Investigating Online Instructors' Experiences With Constructivist Pedagogy in a Private University

Abstract

This study supports the significance of professional development for online instructors to design and develop online courses. Data collection from an e-survey of 100 instructors, a focus group, and review of online course syllabi revealed that instructors who teach fully online courses lack on-going university wide support for training in using the learning management system (LMS) to launch their courses, as well as knowledge of research-based pedagogies such as constructivism, to teach their courses. In particular, instructors want more training and support in order to teach effectively in an online environment. Results include the need for university wide training and support for online instructors, available centralized resources, software training for instructors, especially adjuncts, a course in online pedagogies such as constructivism, peer mentoring for instructors, formal and informal sharing opportunities, and support for the online students themselves.