the learner. (Validated)
Survey: 67% strongly agreed that adults learn
best when provided with timely feedback
regarding their performance. (Validated)
Interview: participants from 4 programs
volunteered that they model by asking faculty
to observe their live or recorded classes;
participants from 3 programs give feedback
after observing the faculty’s live or recorded
classes.
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 89
Procedural
Administrators know how to
create activities to engage
faculty by applying adult
learning theory.
Partially
Validated
Interview: participants from 4 programs
indicated they provide meaningful discussions
and mentoring; participants from 4 programs
have faculty observe live or recorded classes;
participants from 3 programs allow faculty to
practice. (Partially Validated)
Document Analysis: Same documents
provided for the type of content in
professional development were used to
analyze procedures; activities used include
discussions, asynchronous course, and the
virtual teaching group. (Partially Validated)
Metacognitive
Administrators have the ability
to reflect on the area of need
for improvement, adjust the
issue, evaluate the professional
development results (i.e.
faculty performance,
evaluation, etc.)
Not
Exhibited

Interview: 5 of 13 have no formal evaluation
process; 8 participants use student
evaluations; 6 participants ask faculty
informally for feedback or concerns;
participants from participating programs
observe faculty live or recorded class
sessions. (Not Exhibited)
Metacognitive
Administrators know they
should monitor faculty
performance in order to
provide on-going faculty
support.
Partially
Validated
Interview: 9 of 13 ask faculty informally for
feedback or concerns; 4 participants observe
live or recorded class sessions. (Partially
Validated)
Document Analysis: One online program
provided some raw data of student
evaluations for both online and on-ground
courses; other programs did not provide any
tangible data, but rather explanations of
whether or not they compare the student
evaluation data. (Partially Validated)

Results and Findings Motivational Assets
Motivation is one of the factors that is assessed in this study as it is a factor that can
affect one from attaining their goals. Motivation can be seen as a battery or fuel to energize a car
(Clark and Estes, 2008). Rueda (2011) indicated that motivational principles of interests,
attributions, self-efficacy, values, and goals are underlying factors that influence one’s
performance and goal attainment. Assumed motivational assets were identified within task
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 90
values, such as extrinsic and cost value, and in expectancy outcome. Six survey questions were
asked to assess the assumed motivational assets.
Task Value
Motivation, learning, and performance are amplified if one values the task (Clark and
Estes, 2008; Pintrich, 2003). Several assets and causes were assumed and survey questions were
used to validate or not validate each asset and cause. Participants were asked to select whether
they agree or disagree on a five-item Likert scale regarding their perspective on the motivation to
provide professional development and its importance.
Professional development supports institutional growth and student needs. The
assumed asset that administrators provide faculty professional development is through their
extrinsic value. This means that faculty were motivated to provide professional development for
faculty. The motivation is that if faculty receive the proper professional development, the results
can support institutional growth and student needs. Administrators validated this assumed asset
through a survey question that asked participants to select their agreement/disagreement if
professional development in the area of online instruction is important because it prepares
faculty to effectively teach online and increase student learning, which can contribute to
institutional growth and student needs. Out of 15 responses, 80% of participants strongly agreed
and 7% agreed. Thus, this assumed asset was validated as displayed in Figure 4.
Professional development can help maintain student engagement, student
satisfaction, retention for both faculty and students, and program sustainability. It was
assumed that administrators address student needs in professional development and this is
because they see the benefits that professional development can help faculty maintain student
engagement, student satisfaction, retention for both students and faculty, and also program
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 91
sustainability. Three survey questions were asked to assess these assumed assets and causes,
which were also all validated through extrinsic values. First, 67% of respondents strongly agreed
that the development of the online teaching abilities of their faculty is important because it
improves the academic performance of their students. Second, 67% also strongly agreed that it
would help increase student engagement and student satisfaction if their faculty receive effective
professional development in online teaching. The last question asked participants whether they
agree if their faculty receive effective professional development in online teaching, it will help
with the retention of faculty. Out of 15 participants, 53% strongly agreed and 20% agreed.
As a result, over 50% of participants strongly agreed with all three questions assessing
the motivational asset that administrators provide professional development to address student
needs. A small amount either stayed neutral or disagreed with the assumed asset. There were
two particular participants who strongly agreed for the first survey question and then strongly
disagreed for the rest of the questions with an exception of one that just disagreed. The time that
participants spent on the survey were reviewed and there seems to not be a big difference
between the respondents. The overall results would still lead towards strongly agreed and
agreed. Therefore, there responses were still kept in the analysis. All motivational assumed
assets and causes for this were validated and can be reviewed in Figure 4.
Professional development is a cost benefit. It was assumed that administrators allocate
time and money for professional development. The motivation is that administrators see the cost
benefit of providing professional development; therefore, they spend the time and money on
creating professional development. This cost value is assessed and validated through a survey
question. Participants were asked if they agree or disagree that providing professional
development improves the online teaching skills of faculty is important, even if it requires
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 92
additional time and money. The results of this survey question revealed that 60% of respondents
strongly agreed and 27% of respondents agreed. Whereas, 13% of respondents strongly
disagreed. As a result, this assumed asset was validated. Figure 4 provides a visualization of the
results from highest motivation to lowest motivation.

Figure 4. Responses to motivational survey questions
Expectancy Outcome
Having the expectation that onboarding and professional development will help smooth
the transition for faculty from teaching on-ground to teaching online is a motivation for
administrators. Survey results showed that the asset was partially validated.
40%
53%
60%
67%
67%
80%
13%
20%
27%
20%
20%
7%
33%
13%
7%
13%
13%
13%
13%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
Q12. I am sure that professional development in online
teaching does/will create a smooth transition for faculty
from teaching in on-ground classrooms to teaching online.
(MEO)
Q11. If our faculty receive effective professional
development in online teaching, it will help with the
retention of faculty. (MEV)
Q9. Providing professional development to improve the
online teaching skills of our faculty is important, even if it
requires additional time and money. (MCV)
Q10. If our faculty receive effective professional
development in online teaching, it will help increase
student engagement and student satisfaction (MEV)
Q8. The development of the online teaching abilities of our
faculty is important because it improves the academic
performance of our students. (MEV)
Q7. Professional development in the area of online
instruction is important because it prepares faculty to
effectively teach online and increase student learning,
which can contribute to institutional growth and student
needs. (MEV)
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 93
Professional development results in smoother transition for faculty and more
positive student learning outcomes. Administrators were asked if onboarding and professional
development results in a smooth transition towards teaching online and creates a positive attitude
within faculty. Based on the survey, 40% strongly agreed and 13% agreed, while 33% neither
agreed nor disagreed and 13% strongly disagreed. The result can also be viewed in Figure 4.
The percentage of strongly agreed and agreed is 53%. However, this was a high percentage of
participants responding with neither agreed nor disagreed. Additionally, it is the only question
that had the highest response for neither agreed nor disagreed throughout the whole survey.
Therefore, this assumed asset can be considered as partially validated.
Synthesis of Results and Findings for Assumed Motivational Assets
The assumed motivational assets were all assessed through survey questions. There were
four assumed assets. Three assumed assets were validated and the fourth one was partially
validated. Survey results show that 80% of administrators provide faculty professional
development through extrinsic value. They believe providing the appropriate faculty
development for online teaching will help support institutional growth and student needs. In the
onboarding and professional development, it was also assumed that administrators address
student needs and this was also through extrinsic value that they see the benefits of providing
professional development since it will transform faculty to be able to effectively maintain student
engagement and satisfaction. If students are satisfied, which may lead to faculty satisfaction,
then retention rate for both are higher and the rate of program sustainability is also higher.
About 67% of participants strongly agreed to the benefits of providing professional development,
which validated the assumed asset. In addition, 60% of participants strongly agreed that
providing professional development could improve faculty online teaching skills even if it
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 94
requires additional time and money. This also validated the assumption that administrators do
allocate time and money for professional development. However, the partially validated asset
was that providing professional development helps faculty transition from teaching on-ground to
teaching online. The results dropped to only 53% of participants who strongly agreed. The
result raised questions for me because it is unclear if faculty from these participating programs
have ever taught on-ground before teaching online. It is also unclear if faculty were only hired to
teach specifically online or both. Some participants mentioned that their faculty teach in both
online and on-ground programs. However, this may not be the case across all programs.
Therefore, the assumed asset was partially validated. Table 6 describes the summary of results
and findings for the assumed motivational assets.
Table 6
Summary of Results and Findings for Assumed Motivational Assets
Motivational Assets Possible Causes Result Explanation
Administrators
provide onboarding
and professional
development.
Extrinsic Value
Administrators believe
professional development
is important because
faculty learning how to
teach online can support
institutional growth and
student needs.
Validated Survey: 80% strongly
agreed professional
development in the area of
online instruction is
important because it
prepares faculty to
effectively teach online
and increase student
learning, which can
contribute to institutional
growth and student needs.
(Validated)
Administrators
address student
needs in faculty
professional
development.
Extrinsic Value
Administrators see that
benefits of developing
faculty because it can
maintain student
engagement, student
satisfaction, retention for
both students and faculty,
and program sustainability.
Validated Survey: 67% strongly
agreed that the
development of the online
teaching abilities of their
faculty is important
because it improves the
academic performance of
their students. (Validated)
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 95
Survey: 67% strongly
agreed that if our faculty
receive effective
professional development
in online teaching, it
would help increase
student engagement and
student satisfaction.
(Validated)
Survey: 67% strongly
agreed that if their faculty
receive effective
professional development
in online teaching, it will
help with the retention of
faculty (Validated)
Administrators
allocate time and
money for
onboarding and
professional
development.
Cost Value
Administrators see the cost
benefit of providing
professional development;
therefore, they spend time
and money on providing
professional development.
Validated Survey: 60% strongly
agreed that providing
professional development
improves the online
teaching skills of faculty
is important, even if it
requires additional time
and money. (Validated)
Administrators
provide professional
development to help
them transition from
teaching on-ground
to online.
Expectancy Outcome
Administrators expect that
onboarding and
professional development
will create a smooth
transition for faculty,
which results in their
positive attitude and
willingness to teach and
engage students, which
results in students having
more positive learning
outcomes.
Partially
Validated
Survey: Total of 53%
either strongly agreed or
agreed. (Partially
Validated)

Results and Findings Organizational Assets
The organization is the last factor that is explored in this Gap Analysis. The assumed
organizational assets are examined in this study as they are rooted in the culture and context of
each organization. Gallimore and Goldenberg (2001) suggest a framework to examine the
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 96
organization’s cultural models and settings. The assumed organizational assets include the
support for administrators in providing professional development along with support for the
budget, time, and compensation for both administrators and faculty to deliver and receive
professional development. The possible causes of these assets include both the cultural model
and cultural settings, which will be elaborated on in the following section. The assets and causes
were assessed by five interview questions.
Cultural Models and Settings
There are three organizational assumed assets that have been assessed in this study,
which fell under cultural model and cultural setting. Amongst the three organizational assumed
assets, the first assumed asset consists of the cultural model and all three assets consist of
cultural settings. The cultural model aspect relates to the culture of constant competition or
acceptance of the need for change, while cultural setting relates to autonomy, resources, and
support.
Support for innovation in teaching practice. The organizational asset assumes that
administrators are supported by the organization to provide professional development for faculty.
The asset was partially validated. The organization believes in innovative technology practices
for teaching online; therefore, they support administrators in providing more professional
development for faculty. The belief in innovative technological practices for online teaching
reflects a culture of acceptance of changes. The following section expands on the two interview
questions that were asked to assess this assumed asset.
The first question was “Can you tell me about the organizational culture? For example,
how much support is there for innovations in online teaching, and how does that translate into
the support you have for professional development for faculty?” This question received some
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 97
responses that were a little different among participants. On one hand, three participants spoke
about providing support by listening to faculty’s ideas and suggestions. On the other hand, out
of 13 participants, six participants suggested that their programs have a solid curriculum but are
open for instructors to explore innovative ways to use technology and activities. However, these
six participants were from three different institutions. In other words, three out of seven
programs are open to instructors exploring innovative ways to teach the course. It was also
noted by a participant that changes that require the OPM provider’s involvement incur cost.
However, participants from two online programs also indicated that as long as the instructors
keep the learning objectives the same, they could modify the activities and stray 25-30% away
from the syllabus content. As stated by a participant,
The way they can be innovative, and we do like this, is they are allowed to stray from the
syllabus 30%, and we encourage that because we get the most qualified people from all
over the country to teach and if we tie their hands and say, ‘You can’t use any of your
expertise. You have to stick to the syllabus.’ We’re just robbing our students of so much
richness.
Moreover, the same participant also advised that the organization encouraged faculty to expand
their creativity by providing them with the opportunity to convert on-ground courses to online.
On a different note, in one of the participating online programs, innovation is done in the
creation of the course and in the revision process. A participant elaborated that, “It’s talked
about in the team meeting. It’s a collaborative discussion.” It seems that innovation is
encouraged, but it should be discussed first during the faculty meetings. Additionally, the OPM
provider occasionally provides new technological features, which allow faculty to be more
creative in their classes. Thus, the existence of cultural setting demonstrates that the
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 98
organization is supportive of the new changes and also supportive of innovation throughout the
instructional delivery.
Second, the participants were asked, “Is the development of faculty skills in online
teaching part of someone’s role or set of responsibilities? Can you elaborate?” Eleven
participants responded that the administrators such as the directors or dean of the programs work
with the faculty. A participant specified, “It is part of my role, and it is part of the coordinating
faculty role.” Eight participants also indicated that the course coordinators or course leads work
with the faculty directly before and during the course is in session. However, these eight
participants are from four different programs out of seven programs participating in this study.
According to one participant when asked that question, “Yes it is. Course coordinators within
their structure.” Another participant from the same institution also said, “That is probably in the
role of the course coordinator, but there isn’t one person that is the head.” Likewise, a
participant mentioned that, “Yes. Our university has three different units that support that
university-wide. There is the one that focuses more on the instructional design piece. The
second one focuses more on pedagogy for professional development. The third one focuses
more on e-teaching technologies.”
Administrators only partially validated that they are supported by the organization to
provide professional development for faculty. While the first interview question received
various types of responses to the support for innovation, the second interview question that there
were assigned leaders to provide professional development was validated. The inconsistent
responses lead to the partial validation.
Funding and necessary resources for professional development. The assumed
organizational asset suggested that administrators are given appropriate budget to provide
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 99
professional development. This cultural setting is assumed through the support provided by the
organization by providing funding and resources necessary to provide professional development
for faculty. Administrators validated that there are budgets provided for professional
development. Participants were asked, “What type of budget is there for the preparation or
ongoing development of faculty for online teaching? Can you elaborate?” Based on the
interviews, not all of the participants had full information on their institutions’ budget. Eight out
of 13 participants indicated that they have a budget that supports faculty, but did not or could not
mention any price values. For example, a participant indicated,
There is a budget for conferences. That’s pretty much only for full-time faculty, not for
adjuncts. They don’t get professional development money. I have a set amount of
money that I can spend and I can also apply for faculty development grants if I want.
Additionally, a participant said,
Actually, it’s rather large. We have many faculty. The associate dean who overseas
faculty development is funded out of the dean’s faculty development budget. Whereas
onboarding, the OPM provider training is part of the contract with them. The retreat is
part of the virtual academic center, which is mine.
However, two participants were unable to answer anything about the budget, such as “I can't
speak to that,” said a participant. Then four participants described the type of budget that are
used for conferences. One participant stated,
You get $1,000 a year to spend to go to a conference that you are not presenting at, and
then if you are presenting, then they’ll give you $2,000 a year. You can take those
faculty funds and use that for professional development on your own.
Based on the interview data, the assumed asset was validated.
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 100
Appropriate time and compensation for professional development. It was an
assumed asset that administrators and faculty are given time and compensation to deliver and
receive professional development. To assess that the organization provides appropriate time and
compensation for both administrators and faculty for professional development, participants
were asked two interview questions. Both questions relate to cultural setting through
organizational support and were partially validated.
Firstly, participants were asked, “Are faculty given sufficient time separate from their
teaching assignments to attend professional development? Can you elaborate?” Seven
participants stated that faculty set their own schedule and that they are encouraged to attend
professional development events. A participant indicated, “I think they realize the value of it but
faculty at the end of the day really set their own schedule.” Another participant stated, “Other
than their teaching responsibilities with us, we encourage them to attend immersion events that
we have twice a year for a weekend.” Three participants also indicated that the time is set within
the contract, but sometimes it depends on their rank or position. For example, one participant
said,
Yes, it is in their contract that it is calculated that if you teach a three-hour course, that’s
three hours per week and then it is so much time that’s put aside for professional
development in terms of the course meetings, or other kinds of things they may want to
get involved in.
Another participant from the same institution also said,
Because it’s routine to have full time faculty spending well above the amount of hours
they are contracted for on service. If you are talking about part time faculty, it’s
interesting because part time faculty have to get paid for any of this additional stuff.
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 101
However, one participant whose role is a course coordinator, but also more of a faculty member,
responded with “I don’t feel like I am. But maybe other faculty are who do not hold the course
coordinator role. The course coordinating role is very time consuming.” According to the
interview responses, it seems that “sufficient time” is up to how the faculty manage their time to
attend onboarding and professional development. A majority of the responses place an emphasis
on faculty just setting their own schedule. This only partially validates the assumed asset, which
leads into the next question that was also asked to validate the same assumed asset.
Participants were also asked, “Are faculty members given sufficient compensation to
attend faculty development? Can you elaborate?” Eight participants informed that there is no
additional compensation, but rather provided as part of the instructor’s package or contract. For
example, a participant stated, “The adjuncts are compensated at a flat-rate for a particular
course.” Additionally, eight participants also suggested that professional development is not
explicitly required, but rather implicitly. Another participant elaborated on attending implicitly,
“Without getting into numbers, the majority of our faculty receive some sort of support course
development, and sort of an implicit idea in that they’ll also attend these professional
developments. But it’s implicit, not explicit.” However, three participants, all from one online
program, have stated that they have yearly retreats which faculty are compensated to attend.
More specifically, a participant from that same online program elaborated that, “We fly them in,
they get together and really hang out together. We also bring them into the annual conference
that is the largest conference in our specific field. We fly them in there. They are at conference
and have a full day retreat.” However, this only refers to the retreats and not the other local
professional developments. Since participants from a majority of the programs expressed that
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 102
compensation is part of contract and participants from one program indicated that their annual
retreat is compensated, this only partially validates the assumed asset.
Synthesis of Results and Findings for Assumed Organizational Assets
There were three assumed organizational assets with possible causes that correspond to
the assets. Two assumed assets were partially validated and one was validated. It was partially
validated that administrators were supported by the organization to provide professional
development to faculty, with sufficient time and compensation for both administrators and
faculty. Although not all administrators mentioned a specific budget, a majority of participants
validated that there was a budget to support faculty professional development.
It is assumed that administrators are supported by the organization to provide
professional development for faculty and the cause is the belief in being innovative in online
teaching. The first question that was raised to validate this assumed asset received various
responses. Three participants from different programs advised that they support faculty by
listening to their ideas and suggestions. Additionally, three out of seven programs are open to
faculty exploring innovative ways to deliver the instruction as long as the faculty does not stray
too far away from the syllabus content. However, it was noted that a fee needs to be paid to the
OPM provider to change the content on the learning portal, so too much change was also
indirectly discouraged. The second question asked who is responsible for providing professional
development. Eleven out of 13 participants indicated that the dean or directors of the department
would conduct the professional development. In addition, participants from four programs
indicated that professional development is also presented by course coordinators or course leads.
Organizational support in innovation is partially validated because support for innovation is
available, but rather limited. However, administrators validated that there are assigned leaders
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 103
who will provide the professional development. Therefore, with the two interview questions
combined, this assumed asset was partially validated.
Administrators validated that they are given the appropriate budget to provide
professional development. Eight out of 13 participants were able to confirm there was a budget
for professional development. A couple participants mentioned a price value but the majority
did not. The rest of the participants preferred to not speak of the budget.
The last organizational asset assumes that administrators and faculty are given sufficient
time and compensation to deliver and receive professional development. This assumed asset was
partially validated because it seems like the majority of participants indicated time is up to the
faculty to schedule. Professional development is encouraged, not required. There were no
specific details on additional time given to faculty, but there was also no indication that time is
not available either, with an exception of one course coordinator who specified that there was not
sufficient time. In addition, a majority reported that compensation for professional development
is not additional, but rather part of the contract. One online program, however, pays for faculty
to attend an annual retreat that provides professional development for faculty in that program’s
field. Therefore, it seems that it is more encouraged to attend professional development, and that
time and compensation is provided by the organization through the contract. Since it is up to the
faculty to manage their time and money from or without the contract, it can only be partially
validated that the organization provides sufficient time and compensation. A summary of the
validation is provided in Table 7.

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Table 7
Summary of Results and Findings for Assumed Organizational Assets
Organizational
Assets
Possible Causes Result Explanation
Administrators
are supported by
the organization
to provide
professional
development for
faculty.
Cultural Model:
Change
The organization
believes in innovative
technological
practices of teaching
online…
Cultural Setting:
Autonomy,
Resources
…therefore, they
support
administrators in
providing more
professional
development for
faculty.
Partially
Validated
Interview: Participants from 3 of 7
programs indicated that they support
faculty by listening to their ideas;
Participants from 3 of 7 programs stated
that their programs have a solid curriculum
but are open for faculty to explore
innovative ways to use technology and
activities; there is a fee if the OPM
provider has to change content on the
online portal; 2 programs specified that
faculty can stray away 25-30% from the
syllabus content. (Partially Validated)
Interview: 11 of 13 participants indicated
that administrators such as dean or
directors conduct professional development
for faculty; participants from 4 programs
responded that course coordinators or
course leads provide professional
development. (Validated)
Administrators
are given the
appropriate
budget to provide
professional
development.
Cultural Setting:
Resources
The organization
supports
administrators with
providing funding
and resources
necessary to provide
professional
development for
faculty.
Validated Interview: 8 of 13 participants indicated
that there is a budget, some mentioned a
price value and some did not; other
participants either did not or could not
speak on the topic. (Validated)
Administrators
and faculty are
given time and
compensation to
deliver and
receive
professional
development.
Cultural Setting:
Support
The organization
provides appropriate
time and
compensation for
both administrators
and faculty for
professional
development.
Partially
Validated
Interview: 7 of 13 stated that faculty set
their own schedule and that faculty are
encouraged to attend professional
development; 3 participants indicated that
it is set within their contract; 1 indicated
sufficient time was not given. (Partially
Validated)
Interview: 8 participants informed there is
no additional compensation but rather part
of the contract; 8 participants also
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 105
suggested professional development is not
required, but rather implicitly encouraged;
3 participants from the same online
program stated retreats are covered by the
university. (Partially Validated)

Summary
The survey results, interview findings, and document analysis validated the importance of
the assumed knowledge, motivation, and organizational assets related to onboarding and
professional development for synchronous online instruction. The following section summarizes
the validated assets and a summary table can be visualized in Table 8.
In the dimension of motivation, administrators were found to have the extrinsic value to
provide onboarding and professional development in order to support institutional growth,
program sustainability, and address student needs by maintaining student engagement and
satisfaction. They also see the cost value of providing professional development so they allocate
time and money to offer it to faculty. Lastly, administrators expect that onboarding and
professional development will create a smooth transition for faculty to teach online resulting in a
positive attitude that will translate in the class to help students achieve student learning
outcomes.
In the dimension of organization, the programs provide a budget for administrators to use
towards onboarding and professional development. Additionally, administrators emphasize that
the curriculum is solid, but they are open to faculty exploring different innovative ways to teach
the course as long as they do not stray too far from the syllabus content. Moreover,
administrators confirmed that deans, directors, and course coordinators or course leads are all
responsible for onboarding or leading professional development for online faculty. In addition,
evidence exhibited that course coordinators or course leads also work with faculty directly to
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 106
help with onboard and to support faculty with professional development. Furthermore,
administrators and faculty are given time and compensation to deliver and receive onboarding
and professional development in various ways such as inclusion in contracts or through retreats.
In the dimensions of knowledge, administrators understand the necessity to ensure that
faculty receive both the technology professional development from the OPM provider along with
the pedagogy professional development from the administrators or course leads. In addition,
administrators conceptually know the type of content for professional development should
include effective teaching strategies and navigating the online platform, utilizing the
technological tools and online resources. Survey results verified that administrators understand
the principles of instructional design based on adult learning theory. Procedurally,
administrators also know how to apply the principles of instructional design and how adult
learning works by modeling and providing timely feedback to faculty and creating activities to
engage faculty. Metacognitively, administrators know they should monitor faculty performance
in order to provide on-going faculty support by informally asking faculty for feedback or
concerns, observing faculty’s live or recorded classes, and analyzing student evaluations for
online courses and are able to compare online synchronous versus on-ground evaluations if
necessary. However, administrators did not exhibit the ability to reflect on the area of need for
improvement, adjust the issue, or evaluate the professional development results. Similar
responses such as monitoring faculty with student evaluations were mentioned, but many
participants indicated that there was no formal way of evaluating the process. This is an
important aspect of successful onboarding and providing professional development for faculty.
Therefore, recommendations are offered later in this chapter.

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Table 8
Summary of Validated, Partially Validated, and Not Exhibited Assumed Assets
Validated Assets Partially Validated Assets Not Exhibited Assets
Administrators know it is essential
to combine both pedagogical and
technological components in
professional development to help
faculty transition to online
teaching. (KC)
Administrators know how to
create activities to engage
faculty by applying adult
learning theory. (KP)
Administrators have the
ability to reflect on the area
of need for improvement,
adjust the issue, and evaluate
the professional development
results (i.e. faculty
performance, evaluation,
etc.) (KM)
Administrators know the type of
content to include in the
curriculum for professional
development should include
effective teaching strategies and
navigating the online platform,
utilizing the technological tools
and online resources. (KC)
Administrators provide
professional development to
help them transition from
teaching on-ground to online.
(MEO)

Administrators understand the
principles of instructional design
based on how learning works and
adult learning theory. (KC)
Administrators are supported by
the organization to provide
professional development for
faculty. (OS)

Administrators conduct
professional development in
various ways: one-on-one or group
seminars, hybrid, virtual, etc. (KP)
Administrators know they
should monitor faculty
performance in order to provide
on-going faculty support. (KM)

Administrators know how to apply
the principles of instructional
design by modeling and providing
timely feedback to faculty during
professional development. (KP)
Administrators and faculty are
given time and compensation to
deliver and receive professional
development. (OS)

Administrators provide
onboarding and professional
development. (MEV)

Administrators address student
needs in faculty professional
development. (MEV)

Administrators allocate time and
money for onboarding and
professional development. (MCV)

Administrators are given the
appropriate budget to provide
professional development. (OR)

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CHAPTER 5: RECOMMENDATIONS, IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION
The purpose of this study was to use the Clark and Estes’ (2008) Gap Analysis Model as
a guide to identify the factors that are facilitating or inhibiting administrators in carrying out
onboarding and professional development to successfully deliver synchronous instruction online.
In Chapter 4, nine assumed assets were validated as facilitating administrators’ ability to carry
out onboarding and provide professional development to faculty teaching online. Additionally,
five assumed assets were partially validated and one was not exhibited by the administrators.
These assets were categorized in the areas of knowledge, motivation, and organization. In this
chapter, recommendations are provided based on these findings and relevant literature is
discussed to support recommendations.
This chapter consists of four sections. The first section indicates the validated, partially
validated, and non-exhibited assets and the rationale for selecting the key assets. The second
section provides the recommendations. The third section presents a suggested implementation
plan. Finally, the fourth section proposes ways to evaluate outcomes of an implementation
effort, based on Kirkpatrick’s (2006) four level evaluation model. The chapter concludes with a
discussion of the limitations of the study and implications for future research.
Validated Assets Selection and Rationale
In Chapter 4, 14 of the 15 assumed assets were either validated or partially validated,
with one being not exhibited by the participants. Although not all assets were validated or
observed, all assets will be addressed here because together, based on the literature and the
findings of this project, they represent promising practices that are worth examining and basing
recommendations on to improve other online programs. A summary of the selected validated
and partially validated assets are presented in Table 9.
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Table 9
Summary of Validated and Partially Validated Assets
Category Validated Assets (VA), Partially Validated Assets (PVA),
Not Exhibited (NE)
Motivation Task Value
Extrinsic
Value
1. Administrators provide onboarding and
professional development.
(VA)
Task Value
Extrinsic
Value
2. Administrators address student needs in
faculty professional development.
(VA)
Task Value
Cost Value
3. Administrators allocate time and money for
onboarding and professional development.
(VA)
Expectancy
Outcome
4. Administrators provide professional
development to help them transition from
teaching on-ground to online.
(PVA)
Organization

Culture
Setting
Support
5. Administrators are supported by the
organization to provide professional
development for faculty.
(PVA)
Culture
Setting
Resources
6. Administrators are given the appropriate
budget to provide professional
development.
(VA)
Culture
Setting
Support
7. Administrators and faculty are given time
and compensation to deliver and receive
professional development.
(PVA)
Knowledge Conceptual 8. Administrators know it is essential to
combine both pedagogical and
technological components in professional
development to help faculty transition to
online teaching.
(VA)
Conceptual 9. Administrators know the type of content to
include in the curriculum for professional
development should include effective
teaching strategies and navigating the online
platform, utilizing the technological tools
and online resources.
(VA)
Conceptual 10. Administrators understand the principles of
instructional design based on how learning
works and adult learning theory.
(VA)
Procedural 11. Administrators conduct professional
development in various ways: one-on-one
or group seminars, hybrid, virtual, etc.
(VA)
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Procedural 12. Administrators know how to create
activities to engage faculty by applying
adult learning theory.
(PVA)
Procedural 13. Administrators know how to apply the
principles of instructional design by
modeling and providing timely feedback to
faculty during professional development.
(VA)
Metacognitive 14. Administrators have the ability to reflect on
the area of need for improvement, adjust the
issue, and evaluate the professional
development results.
(NE)
Metacognitive 15. Administrators know they should monitor
faculty performance in order to provide on-
going faculty support.
(PVA)

Recommendations to Increase Motivational Assets
Clark and Estes (2008) describes motivation as something that gets people going or
moving forward, and in terms of how much effort they have to put in to achieve their goals. It
was discovered that administrators value onboarding and faculty because it will prepare faculty
to teach online using pedagogical and technological skills. Survey results validated the
motivational assets associated with task value, specifically extrinsic and cost value. The benefits
of onboarding and professional development translate to increase in student learning, student
satisfaction, student academic performance, student and faculty retention, and program
sustainability and institutional growth. The three validated assets are addressed below.
Increase Value and Expected Outcomes of Professional Development
According to Bouwers (2012), the key to maintaining well-prepared, informed, and
motivated team members is to provide accessible professional development. Ultimately,
however, administrators have to see the connection between providing professional development
and resulting benefits and outcomes in order to be motivated to offer it and also be willing to
spend the time and money to do it effectively. In pursuing online programming, in particular,
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 111
programs need to help all stakeholders understand the unique challenges of teaching online and
the benefits of providing professional development in this area (Pintrich, 2003). As Clark and
Estes (2008) describe, utility value derives from understanding the benefits of finishing the task,
so that regardless of one’s interest or disinterest, individuals will successfully achieve their goal.
Therefore, the first recommendation is increased task value across a program for professional
development by administrators, ensuring their own understanding and that of their teams of the
connection between effective professional development and increased online teaching
effectiveness to increased student academic performance, student satisfaction, faculty and
student retention, program sustainability, and institutional growth. Survey results have
confirmed that administrators value these outcomes, so by establishing support and evidence for
ways that professional development can produce these results, motivational task value will be
enhanced further, which will result in providing even more effective onboarding and professional
development for online teaching.
The second recommendation is to establish clear metrics and goals around the desired
outcomes (Clark & Estes, 2008) related to professional development and improved online
teaching. Clark and Estes (2008) point out that that people’s beliefs and expectations about
outcomes are an important factor that influences their commitment to invest effort toward
accomplishing a task. Thus, administrators can increase this expectancy outcome in the long-
term by establishing metrics and monitoring results in the areas of student academic
performance, student satisfaction, faculty and student retention, program sustainability,
institutional growth and others. Administrators can work toward increasing the level of
expectation across a program concerning the role of professional development in enhancing the
transition for faculty and increasing learning outcomes for students.
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A third recommendation that builds on the first two is the need to clearly communicate to
all stakeholders in the program the benefits of onboarding and providing professional
development for faculty. When other organizational members can embrace the benefits
produced by an organizational change, they will more likely value the change (Weiner, 2009).
The goal of describing the benefits is to increase the stakeholders’ commitment by connecting
the values and benefits of onboarding and professional development (Clark & Estes, 2008).
Additionally, faculty will be more willing to participate in professional development if they
believe it can challenge their teaching skills (Clark & Estes, 2008). Promoting greater awareness
and buy-in in these areas will increase motivation across a program for providing and
participating in professional development. There are several ways that this can be done. One
example is to highlight case examples from faculty that illustrate the connection between
effective professional development and experiences of online teaching success. Another
example is to document and highlight ways that high quality online instruction may be related to
program strength and growth, such as through higher student engagement, greater ease with
various online pedagogical strategies and tools, greater academic performance, as well as higher
satisfaction and higher retention rates for faculty.
The more administrators and other stakeholders recognize the benefits, there will be
greater willingness to spend the required time and money on providing quality professional
development. For example, some online programs in this project send faculty on retreats and
support other opportunities faculty have to attend workshops and network to augment their
online teaching experience. Such examples reflect a value for professional development for
faculty and by extending the value that is placed on students, faculty, and the organization’s
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future growth. A summary of recommendations to increase motivational assets are presented in
Table 10.
Table 10
Summary of Recommendations to Increase Motivational Assets
Theme Recommendations
Increase values (extrinsic
and cost value) and
expected outcomes of
professional development
(1) Increase task value across a program for professional
development by administrators ensuring their own
understanding and that of their teams of the connection
between effective professional development and
increased online teaching effectiveness to increased
student academic performance, student satisfaction,
faculty and student retention, program sustainability,
and institutional growth.
(2) Establish clear metrics and goals around the desired
outcomes (Clark & Estes, 2008) related to professional
development and improved online teaching.
(3) Clearly communicate to all stakeholders in the program
the benefits of onboarding and providing professional
development for faculty.

Recommendations to Increase Organizational Assets
Within an organization, there are cultural models, which are the invisible shared mental
schema of how the world works within that organization and the associated cultural settings,
described to be the visible, familiar, and concrete manifestations of those schemas (Gallimore &
Goldenberg, 2001; Rueda, 2011). The cultural models revealed in this study show that the
participating programs believe in innovation and encourage new technological practices because
they want to stay competitive and are also accepting changes that are necessary to improve their
programs. In regards to cultural setting, administrators provide support to offer professional
development and expend time and effort to hire the right candidates to develop faculty. The
following section includes recommendations for all three organizational validated or partially
validated assets.
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Open Communication and Support
Findings in this project revealed the importance of leaders who are supported by the
organization to provide professional development for faculty. Successful onboarding and
professional development require leaders to take initiative to address faculty needs and promote
open communication regarding their concerns or ideas for their classes. This conforms to
McMaster’s (2014) leadership model, which emphasizes the need to influence and inspire others
to get excited about finding solutions to problems. Therefore, the first recommendation is to
establish the appropriate leadership structure so as to ensure there are leaders who will influence
and inspire faculty to get excited about teaching online and about participating and engaging in
professional development activities. For example, many of the participating programs have
course leads or coordinators who act as mentors to the faculty. Some of them provide feedback
to faculty during professional development, including through the use of observations of live or
recorded classes.
The second recommendation is to ensure and model clear communication about the
program’s goals, performance requirements, and expectations from the faculty (Bennis &
Goldsmith, 2010). Clark and Estes (2008) highlighted the significance of communicating
constantly and candidly to those involved about plans and progress. Clear and open
communication may be enhanced through regular meetings structured to allow faculty to reflect
on and discuss online teaching. Many of the participating programs have formal weekly or
biweekly meetings at the course level for faculty to discuss classes and teaching experiences.
Administrators also ask faculty informally for their feedback regarding their classes. Whatever
form it takes, it is important to stimulate lateral communication about teaching practices within
an organizational culture (Schein, 2004).
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Time, Compensation, and Budget for Professional Development
Data compiled from this study showed that administrators have appropriate budgets and
resources that are necessary for providing professional development. High participation from
faculty requires leaders to communicate the types of budget and resources available and set
expectations for faculty to attend professional development events. In order for institutions to
achieve their organizational goals, they must align the structure and processes of the organization
with the goals (Clark & Estes, 2008). However, before proceeding with the alignment,
administrators need to be provided with adequate resources to accomplish goals (Rueda, 2011).
Bouwers (2012) notes that employees rely on employers to invest in them and help them become
more valuable to the organization. Hence, the first recommendation for this section is to clearly
establish and demonstrate to stakeholders that there is a budget and resources for professional
development to ensure them that they are worth the investment. Administrators may have to
shift resources to match priorities and goals of the program (Rueda, 2011). If leaders of the
organization understand the value of professional development, creative and efficient ways to
provide it to their employees will be found, even in budget downturns (Bouwers, 2012).
In addition to clear expectations about professional development, faculty and
administrators must be given sufficient time, and in some cases compensation to deliver and
receive professional development. While there are varied approaches to professional
development in terms of whether it is compensated for or simply encouraged, this project
revealed that sometimes details about compensation may not be communicated clearly enough.
Therefore, the second recommendation is that expectations of faculty regarding professional
development be clearly described, including how it is compensated based on the agreement
between faculty and the institution. In the majority of programs, for example, faculty are
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 116
required to participate in onboarding by the OPM provider. Additionally, often attendance at
other professional development workshops is expected as a part of load and compensation is
included in their teaching contract. In other cases, faculty may also be compensated for
attending professional development opportunities through additional pay, stipends or other
funding. Clearly communicating the expectations and compensation structure will ensure faculty
that there is sufficient time and compensation for professional development. Table 11 shows a
summary of recommendations to increase organizational assets.
Table 11
Summary of Recommendations to Increase Organizational Assets
Theme Recommendations
Open Communication and
Support
(1) Establish the appropriate leadership structure so as to
ensure there are leaders who will influence and inspire
faculty to get excited about teaching online and about
participating and engaging in professional development
activities.
(2) Ensure and model clear communication about the
program’s goals, performance requirements, and
expectations from the faculty (Bennis & Goldsmith,
2010).
Time, Compensation, and
Budget for Professional
Development
(1) Clearly establish and demonstrate to stakeholders that
there is a budget and resources for professional
development to ensure them that they are worth the
investment.
(2) Clearly describe expectations of faculty regarding
professional development, including how it is
compensated based on the agreement between faculty
and the institution.

Recommendations to Increase Knowledge Assets
Recommendations for seven validated and partially validated knowledge assets are
addressed below. The recommendations are categorized by each knowledge category rather than
by assets since the assets overlap or are closely associated with each other.
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Conceptual: Professional Development in Technology and Pedagogy for Adult Learners
This section discusses the recommendations for all three validated conceptual knowledge
assets. It is essential to combine both pedagogical and technological components during
onboarding and professional development. Only learning how to use and navigate technology is
insufficient for teaching online; development in the areas of online pedagogy and practice is also
necessary (Vaill & Testori, 2012). For example, several program administrators require faculty
to attend the technology professional development with the OPM provider and also work closely
with course leads to structure ongoing discussion and development about the practice of teaching
online. The course leads not only support faculty in the content of the course but also provide
space and resources to discuss pedagogical tools and practices for teaching online.
In order to help faculty transition to teaching online, programs need to understand and
apply the principles of instructional design and how learning works for professional development
itself. The recommendation is for program administrators to ensure that they are versed in adult
learning theories and the ways to effectively increase learning. Faculty members are adults;
therefore, applying adult learning theory can be very beneficial to enhance the success of
professional development (Huang, 2002). If administrators are familiar with the concepts of
adult learning, they can work more strategically and efficiently to ensure that professional
development is meaningful, effective, and sufficient to address prevailing challenges and
problems (Clark and Estes, 2008). Helpful concepts and principles about learning can be
provided, including those by Ambrose et al. (2010), adult learning by Knowles (1975), and the
principles of instructional design by Merrill (2002). If programs comprehend how learning
works for adults, they can identify and refine teaching approaches that work better for faculty
throughout onboarding and further professional development (Ambrose et al., 2010).
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Procedural: Utilize Various Formats, Model, Engage and Give Timely Feedback
While understanding the concept that professional development should be developed and
catered towards working adults, online programs also need to know how to apply these concepts
of adult learning theories with faculty. The first recommendation is to be clear, explicit, and
intentional about applying adult learning theories while providing professional development to
faculty on both technology and pedagogy. Professional development can serve as opportunities
to experiment and model how adults learn, which can help faculty think about their own practice
and be exposed to different learning challenges or situations (Knowles, 1975). Merrill’s (2002)
principles of instructional design, for example, suggest that administrators promote learning by
engaging faculty with solving real-world problems, integrating existing knowledge with new
knowledge, providing successful models for the learner, and allowing faculty to practice new
skills in a real world situation. Professional development activities that explicitly reflect these
principles will be more effective and elicit conversation about teaching in general.
Administrators confirm that they utilize various ways to onboard and conduct
professional development, such as one-on-one or in groups synchronously online, on-ground, or
a mix of synchronous and asynchronous formats. This is in keeping with other research that
shows that professional development is offered in one-on-one online sessions, on-ground
formats, and hybrid format (Vaill & Testori, 2012; Meyer & Murrell, 2014). The second
recommendation is to utilize different delivery formats, such as both asynchronous and
synchronous formats, and create activities that genuinely engage faculty to help them learn and
practice. When online programs have both asynchronous and synchronous components, then
professional development for faculty should also reflect both of these modalities. Programs can
ensure that faculty experience some independent self-study opportunities to review materials on
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their own before they attend a live professional development session. For example, online
asynchronous professional development might first focus on the general technology aspects such
as navigating the LMS, creating live virtual classes, and other technology teaching tools. A
synchronous learning modality could be used to develop synchronous teaching skills such as
communicating with students through the chat box, sharing one’s desktop, using breakout rooms
and other synchronous teaching features (Wang, Chen, & Levy, 2010). All professional
development activities should utilize the same platforms and techniques that the faculty will use
to teach students to model the strategies and modalities that faculty will be actually using
themselves. According to Merrill (2002), learning is promoted when the knowledge is
demonstrated to them and is applied by the learner. Therefore, including real-world problems in
professional development that use participants’ existing knowledge to create new knowledge will
enhance the learning outcomes.
The third recommendation is to apply principles of instructional design (Merrill, 2002)
and adult learning theory (Knowles, 1975) by allowing faculty to build on prior knowledge and
practice in a real virtual classroom setting, modeling for faculty, and giving timely feedback.
First, professional development could activate existing knowledge as a base for new knowledge
by having faculty recall a pedagogy strategy they use and relate it to a new online teaching
situation. Moreover, leaders can engage faculty by setting them up to practice in a real virtual
class setting and have them resolve their own technological problems under the administrator’s
guidance. To establish value and increase learning, institutions can provide the opportunity for
faculty to practice in an authentic synchronous online setting that gives them the experience of a
real-world task (Ambrose et al., 2010). Second, leaders can act as a mentor to the faculty by
modeling, having meaningful discussions with faculty, and actively providing corrective
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feedback. For example, faculty can observe other faculty on how they navigate the synchronous
virtual classes and the pedagogical and technological strategies that were used during that
session. Demonstrations and modeling can promote learning and can be done by an online
format such as a webinar, screen sharing, and other technological features (Merrill, 2002). Clark
and Estes (2009) stated during learning process, people are to acquire “how to” knowledge and
skills with practice and corrective feedback. Care must be taken to ensure that feedback is
provided in an effective way, which faculty can receive. Therefore, leaders can also observe
faculty while they practice or during faculty’s live courses or recordings, and subsequently
provide feedback to them. Providing feedback can promote positive learning (Lewis & Abdul-
Hamid, 2006). Finally, as faculty progress, administrators can continue to ensure that there is
on-going support through other professional development opportunities.
Metacognitive: Evaluate and Monitor Performance for On-Going Faculty Support
Administrators partially validated only one metacognitive asset and did not exhibit the
other asset. On one hand, the online programs aspire to monitor faculty performance in order to
provide on-going support. On the other hand, data suggest that the programs did not exhibit a
formal way of evaluating the process of onboarding and delivering professional development or
of determining areas that need improvement. The recommendation to address both of these
findings is for program administrators to reflect on their own professional development process,
keep open and clear communication, and make sure there are processes in place to identify areas
of need and to ensure that faculty have transferred the knowledge learned into their classroom
practices. First, administrators should reflect on the process of onboarding and providing
professional development (Anderson and Krathwohl, 2001). There are several ways to evaluate
and reflect on the onboarding and professional development process. One way is to informally
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ask faculty occasionally for their feedback and suggestions. In addition, professional
development activities can be followed by opportunities for formal feedback with both closed
and open-ended questions to solicit input from the faculty. Clear and candid communication and
feedback will both build trust with faculty and help analyze faculty performance to accommodate
different situations (Clark and Estes, 2008). Another way is for online programs to observe
faculty’s live or recorded classes and provide constructive feedback. Clark and Estes (2008)
emphasized the importance of ensuring the knowledge and skills learned in professional
development and education will transfer to the job. Observing classes will help programs assess
the transfer and application of knowledge learned during professional development and also
identify other areas for improvement. Lastly, programs should ensure that student evaluation
data is being collected and analyzed in way that can help inform professional development goals
and outcomes. A summary of recommendations to increase knowledge assets are presented in
Table 12.
Table 12
Summary of Recommendations to Increase Knowledge Assets
Theme Recommendations
Conceptual: Professional
Development in Technology
and Pedagogy for Adult
Learners
(1) Program administrators need to ensure that they are
versed in adult learning theories and the ways to
effectively increase learning.
Procedural: Utilize Various
Formats, Model, Engage
and Give Timely Feedback
(1) Be clear, explicit, and intentional about applying adult
learning theories while providing professional
development to faculty on both technology and
pedagogy.
(2) Utilize different delivery formats, such as both
asynchronous and synchronous formats, and create
activities that genuinely engage faculty to help them
learn and practice.
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(3) Apply principles of instructional design (Merrill, 2002)
and adult learning theory (Knowles, 1975) by allowing
faculty to build on prior knowledge and practice in a
real virtual classroom setting, modeling for faculty, and
giving timely feedback.
Metacognitive: Evaluate
and Monitor Performance
for On-Going Faculty
Support.
(1) Reflect on their own professional development process,
keep open and clear communication, and make sure
there are processes in place to identify areas of need and
to ensure that faculty have transferred the knowledge
learned into their classroom practices.

Implementation Plan
An important first step in the implementation of these recommendations is to make sure
that all leaders involved are motivated and see the value of effective onboarding and professional
development for faculty teaching online. Clark and Estes (2008) also suggest that top
management continuously be involved in any process of improving the organization. Therefore,
programs must ensure there is buy-in across the leadership team to set the tone for onboarding
and professional development. Likewise, in order for effective organizational change and
improvement of programs, the organization must have a clear and compelling vision, a sound
process to reach the goals, and ways to measure progress (Clark & Estes, 2008). Therefore, part
of the process should include the leadership team identifying and discussing compelling research
evidence about how onboarding and professional development can align with institutional goals.
These activities will help connect professional development and faculty performance and help
the program and whole university achieve their goals. There should be an emphasis on
identifying the benefits of professional development and how it relates to the success of faculty,
students, and the expected outcomes of the program. The leadership team should include
members with the authority to decide how the budget that is allocated for faculty will be spent.
This will help the program be clear and explicit about their budget and resources provided while
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emphasizing what is expected from the faculty in relation to attending professional development
events.
Secondly, programs should ensure that there is a plan for continuous communication with
the faculty about the teaching practice in general and ways to address concerns or suggestions in
particular. Such a communication plan should include communicating investment plans the
program has to provide appropriate resources to support best practices and theories, to
demonstrate that professional development is valued and that there is a budget that will go
towards developing faculty into more effective instructors. Communication strategies need to
include program expectations about attending professional development events and clear
guidelines about compensation if it is included as part of the contract agreement. Clear
leadership and communication will help increase engagement with professional development.
Lastly, programs should ensure there is sufficient leadership in place and organizational
capacity to create a professional development framework and plan that is anchored in adult
learning theories. Such a process should include review of the literature, needs assessment, and
involvement from a range of stakeholders, including faculty, in order to devise a professional
development plan that will be engaging and effective at addressing needs and continuously
supporting faculty.
Evaluation Plan
The final step in the Gap Analysis is the evaluation. Kirkpatrick’s (2006) four levels of
evaluation, which measure the impact of the proposed recommendations in this promising
practices study, include the following: (1) reactions, (2) learning or performance, (3) transfer or
behavior, and (4) results or impact.

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Level 1: Reactions
The purpose of level one is to measure the reactions of stakeholders toward the changes
in onboarding and providing professional development (Kirkpatrick, 2006). If reactions of
leaders are positive toward onboarding and providing professional development to faculty, then
it is an indication that they are motivated to persist and invest effort (Clark & Estes, 2008). To
evaluate the reaction, measurable elements need to be identified along with collecting feedback
(Kirkpatrick, 2006). For example, leaders could be asked to react about the benefits of
professional development for faculty and how it relates to improving student and faculty success.
It is critical to receive immediate and honest feedback for this level of evaluation (Kirkpatrick,
2006). Open ended questions could be used such as, “How confident are you that these
strategies will work?” and “What reservations do you have about providing professional
development for our faculty?”
Level 2: Learning
The purpose of level two is to measure how much the stakeholders have learned and if
there was an impact from the intervention in their knowledge, skills, attitudes, or commitment
(Kirkpatrick, 2006). For example, the leadership team charged with designing professional
development could include in their process a strategy to gauge stakeholder knowledge and
attitudes prior to and after the process of developing a professional development plan
(Kirkpatrick, 2006). Data will help identify areas to address and how much learning has taken
place (Kirkpatrick, 2006). A simple Likert scale survey could be used to probe for confidence
and short answer questions would give stakeholders an opportunity to share their thinking,
producing valuable data to inform the professional development strategy.
Level 3: Transfer
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The purpose of level three is to determine actual behavioral changes (Kirkpatrick, 2006).
For example, programs will expect to see changes in faculty teaching practice resulting from
leadership being more proactive and effective at implementing a new or modified onboarding
and/or professional development process. It is pertinent to allow time to see change
(Kirkpatrick, 2006). Therefore, after a reasonable period following professional development
sessions, such as three months, faculty could be surveyed, and then surveyed again after one
year. The survey questions for faculty might include, “What changes in your teaching practice
have occurred since you attended the professional development?” and “Do you plan to change
your teaching practice in the future?”
Level 4: Impact
The purpose of level four is to measure the impact of the professional development
sessions as a whole (Rueda, 2011; Kirkpatrick, 2006). The overall goal of effective onboarding
and professional development to online faculty is to promote improvement in regards to student
satisfaction, academic performance, and retention for both students and faculty. If administrators
are successful in their process of preparing faculty to teach, then faculty will be more likely to
succeed when teaching students. For example, to measure this impact in terms of student
satisfaction, students could receive a student satisfaction survey that is more detailed than their
usual course evaluations. Survey questions could also be tailored to elicit student perceptions of
teaching practices that professional development has focused on, such as “My instructor often
uses virtual breakout rooms to have us discuss a certain topic”, “My instructor found ways to
encourage some of my quieter classmates to participate,” or “The faculty effective troubleshoots
the virtual room when there is a technical issue.”

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Limitations and Delimitations
This promising practices study was designed to produce results for administrators to use
for their own online programs. However, there are limitations to every study. Responses of
participants in survey and interview contexts may be dishonest, biased, or not a true
representation of the actuality of the professional development. Another limitation is the
assumption that all participants will understand and interpret the interview questions and survey
the same way as planned. Participants could also have another person complete the online
survey. Any statistical analysis is based on a correlational rather than causational relationship.
Therefore, a few limitations to this study may have resulted from the design of the study and in
areas such as number of participants, instrument protocols, and the document analysis procedure.
First, there were seven participating programs with a total of 13 participants. Each
program had one participant except for two online programs. The two online programs that have
been with the OPM providers for at least five years each had four members participate in the
study. Although some results were presented based on participants from each program, the
survey results were sometimes compared by programs rather than by participants. The four
participants from each of those two programs are more likely to have received the same type of
professional development and job instruction, which may have resulted in the interview data
sounding very similar from those participants within the same programs. Data may have been
skewed because results were inconsistently presented by both participating programs and
participants for different assumed assets.
Second, there were also limitations to the instruments and document collection. The
interview questions could have been revised to receive clearer or more focused responses. Some
of the questions resulted in a wide range of answers. For example, this question was asked to
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find out how administrators perceive their organizational support: “Can you tell me about the
organizational culture – for example, how much support is there for innovations in online
teaching, and how does that translate into the support you have for professional development for
faculty?” This question could have been reworded to, “How is the organization supporting you
in terms of innovations in online teaching? For example, additional professional development in
technological practices, freedom to change the syllabus, etc.” The original question was too long
and could have been distracting or confusing to the participant. Another limitation is that there
were only interview questions for the knowledge and organizational factors but not for the
motivation factors. On the other hand, the survey questions only had knowledge and
motivational questions. These protocols should consist of questions for all three factors to better
triangulate. Furthermore, requests for documents proved very challenging. Not all participants
were able to share their materials with me; therefore, triangulation between all data collection
methods was only possible with a few programs.
The focus of this study was to explore the knowledge, motivation, and organizational
assets of the professional development process of the online professional graduate schools. The
primary delimitation of the study is that it is context specific to the online professional graduate
schools that use the same online program management (OPM) system to conduct online classes.
All the institutions’ missions and organizational goals cannot be generalized. However, in order
to potentially improve faculty quality of instruction in an online context, other institutions may
benefit from the application of this study’s use of the gap analysis process by Clark and Estes
(2008).

SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 128
Future Research
This study researched the promising practice of how online programs onboard faculty and
provide professional development. From this study, one common theme stood out.
Administrators were unable to validate how they evaluate the process they use to prepare faculty
to teach online to determine if they need to make improvements. Many participants have
responded that they had no formal evaluation, but rather informally asked for feedback from
faculty. Future research can include investigating the ways that programs assess faculty during
onboarding or professional development sessions. More research is needed in this area due to
the rapid growth of online programs with synchronous virtual classes.
Additionally, some programs use student evaluations as a determinant to evaluate faculty.
However, one participant stated that the results are so positive that the data is not seen as
reliable. This resonates with problems pertaining to student evaluations, such as research that
indicates that female instructors appear to receive more negative student evaluations than male
instructors (Kogan, Schoenfeld-Tacher, & Hellyer, 2010). Moreover, with the understanding
that teaching on-campus is different from teaching online, evaluating faculty performance should
also be differentiated by modality. Student evaluation questions may need to be different for
online courses verses on-campus courses. With this in consideration, student evaluations might
not be the best method to evaluate faculty performance either. Possible quarterly instructor self-
evaluation with a guided rubric and a discussion with a mentor, quarterly peer observations with
feedback, and yearly observations from a senior faculty or administrator with feedback may
provide more reliable data. Nonetheless, more research should be conducted on how to evaluate
faculty performance.
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 129
As this study focused on the current promising practices the participating programs
shared relating to faculty onboarding and professional development, it would be interesting to
see future research study a group of faculty undergoing the learning process of online teaching.
Researchers can set up a focus group with faculty over a period of one or two semesters to
explore their perceptions after receiving onboarding, professional development sessions, and
continuous faculty support. The study can be a purely qualitative study with several check-in
points between researcher and the focus group. The study can explore the faculty’s perception of
each onboarding and professional development stage and how the faculty have improved over
the course one or two semesters.
Conclusion
In sum, this promising practice study focused on the factors that contribute to developing
faculty to teach synchronous online courses. By using the Clark and Estes’ (2008) Gap Analysis
framework, I explored knowledge, motivation, and organizational factors that impact the
onboarding process and professional development for faculty in online programs from an
administrator’s perspective. The triangulation of survey results, interview findings, and
document analysis validated seven assumed assets and partially validated seven assets.
Recommendations were proposed for all seven validated assets and five of the partially validated
assets, subsequently leading to an implementation plan. Thereafter, an evaluation plan was
created to ensure that recommendations for the validated and partially validated assets were
effectively implemented. Hence, this study provides administrators of online programs the
knowledge, motivation, and organizational factors to consider for their own programs when
developing faculty to teach online.

SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 130
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APPENDICES
Appendix A

Recruitment Script
Dear [Name of Participant],
My name is Phuong “April” Vuong and I am a doctoral student in the Ed.D. Program
at the USC Rossier School of Education. I would like to invite you to participate in my research
study, which is for my dissertation project, Faculty Professional Development and Support for
Successful Synchronous Instruction. [Optional sentence if applicable: I received your name
from X who suggested that you would be able to give some insight to include in my project.]
My study seeks to investigate the professional development process for online teaching used by
successful graduate level online programs, such as at [University’s Name of Program]. Your
voluntary participation in the study may help provide me with a better understanding of
the factors involved with developing and implementing professional development for faculty
who teach in online synchronous programs. If you agree to volunteer, I would like to ask you
to participate in my project in two ways:
1. I would request that you complete the brief online survey. This survey will require about
15-20 minutes of your time and it may be found at the following link: [link to survey will
be provided here]
2. I would like to invite you to participate in a brief telephone or video-
conference interview. If you are willing, you will be asked to click on a link that will
lead you to a separate page to enter your contact information which gives me permission
to contact you to arrange a time that is most convenient for you.

All surveys will remain anonymous and interview responses will be coded to maintain your
confidentiality.
Thank you for your time.

SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 140
Appendix B
Survey Protocol
Please select and rate the following from 1 to 5, with 1 being Strongly Disagree and 5 being
Strongly Agree.

1 2 3 4 5
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
Knowledge and Skills
1. To adequately prepare faculty for teaching online, it is essential to provide professional
development in both technology and in online instruction. (C)
2. Adults learn best if new concepts or skills are presented in a way that builds on existing
knowledge. (C)
3. Adult learning is promoted when new knowledge is modeled for the learner. (P)
4. Adults learn better when there is opportunity to apply new knowledge or skills. (C)
5. Adult learning is promoted if new skills or knowledge can be integrated into the learner’s
work. (C)
6. Adults learn best when provided with timely feedback regarding their performance. (P)
Motivation
7. Professional development in the area of online instruction is important because it
prepares faculty to effectively teach online and increase student learning, which can
contribute to institutional growth and student needs. (extrinsic value)
8. The development of the online teaching abilities of our faculty is important because it
improves the academic performance of our students. (extrinsic value)
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 141
9. Providing professional development to improve the online teaching skills of our faculty is
important, even if it requires additional time and money. (cost value)
10. If our faculty receive effective professional development in online teaching, it will help
increase student engagement and student satisfaction. (extrinsic value)
11. If our faculty receive effective professional development in online teaching, it will help
with the retention of faculty. (extrinsic value)
12. I am sure that professional development in online teaching will create a smooth transition
for faculty from teaching in on-ground classrooms to teaching online. (expectancy
outcome)

SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 142
Appendix C
Interview Protocol
Subject Code:
University Name:
Location:
University Program:
Interviewer:
Date:

Background Questions:
How many years have you been working with this institution?
How many years of experience do you have with teaching online? What about synchronous
programs?
Interview Questions:
Knowledge and Skills
1. Can you tell me about the type of faculty development that is provided to help faculty
transition to teaching online? (C)
2. What type of balance or how much emphasis is placed on technology training versus
developing skills in the area of online teaching or pedagogy? Please elaborate. (C)
3. What are the different ways that the development of online faculty is conducted? For
example, is it one-on-one or in groups? Possible follow-ups: Is it done completely on-
ground, hybrid, or completely online? Why is that the method of choice? (P)
4. What type of learning activities are used? Can you give some specific examples? (P)
5. How do you evaluate the process you use to prepare faculty for online teaching, for
example, to determine if it’s working, or to make improvements? (M)
6. How do you determine the needs of your faculty who teach online and the areas where
improvements are needed? (M)
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 143
Organization
7. Can you tell me about the organizational culture – for example, how much support is
there for innovations in online teaching, and how does that translate into the support you
have for professional development for faculty? (cultural setting – support)
8. What type of budget is there for the preparation or ongoing development of faculty for
online teaching? Can you elaborate? (cultural setting - resources) Possible follow-up: Is
it adequate?
9. Is the development of faculty skills in online teaching part of someone’s role or set of
responsibilities? Can you elaborate? (cultural setting – support)
10. Are faculty given sufficient time separate from their teaching assignments to attend
professional development? Can you elaborate? (cultural setting – support)
11. Are faculty members given sufficient compensation to attend faculty development? Can
you elaborate? (cultural setting – support)
Thank you so much for your participation!

SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 144
Appendix D
Document Analysis Protocol
Documents related to the professional development process and evaluation will be
reviewed to triangulate with results from the surveys, and interviews. The purpose of
reviewing documents of the professional development content and/or procedures is to
better understand the level of knowledge that administrators possess in order to provide
professional development to faculty. Additionally, an assessment or validation of the level of
organizational support or resources that goes toward professional development can be done by
analyzing the materials and resources available for faculty. Evaluation materials used to
assess faculty will also be reviewed to understand how the performance of faculty related to
professional development is carried out.

SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 145
Appendix E
Information Sheet
You are invited to participate in a research study. Research studies include only people who
voluntarily choose to take part. This document explains information about this study. You should
ask questions about anything that is unclear to you.
To be eligible for this study, you must be an administrator who is involved in providing
professional development and support to prepare faculty to teach in online synchronous courses
from higher education programs that share a similar online program management (OPM) system
to offer their online graduate programs globally. Participation in this study is voluntary and will
not affect your relationship with your institution.
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
This study seeks to investigate the professional development process for online teaching used by
successful graduate-level online programs. The purpose of this study is to identify the
knowledge, motivation, and organization factors that facilitate or inhibit administrators in
successfully onboarding and providing professional development to faculty in these programs,
with particular attention on preparing faculty to teach in the synchronous online classroom. The
results of this study may help to provide a better understanding of the variables involved with
developing and implementing professional development for faculty who teach in online
synchronous programs.
PARTICIPANT INVOLVEMENT
If you volunteer to participate in this study, you will be asked to participate in an anonymous
online survey containing 12 questions examining factors lending to developing and
implementation of professional development for faculty teaching online. The survey will be
administered online. You will also be invited to participate in an interview. At the end of the
survey, you will be asked to click on a link that will lead you to a separate page for you to enter
your contact information if you agree to also participate in the interview. The interview will be
approximately 30 – 45 minutes long and the purpose is to provide in-depth information about
your perceptions as an administrator or one who is involved with developing
and/or implementing professional development. The interview will be audio or video recorded
with your permission; if you choose not to be taped, handwritten notes will be taken.
CONFIDENTIALITY
We will keep your records for this study confidential as far as permitted by law. However, if we
are required to do so by law, we will disclose confidential information about you. The members
of the research team, the funding agency and the University of Southern California’s Human
Subjects Protection Program (HSPP) may access the data. The HSPP reviews and monitors
research studies to protect the rights and welfare of research subjects.
SUPPORTING FACULTY FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE INSTRUCTION 146
The data will be stored in a password-protected computer in a locked storage unit. Audio and/or
video-recordings will be destroyed upon verification of the transcription. Identifiable information
will be destroyed at the end of the study; the remaining data will be destroyed three years after the
study has been completed.
When the results of the research are published or discussed in conferences, no identifiable
information will be used.
INVESTIGATOR CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have any questions or concerns about the research, please feel free to contact the Principal
Investigator, Phuong Vuong (phuong.vuong@usc.edu) and/or the Faculty Advisors, Robert
Filback (filback@usc.edu) and Melora Sundt (sundt@rossier.usc.edu).
IRB CONTACT INFORMATION
University Park Institutional Review Board (UPIRB), 3720 South Flower Street #301, Los
Angeles, CA 90089-0702, (213) 821-5272 or upirb@usc.edu

Abstract (if available)

Abstract This study examined the faculty onboarding and professional development process across seven prominent online graduate programs. The study focused on the perspectives of administrators or those who are involved with onboarding and implementing professional development for faculty. The Clark and Estes’ (2008) Gap Analysis framework was applied to identify promising practices to help administrators achieve the goal of adequately preparing faculty with the pedagogical and technological strategies needed to successfully teach in an online format. The purpose of the study was to identify the factors that are facilitating or inhibiting administrators in carrying out onboarding and professional development to support effective instruction online, particularly in synchronous online classes. Surveys, interviews, and document analysis were employed to collect data. The data collected were used to validate presumed knowledge, as well as motivational and organizational assets based on the literature. Some recommendations were proposed. One recommendation was that online programs support administrators and faculty by providing clear communication regarding their expectations of attending professional development. Another recommendation is that professional development sessions include both technological and pedagogical components, utilizing various delivery formats and teaching strategies for adult learners, such as modeling and giving timely feedback. In addition, it was recommendation that online programs monitor both faculty performance and their own professional development process in order to provide on-going support for faculty. An evaluation of the implementation plan was suggested to conclude the study.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Vuong, Phuong My (author)

Core Title Supporting faculty for successful online instruction: factors for effective onboarding and professional development

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education (Leadership)

Publication Date 06/20/2016

Defense Date 03/10/2016

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag asynchronous,faculty,OAI-PMH Harvest,onboarding,online instruction,online program management,professional development,synchronous

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Ephraim, Ronni (committee chair), Filback, Robert (committee chair), Sundt, Melora (committee chair)

Creator Email april.phuongv@gmail.com,phuongvu@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c40-256231

Unique identifier UC11281336

Identifier etd-VuongPhuon-4458.pdf (filename),usctheses-c40-256231 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-VuongPhuon-4458.pdf

Dmrecord 256231

Document Type Dissertation

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Vuong, Phuong My

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA