Online Human Touch (OHT) Training & Support: A Conceptual Framework to Increase Faculty and Adjunct Faculty Engagement, Connectivity, and Retention in Online Education, Part 2

Kristen Betts

Enrollment growth in online education now far exceeds overall higher education growth in the United States. As reported by Allen and Seaman (2008), the online enrollment growth rate increased 12% from fall 2006 to fall 2007 while the overall higher education growth rate increased only 1.2%. In fall 2007, there were approximately 3.9 million students enrolled in at least one online course. It is predicted that online enrollments will continue to increase as a result of greater national acceptance of online education by employers, baby boomers returning to college, and a weak economy. Faculty are critical in meeting current and predicted online enrollment increases, particularly since their role extends beyond classroom instruction. Faculty play a vital role in student engagement, retention, and long-term program sustainability. Therefore, the Master of Science in Higher Education Program at Drexel University has developed and implemented the concept of Online Human Touch (OHT) training and support to proactively engage, connect, and retain online faculty. This interactive and personalized approach to working with online faculty has resulted in high retention rates and high levels of satisfaction for faculty and students. This article is the second of a two-part series that focuses on OHT in online education. Key words: Online education, distance education, faculty, part-time faculty, engagement, faculty development, adjunct faculty, retention, attrition, community development, faculty engagement, communication, training Introduction The conceptual framework for Online Human Touch (OHT) was developed originally in fall 2005 to proactively support student engagement and retention for the launching of a new, fully online Master of Science in Higher Education (MSHE) Program in the School of Education at Drexel University. OHT strategies were developed and integrated into all instruction and programming over a 12-month period to (a) actively engage students, (b) incorporate work-integrated learning, (c) foster and support community development, and (d) personally connect students to Drexel University as future alumni (Betts, 2008). Data collected from course evaluations, interviews, and focus groups over the first academic year indicated high levels of student engagement and satisfaction with the MSHE Program. Therefore, the MSHE Program began developing a conceptual framework for OHT training and support to engage, connect, and retain online full-time and part-time faculty. In fall 2006, the OHT training and support conceptual framework was fully integrated into the MSHE Program including faculty recruitment, training, mentoring, support, and professional development. The OHT training and support concept is based on two primary assertions. First, faculty are more likely to teach in an online program, be engaged as online instructors, and continue teaching online, if they feel connected to and supported by the program and the campus community. Second, as faculty become more comfortable and innovative in the online classroom using new technologies and instructional approaches, concurrently, there will be increases in student engagement, connectivity, and retention. The OHT training and support concept is a holistic approach that involves the program director, program staff, and institutional support staff developing a personal connection between all faculty and Drexel University. This personal connection and bond is particularly important for part-time faculty who may spend limited or no physical time on campus. To date, the implementation of OHT training and support for faculty has been successful. Since fall 2005/06, the MSHE Program has grown from its first cohort of 26 students to 175 students in fall 2008/09. The number of faculty has grown from one full-time and three part-time faculty to 37 full-time and part-time faculty. The overall student retention rate for the MSHE Program is 83% and the three-year faculty retention rate is 93%. This personalized approach to online education has resulted in continued program growth, financial sustainability, high retention rates for students and faculty, high levels of satisfaction among students and faculty, and national recognition for best practices in online education by the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) in April 2008. Review of Literature Over the past five years, online student enrollment in the United States has grown steadily. According to Staying the Course (Allen & Seaman, 2008), online enrollment is significantly outpacing overall higher education student enrollment rates in the United States. From fall 2006 to fall 2007, the online enrollment growth rate increased 12% as the overall higher education growth rate increased only 1.2% (Allen & Seaman, 2008). While online enrollments are predicted to increase, attrition still remains higher for online programs than on-campus programs. Online attrition rates are often cited within the literature as 20% to 50% (Diaz, 2002; Frankola, 2001). However, attrition has been reported to be as high as 70% to 80% (Dagger & Wade, 2004; Flood, 2002). Additional publications cite online attrition to be 10% to 20% higher than traditional on-campus programs (Angelino, Williams & Natvig, 2007; Carr, 2000). Nationally, there are limited statistics available on the current number of faculty who teach online and there are no available statistics specifically relating to online faculty attrition. The 2007 Digest of Education Statistics, published by National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), reported that in fall of 2005 there were 1.3 million faculty members in the United States employed at degree-granting institutions which are "defined as postsecondary institutions that grant an associate's or higher degree and are eligible for Title IV federal financial aid programs" (p. 261). Of the 1.3 million faculty members, 0.7 million were employed full-time and 0.6 million employed part-time faculty. The 2007 report did not include the number of faculty who teach in distance education programs. Why do faculty teach in online education programs? Studies over the past 10 years reveal that intrinsic factors are stronger motivators than extrinsic factors for faculty participation in online education (Betts, 1998; Taylor & White, 1991; Parker, 2003; Miller and Husman, 1999; Wolcott & Betts, 1999; Maguire, 2005; Bonk, 2001; Lee, 2001; Rockwell, Schauer, Fritz, & Marx, 1999; Schifter, 2000; Wilson, 2001). Factors identified by faculty as being intrinsically motivating to teach online include reaching new audiences, self-satisfaction, opportunity to develop new ideas, opportunity to use new technologies, intellectual challenge, and overall job satisfaction (Betts, 1998; Miller & Husman, 1999; Maguire, 2005). Factors identified by faculty as being extrinsically motivating include professional recognition, stipends, reduced course/workload, institutional time off, and awards (Betts, 1998; Wolcott & Betts, 1999; Parker, 2003). Why do faculty leave their positions? As previously stated, national data is unavailable on online faculty attrition and the reasons why faculty leave their positions. Furthermore, Amey (2003) reports, "Data on faculty are often not uniformly collected by the nation's colleges and universities" (p. 24). According to a 2004 study conducted at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in the School of Medicine, the most frequently cited reasons for faculty leaving included lack of opportunity for career advancement, low salaries, poor faculty development and mentoring, and poor departmental leadership (Cropsey, Barrett, Klein, & Hampton, 2004). In a presentation by Allred and Wegner (2004) at the University of North Carolina, they identified the top three reasons as to why faculty leave as better salary, better benefits, and more faculty support. While these types of reports shed light on faculty attrition, they do not delineate between full-time and part-time faculty or faculty who teach in on-campus or online programs. While technologies continue to advance and online enrollments increase, it is the faculty who play a key role in the development, implementation, and sustainability of online programs (Betts, 1998; Rockwell, Schauer, Fritz, & Marx, 1999; Willis, 1994; Wilson, 1998; McKenzie, Mims, Bennett, & Waugh, 2000). Therefore, administrators need to identify strategies to engage, motivate, and support faculty who teach online courses. OHT Training and Support Concept In an effort to proactively engage, connect, and retain online faculty, the OHT training and support conceptual framework was developed and implemented within Drexel University's MSHE Program. As previously noted, this personalized approach to online education has resulted in continued program growth, financial sustainability, high retention rates for students and faculty, high levels of satisfaction among students and faculty, and national recognition for best practices in online education. The conceptual framework for OHT training and support brings together and builds upon five areas of research including: I. Faculty Engagement (Hagner, 2001; BlessingWhite, Inc., 2008; Flande, 2008) II. Community Development (Palloff & Pratt, 1999; McElrath & McDowell, 2008); III. Personalized Communication (Faharani, 2003; Mehrabian, 1971; Kruger, Epley, Parker & Ng, 2003); IV. Faculty Development (Bower, 2001; Puzziferro-Schnitzer, 2005; Gappa & Leslie, 1993; Layne, Froyd, Simpson, Caso & Merton, 2004; Elkind, 2008) V. Data Driven Decision-Making (Cranton & Legge, 1978; Scriven, 1967). Figure 1 illustrates the interconnection between the five areas of research that support the OHT concept. While each area of research independently contributes to the overall faculty experience, it is when all five areas are strategically integrated into faculty training and support that they fully sustain the conceptual underpinnings of OHT. [Figure omitted, see PDF]

Online Human Touch (OHT) Training & Support: A Conceptual Framework to Increase Faculty and Adjunct Faculty Engagement, Connectivity, and Retention in Online Education, Part 2

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Online Human Touch (OHT) Training & Support: A Conceptual Framework to Increase Faculty and Adjunct Faculty Engagement, Connectivity, and Retention in Online Education, Part 2

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