An investigation of faculty\u27s perceptions of traditional and on-line instruction at post-secondary institutions in North Carolina

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate faculty\u27s perceptions of traditional and on-line instruction at post-secondary institutions in North Carolina. The study provided an additional analysis on the impact of faculty\u27s perception on alternative modes of delivery to students enrolled in North Carolina. The sample consisted of 353 English Instructors who taught English III- Expository Writing during the 2007-2008 academic school year. The actual number of respondents to complete the survey was 232 English Instructors. The data obtained for the study was collected by using a web-based survey provided to those instructors who taught at one of the fifty eight community colleges located in North Carolina. The survey instrument, Faculty\u27s Perceptions Towards Technology-Based Distance Education was modified from the Survey of Faculty Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Technology-Based Distance Education by Pamela Havice (1999). The original survey instrument by Stephen Walsh (1993) was designed to measure community college faculty\u27s perception of distance education. Survey data was analyzed using the Statistical Package of the Social Sciences (SPSS-16). The Independent Sample t-tests were used to answer the research questions. The data was analyzed in four sections of faculty\u27s perception of distance education: the first section consisted of questions pertaining to personal opinions about distance education; the second section asked for respondent to answer questions on personal experiences with distance education; the third section was designed to extrapolate data regarding the applicability of distance education to the study\u27s participants; and finally, the fourth section consisted of demographic questions. After the collection of data and analysis were completed, the study found that faculty\u27s perceptions significantly impacted the decision to teach alternative modes of instructional delivery such as online courses. The factors that motivated or inhibited participation in online courses were (a) faculty development, (b) institutional support, (c) student preparedness, (d) academic integrity, and (e) faculty\u27s demographics. As a result, future studies should include a mixed methodology for a richer, in depth study on participants\u27 values and beliefs of online courses. Also, another recommendation was the inclusion of a study comparing two and four year post secondary institutions. Finally, a study of administrators\u27 perception of online courses was recommended