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Lean On Me: Developing a Virtual PLC for Associate Faculty
PROCEEDING

, , Ashford University, College of Education, United States

E-Learn: World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education, in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States ISBN 978-1-939797-45-2 Publisher: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE), San Diego, CA

Abstract

Within the College of Education (COE) at Ashford University, Associate Faculty are utilized to teach over 83% of education courses. This group is key to student success and retention. The challenge lies within the online adjunct (Associate) role where faculty can feel isolated, disconnected, and even burned out and not utilized for their strengths. Retention and engagement of online faculty is essential for the success of students. The Master of Arts in Education (MAED), within the College of Education, is the second largest program in the College. There are approximately eighty online Associate Faculty members supported by five Full Time faculty members. Within the program itself, 87% of the courses are taught by remote Associate Faculty members. Therefore, researchers were seeking strategies on how to enhance the MAED Associate Faculty experience, including developing a MAED Professional Learning Community.

Using survey data from this group, the researchers found that creating a professional learning community within an online department with remote Full Time and Associate Faculty would help to build camaraderie and community, which may lead to improved faculty performance and, consequently, improved student performance. The researchers identified methods to build online learning communities and implement them, all to improve service and retention to students.

Citation

Olson Stewart, K. & Belcher, A. (2019). Lean On Me: Developing a Virtual PLC for Associate Faculty. In S. Carliner (Ed.), Proceedings of E-Learn: World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education (pp. 202-207). New Orleans, Louisiana, United States: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved March 28, 2024 from .