Influence of Reduced Seat Time on Satisfaction and Perception of Course Development Goals: A Case Study in Faculty Development

Abstract

This paper describes the redesign of a faculty development program at a large public university that transitioned from weekly face-to-face meetings to a version that reduced seat time by half. Focus is on course development activities in which individual faculty began designing and developing their online courses. Survey data was collected and analyzed from two "pre-revision" and two "post-revision" versions of the faculty development program to assess the satisfaction with the course and perceptions about faculty course development progress. Results indicate that faculty expressed a higher overall satisfaction with the "post-revision" program and expressed stronger perceptions about their ability to develop their online courses. This is attributed to three reasons; first, there was a balance of autonomy and support; second, an emphasis on adult learning principles to support content creation; and third, a shift from individual to community. Implications for practice are shared and recommendations for future research are proposed in the conclusion. (Contains 4 tables.)