Faculty perceptions of teaching online

The number of nursing schools offering classes through the internet continues to increase greatly. Teaching online presents a challenge for nursing faculty who are not familiar with online education. Instructors must make a transition from real-time in the classroom to virtual-time when teaching online. Faculty perceptions may influence outcomes of online learning. Ryan, Hodson Carlton, and Ali (2005) developed a Model for Faculty Teaching Online to explain the dimensions of faculty teaching online and validated the model. Further research is needed to test the model and determine faculty perceptions of teaching online. The purpose of this study is to determine faculty perceptions of teaching online based on the Model according to the major dimensions, including antecedent conditions, context, strategies, and consequences, and further validate the model. The sample will consist of 20 nursing faculty who teach online in Baccalaureate Nursing Programs at five mid-west public universities and colleges and agree to participate in the study. Permission will be obtained from Ball State University. A questionnaire developed by Ryan et al. (2004) will be used. The study is voluntary and data will remain anonymous. There are no identified risks to any individual or institution involved in the study. Findings will provide information for nursing faculty as nursing courses are redesigned for online delivery.