Spheres of Instruction: The Changing Role of FacultyModerator: Michael Palmquist, Colorado State University

Presenters:Lisa Cheney-Steen, StraighterLineLisa Johnson, Ashford UniversityDaryl Yarrow, Colorado Mountain College

November 2014, Portland, Oregon

Session/Discussion GoalsTechnology has led to greater differentiation and specialization within thefaculty role(s). In this discussion we will consider the variation of roles ininstruction that exist along the continuum from MOOCs to small groupseminars. Has the tutor model returned? What is the significance of peer-to-peer instruction? Where is expertise located in the widening sphere of practice?What is the value of unbundling the faculty role?

We will discuss these questions and others that arise during thecourse of the session.

Cheney-Steen, L., Johnson, L., & Yarrow, D. (2014, November). Spheres of Instruction: The Changing Faculty Role. Presented at the WCET 2014 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon.

How Has The Concept of Expertise Evolved?

● 1955 = Expert Knowledge Relatively Scarce

○ Television / Broadcast Media

● 1995 = Expert Knowledge Increasingly Available

○ Internet, Email, Desktop (one-click) Publishing

● 2005 = Expert Knowledge is Accessible

○ (Micro)Blogs, Wikis, Social Networking, Globalization

● 2015 = Expert Knowledge is Distributed and Created Widely

○ Mobile Computing, Satellite & Broadband Access Widely Dispersed

Cheney-Steen, L., Johnson, L., & Yarrow, D. (2014, November). Spheres of Instruction: The Changing Faculty Role. Presented at the WCET 2014 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon.

10 Factors Influencing the Faculty Role

According to Turoff (2006), there are several factors influencing the faculty role,

such as these that we think are still strong influences today:

1. Disappearance of geographic monopolies in educational services

2. Concepts of learners as clients, customers, and sometimes “students”

3. Increased tuition costs resulting in consumerist behaviors (degree shopping/financing)

4. Increased loan debt

5. Decreased funding for institutions

6. Increased competition among proprietary and public institutions

7. Increased use of part-time faculty and the rise of the professional adjunct faculty

8. Increase in adult learners / “non-traditional” learners as student populations beyond community

colleges

9. Evolving regulatory procedures (e.g., accreditation)

10. Shifting modalities (i.e., online, blended/hybrid/enhanced, mobile, competency-based, etc)

Cheney-Steen, L., Johnson, L., & Yarrow, D. (2014, November). Spheres of Instruction: The Changing Faculty Role. Presented at the WCET 2014 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon.

Specialization of the Faculty Role & Disaggregation of Service Role

Images from Creative Commons/Flickr/MorgueFile

Cheney-Steen, L., Johnson, L., & Yarrow, D. (2014, November). Spheres of Instruction: The Changing Faculty Role. Presented at the WCET 2014 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon.

Instructional Sphere

Peer-to-Peer Mobile

Autodidact /

Self-Instruction

Tutoring

SeminarFree / Fee-Based

MOOC

OnlineFacilitated

Blended/Hybrid/Enhanced

Classroom/

Courseroom

Instruction involves

Planned Intention for

Learning to Occur

Cheney-Steen, L., Johnson, L., & Yarrow, D. (2014, November). Spheres of Instruction: The Changing Faculty Role. Presented at the WCET 2014 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon.

Faculty Sphere

Cheney-Steen, L., Johnson, L. , Yarrow, D. (2014, November). Spheres of Instruction: The Changing Faculty Role. Presented at the WCET 2014 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon.

Facilitator Instructor

Advisor

Professor Administrator

CoachColleague

Designer

DeveloperEvaluator/Assessor

Collaborator

Researcher

LIFELONG

LEARNER

Faculty Roles Common Roles

• Facilitator – Instructor –Lecturer (a continuum)

• Designer/Developer• SME. Content Expert

• Advisement • Disseminate best practices• Research• Advocate (e.g.,

cheerleading/motivator)

Uncommon Roles

● Research● Faculty Development● Mentoring of students

(apprentice models)● “Instructional Designer”● Administrator (e.g.,

deans, chairs, etc.)

Shared Roles

● Publishing● Reputation Preservation● Assessment (Classroom,

Program, Institutional Level)

● Advising● Student Services (e.g.,

coaches)● Counseling /Crisis

Counseling● Senates/committees/work

groups – service roles● Compliance (e.g., ADA –

awareness of principles of UDL)

Cheney-Steen, L., Johnson, L., & Yarrow, D. (2014, November). Spheres of Instruction: The Changing Faculty Role. Presented at the WCET 2014 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon.

Evolving Roles and Managing Change

● How are you managing these changes at your institution?

● Where is your “comfort zone” in the changing role of faculty?

● What about when roles are different at different schools and adjuncts teach

at both schools?

Cheney-Steen, L., Johnson, L., & Yarrow, D. (2014, November). Spheres of Instruction: The Changing Faculty Role. Presented at the WCET 2014 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon.

Implications for Future of Higher Education

● Will we see more specialization in future? (e.g., course/program design)

● What are the components of training essential to facilitate the changes?

● How do these changes affect students?

● In what ways are students acting as catalysts for the changes?

Cheney-Steen, L., Johnson, L., & Yarrow, D. (2014, November). Spheres of Instruction: The Changing Faculty Role. Presented at the WCET 2014 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon.

Synthesis

What have you learned from this session?

Cheney-Steen, L., Johnson, L., & Yarrow, D. (2014, November). Spheres of Instruction: The Changing Faculty Role. Presented at the WCET 2014 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon.

Application

How will what you learned influence your practice?

Resources & ContactMost of this presentation’s content derives from the presenters’ personal and professional experiences.

● American Council on Education (ACE). (2013). Unbundling versus designing faculty roles. Retrieved from http://www.acenet.edu/news-room/Documents/Unbundling-Versus-Designing-Faculty-Roles.pdf

● Turoff, M. (2006). The changing role of faculty and online education. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 10(4) 129-138. Retrieved from http://onlinelearningconsortium.org/jaln/v10n4/changing-role-faculty-and-online-education

● Weissmann, J. (2013, April 10). The ever shrinking role of tenured college professors. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/04/the-ever-shrinking-role-of-tenured-college-professors-in-1-chart/274849/

Lisa Cheney-Steen Lisa Johnson Daryl Yarrowlcheney-steen@straighterline.com lisa.johnson@ashford.edu dyarrow@coloradomtn.edu

Cheney-Steen, L., Johnson, L., & Yarrow, D. (2014, November). Spheres of Instruction: The Changing Faculty Role. Presented at the WCET 2014 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon.