- The majority of college faculty are deeply skeptical about the quality and learning outcomes of online courses, while educational technology administrators are far more optimistic. But when it comes to whether their school rewards technology use during tenure and promotion reviews, both camps agree that that’s rarely the case.
Source: Inside Higher Ed
Those are a few major findings from Inside Higher Ed’s new “Survey of Faculty Attitudes on Technology,” which is worth reading for anyone who uses, buys or sells hardware, software and services for massive online open courses (MOOC), learning management systems (LMS) and other applications. Conducted by Gallup, the survey spans 2,251 faculty members and 248 administrators responsible for education technology.
Other major findings include:
· When it comes to the factors that contribute to quality in online education, faculty say institutional accreditation has the greatest influence. About 60 percent say that whether the school also offers in-person instruction is a “very important” indicator of quality.
· Fifty-nine percent of faculty strongly agree that MOOCs should be evaluated by accrediting agencies.
· For all of the buzz about online courses, the vast majority of faculty still spend their time in a campus classroom. Just 5 percent say they’ve never taught an in-person course, while 39 percent have taught a blended or hybrid course. Those responses suggest that tech managers will continue to spend a lot of time installing and supporting displays, projectors and video cameras because most courses will continue to originate from classrooms rather than faculty home offices.
· Among faculty who have never taught an online course, 30 percent say the main reason is because they haven’t been asked. That response is another example of how many schools are still kicking the tires on distance education, indicating a large untapped market for vendors.
· Sixty-two percent of faculty strongly agree that schools shouldn’t launch MOOCs without faculty approval. Only 25 percent of technology administrators strongly agree.
· Many faculty agree that MOOCS could lower the cost of higher education. That perception bodes well for MOOC vendors as everyone from President Obama to university presidents propose ways to cut costs. Faculty support is key for turning those proposals into reality.
