The perceptions of instructors transitioning from traditional classrooms to online classrooms were examined to determine commonalities and revelations. Interviews were conducted and themes were developed based on the information provided by the
interviewees in response to several open-ended questions. The information within each theme provided commonalities, differences, and insights into the transition for the instructors.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study was to explore participant views of teachers transitioning from traditional teaching to online instruction to gain a better understanding of the challenges involved. The first step was a qualitative exploration of challenges associated with transitioning to instruction via online education methods by interviewing participants at Carrotall Community College, a community college in the Midwest United States. Themes from this qualitative data were analyzed to compare perceived issues in transitioning from a traditional classroom setting to an online classroom. This study included 22 fulltime faculty members at Carrotall Community College.
The interview data were collected using Guba and Lincoln’s (1989) claims, concerns, and issues interview format that allows for descriptions and analysis of data gathered from participant interviews. Interviews were conducted in private locations. Any information sent electronically was stored electronically within the researcher’s residence. The interviews were transcribed, and those transcriptions were kept in a
locked safe at the researcher’s residence with no other person having access to the information.
Interview documents were analyzed using a content analysis program. The case study research design did not identify independent or dependent variables or relationship comparisons. The qualitative research method was appropriate to this research because qualitative research focuses on the internal understanding of people as they relate with one another. A case study design allows the researchers to emphasize explanation and comprehend what they believe is critical for an understanding of the social phenomenon (Gall et al., 2007).
Conclusions
Twenty-two fulltime community college instructors were interviewed regarding perceptions of their transitions from teaching in a traditional classroom to teaching in an online environment. Leadership models were analyzed, and it was determined that a transformational model was used in the conversion to online instruction. The
administrators worked with the instructors to ensure that the move to online instruction was successful, and they all felt that they had stakes in the outcome.
Six themes emerged from interview responses: (1) training, (2) communication, (3) time, (4) technology, (5) standards, and (6) security. These themes were broken down further into subthemes within Chapter 4. Claims and Concerns were included within the themes, as they were the favorable and unfavorable perceptions of the interviewees. The Issues were included in the Outliers section in Chapter 4.
This study provides higher education school administrators and instructors with experiences and lessons learned by community college instructors who transitioned from
teaching in a traditional classroom to teaching in an online classroom. Understanding the evolution to support both types of instruction can assist administrators and instructors in designing programs for their colleges and universities. Analyzing these experiences can provide the administrators with recommendations on changes that can be made to ensure a smooth transition to online instruction.
Gagne’s Conditions of Learning were used as a framework of comparison to the themes. Several theories were described in Chapter 2, but Gagne’s Conditions of Learning was the only theory to provide a framework of instructional steps that could translate across the formats of presentation. These steps were created for a traditional classroom, but they are applied to an online classroom in this study.
Gagne’s Conditions of Learning Theory
The data were compared to Gagne’s (1985) Conditions of Learning Theory. Gagne’s Theory that specific learning conditions influence the outcomes of the learning are applied to this study. The Nine Events of Instruction were used for the analysis of the information that was gathered in the interview process (Gagne, 1985).
Nine instructional events and corresponding outcomes: (1) gaining attention (reception)
(2) informing learners of the objective (expectancy) (3) stimulating recall of prior learning (retrieval) (4) presenting the stimulus (selective perception) (5) providing learning guidance (semantic encoding) (6) eliciting performance (responding)
(8) assessing performance (retrieval)
(9) enhancing retention and transfer (generalization). (Kearsly, 2010, para. 3) Gaining attention.
Gaining the attention of the students has proven to be difficult in online courses. The instructors spend additional time creating materials to assist in this effort, but the communication is difficult due to that lack of immediate feedback and acknowledgement from the students. Since the students need to put in the effort to read the material, that step is not always accomplished (Gagne, 1985).
Informing learners.
The learners must be informed of the objectives of the course. This is written in the course syllabus, but in traditional classes, this information is covered with the
students during class. The objectives must be emphasized differently in an online course. The objectives that are presented by the instructor in an online class must be clear and complete. This does provide the students with information on the objectives so they can refer back at any time and see a more complete version of the objectives than a discussion of the objectives in a traditional classroom (Gagne, 1985).
Stimulating recall of prior learning.
In online courses, stimulating recall of prior learning is accomplished through discussions, and each online course can use discussion questions to examine the
experiences of the students. Not all online courses use the discussion forums, as that is not required by the school. Use of these forums is not a standard of the school for online courses. Stimulating recall can also be accomplished through quizzes on the material and
other feedback from the students to ensure that they are linking the current material to past learning (Gagne, 1985).
Presenting the stimulus.
Presenting the stimulus in an online course is accomplished in many learning formats, which might provide an advantage over traditional classrooms. The students can learn in different ways, and if the material is not clear, they can replay the content as many times as necessary. The instructors are not monitoring this step, so the students may attempt to skip the stimulus step, as they are not being observed when accessing the content. Testing the students to ensure comprehension of the material will ensure that the students understand what has been presented (Gagne, 1985).
Providing learning guidance.
In online courses, the learning guidance must be requested, as the instructors assume the students are understanding the information as long as they do not indicate otherwise. The guidance that is provided is generally asynchronous, unless a conference call is requested. There can be difficulties in communicating in an asynchronous manner, unless the questions and answers are all very clear and complete. The learning guidance is presented in a written format and posted for the students to read, while only negative feedback is generally requested. The students are not asked if they comprehend, only if they do not (Gagne, 1985).
Eliciting performance.
Eliciting performance in an online course is accomplished when the students turn in assignments, finish labs, or complete quizzes and exams, which is the same as in a traditional class. This can also be accomplished by presenting the students with practice
tests or assignments where they can learn more about any areas that may not be
completely clear to them. Additional materials relating to any areas where students may not be as strong can be posted during the week in an online course. Using a computer for practice can be accomplished in either online or traditional classes, so online courses do not have an advantage or disadvantage in that respect (Gagne, 1985).
Providing feedback.
The instructors in online and traditional courses provide feedback to students. This can be explained more completely in person in the traditional classes. In the online courses, the feedback provided must be in writing and self-explanatory. If students have questions about the feedback, they can post their questions or contact the instructor for an additional explanation. The students may not always take this extra step for contact, so the feedback provided in the initial writing might be all that they receive for making improvements. This feedback needs to provide sufficient information for the students to use it to improve (Gagne, 1985).
Assessing performance.
The students must demonstrate that they understand the material in a final assessment for each course. A final examination is used in traditional classes as well as in the online classes, and a comprehensive examination can be more easily monitored in a traditional course. Closed book examinations are not possible in a pure online course. This final assessment is used to assist in determining the grade for the course, so this examination must be designed to allow use of the materials in online courses (Gagne, 1985).
Enhancing retention and transfer.
Enhancing retention and transfer generally does not happen after a college course has finished in either the traditional or the online model. This final step would only be applicable to a training course where performance is measured at the end of the course and again later. In college courses, this might be determined in an advanced course, where the instructor can decide whether the student had fully absorbed the material in the previous course. In college courses, the information gained in courses can be considered to be cumulative in many courses, and this would be assessed in future courses by the success of the student in that course (Gagne, 1985).
Training, communication, time, and standards are the most relevant themes from the study that apply to the Conditions of Learning developed by Gagne (1985). Training focuses on assisting the instructors to understand the differences between online and traditional classrooms. The instructors learn to communicate differently in the online classrooms to attempt to accomplish the same learning goals as in a traditional classroom. There are currently no real standards for the online classrooms to ensure that these goals are accomplished at this school, but the traditional courses are not consistent in this way either.
Themes in Gagne’s Conditions of Learning
Gagne’s Conditions of Learning were initially established for traditional classes, although here they are compared to courses taught in an online environment. Each theme is
analyzed to see which components fit within Gagne’s Conditions of Learning Theory (1985). Most of the instructional events were covered in depth in the training that was provided to the instructors as they converted to online instruction.
Training.
During training or with mentorship, the instructors focused on addressing the first eight of the nine instructional events defined by Gagne. The instructors were trained in gaining the attention of the students by highlighting, using bright colors for important information, and developing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) documents. Instructors are trained that gaining the attention of the students is more difficult in online courses, so they need to use additional methods. Emailing the students is encouraged in the training courses to ensure that the students do not miss anything presented in the online course web pages.
Instructors were told that they need to inform the learners of the objectives in online courses as they would in traditional courses. The difference is that the online instructors must anticipate any questions and ensure that they have answered any
questions that might be asked. Any questions that are asked by the students in the online course must be answered as quickly as possible so the students do not miss the
requirements.
Instructors were taught that stimulating recall comes from challenging the students’ memories in various ways, like presenting them with discussion questions, quizzes, and surveys. Teachers must get the students to tie current concepts to past learning and build on those concepts. This is accomplished in a number of different ways within the online classroom to ensure that the students remain engaged.
Instructors were encouraged to make small videos or write several short lectures to ensure they keep the students’ attention. Special software can be used to present
information in more visually interesting formats than just a standard lecture. Audio and transcripts can also be added to the lectures to enhance them further.
Instructors were encouraged to post more information for the online courses so that their students were not lacking any information that would have normally been presented in a traditional course. This can be overwhelming to the students, so the teachers were told to highlight any important information and find ways to make this information stand out. Organizing the information for the students is important so the students receive the proper learning guidance.
Instructors were taught to constantly communicate with students to elicit
responses and test their performance. Assignments are given to ensure that the students understand what has been taught and can use the information in the assignments, not just restate what was taught. Teachers were taught that constant written feedback must be provided to the students. This helps the students to feel supported by the instructors and lets the students know where they are off track as quickly as possible. The teachers may benefit from asking for feedback from the students to ensure that there are no questions or concerns from the students.
Teachers were encouraged to include a final examination as a part of the online courses or use some method of assessing each student’s overall performance. This raises security concerns in an online course, but the Blackboard system allows the instructors to write timed tests with randomized questions and answers so the students could not easily compare answers during the final examination. A comprehensive final examination helps to ensure that the students understand all the material that was presented in the course.
Communication.
The theme of Communication can be seen in: (a) gaining attention; (b) informing learners of the objective; (c) presenting the stimulus; (d) providing learning guidance; and (e) providing feedback. These steps are more difficult to achieve in online courses, and extra effort must be taken to ensure communication is accomplished. The instructor must give and receive feedback constantly to ensure that the students understand what has been presented.
Time.
The theme of Time can be seen in the first eight instructional events. Time is needed to prepare the course materials, assignments, quizzes, and examinations, and time is also needed to communicate with the students. The initial preparation of course
materials and examinations for any course is extremely time intensive. Working with the students in each step also takes more time in online courses.
Technology.
The theme of Technology spans the first eight instructional events. Technology is used to develop course materials, assignments, and all the tests in a course, as well as to present feedback. The courses are dependent on technology, and any of the instructional events would be impacted by technology problems. The instructors and students must be proficient with computers in online courses so the instructional events can be achieved.
Standards.
The theme of Standards can be seen in the first eight instructional events, but it is most apparent in gaining attention, informing learners of the objectives, and providing feedback. If the navigational structure is consistent across classes then the students do
not have to search for course materials within the online classroom. Feedback sent on consistent days and email responses sent within posted timeframes are both essential in online courses.
Security.
The theme of Security applies to eliciting performance and assessing performance within the instructional events. Tests using a LockDown browser will ensure that the students cannot look up the answers online while taking their tests. The LockDown browser does not keep a student from using notes or other resources not on the computer. Instructors may consider formulating test questions so that they require knowledge and use of the concepts that were presented in the course and not just ask about simple facts that are listed in the textbook.
Assumptions
Assumptions were made regarding the responses, the scheduling, and the interpretation of the questions. The interviewees appeared to provide honest responses, and they shared their experiences openly. These interviewees made themselves available for the interviews per the established schedules, and only one interview had to be
rescheduled. The interviewees appeared to interpret the questions in the way they were intended, based on their responses.
Limitations
The interviewees appeared to share their experiences and information candidly and without reserve, although the study was limited by the amount of information that the instructors chose to share. Access to the instructors was granted by the school, but that access could be revoked if complaints were received from any instructors for any reason.
Gaining instructor participation was a limitation of the study, as the instructors needed to be willing and have time available for the interviews. The study was limited by the number of instructors teaching both on ground and online courses at Carrotall Community College. The study examined the perceptions of 22 instructors across multiple disciplines within the school, and was limited by the information provided by these instructors. Their insights provided information about their experiences in response to open-ended questions, and the instructors were not limited in their responses in any way. No time limits were set on any interviews, except for the time constraints of the instructors’ schedules.
Delimitations
The study was limited to fulltime instructors at Carrotall Community College who had transitioned from traditional classroom instruction to online instruction. The
instructors were all employed fulltime by Carrotall Community at the time of the study and were teaching the courses that they discussed in the study. All instructors must have taught in both the on ground and online formats addressed by this study. Students were not included in the study, and only the perceptions and experiences of instructors were included in the study. Administrators were only included in the study if they also taught both on ground courses and online courses at the time of the study. There were no specific courses that were covered by this study, and the only requirement was for courses to be taught in the on ground and online formats by the instructor being interviewed.
Recommendations
These are the actions that could be taken by stakeholders to develop a successful online program. Recommendations regarding the six themes from the study and
Leadership are included. The data was divided into six themes, based on the frequency of the concepts determined by the content analysis. Those themes were determined to be (a) Training; (b) Communication; (c) Time; (d) Technology; (e) Standards; and (f) Security. Leadership was addressed as a separate and overarching concept, as leadership was not a function of the instructors, but it did affect the overall outcome of the
instructional process. Leadership was not something that the instructors could control, so