AMERICAN JOURNAL OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
Traditional Faculty Resistance to Online Higher Education

Robert Todd Kane 1 * , Jolyn Dahlvig 1

AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 6, Issue 2, pp. 1-16

https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/12125

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Abstract

Research has shown that traditional faculty are resistant to online higher education, expressing concerns about the quality of the learning experience, a lack of administrator transparency, and the amount of time faculty spend to convert their classes to an online format (Community College of Aurora, n.d.; Green & Wagner, 2011; Paris, 2011.  In fact, only 9% of faculty in a 2017 study indicated that they would prefer to teach in an online setting (Pomerantz & Brooks, 2017).  The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of faculty to increase faculty acceptance of online education.  This study was conducted at a unique time during which the university had forced all courses to go online due to the Coronavirus pandemic.  Based on the study, traditional faculty see online education as a viable means of delivering an education to students in theory. However, due to a lack of transparency from administration, concerns about over the time commitment to build a quality online program, their perceptions of what the institution values and recognizes, and the incentives for traditional faculty, they do not believe online learning at the institution studied is appropriate.

Keywords: online education, eLearning, collaboration, course design, hybrid learning, traditional education, student engagement.

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