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The Multifaceted Endeavor of Online Teaching: The Need for a New Lens

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The Design of Learning Experience

Abstract

With the consistent demand and increase in online courses offered in higher education, more faculty are teaching online. In order to design and develop faculty development, research has employed several common frameworks: the technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) framework (The Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017–1054, 2006), the community of inquiry (CoI) (Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 5(2), 1–17, 2001), and Chickering and Gamson’s (American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, 8, 1987) seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. The needs for technology training and changes in pedagogy/andragogy have been highlighted using these three frameworks. This chapter recommends the use of flow theory, from positive psychology, as a framework to guide future research in online teaching, especially with a focus on the experience of the online instructor. Flow theory encompasses both the cognitive and affective domains and can provide a more complete picture of the faculty experience. The broader, integrated picture of online teaching provided by flow theory will inform the design of more effective and focused professional development to support faculty as they transition from a novice to an expert online instructor.

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  1. Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, USA

    Lisa C. Kidder

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  1. Lisa C. Kidder
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Correspondence to Lisa C. Kidder .

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  1. College of Design, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA

    Brad Hokanson

  2. Athens, Georgia, USA

    Gregory Clinton

  3. Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA

    Monica W. Tracey

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Kidder, L.C. (2015). The Multifaceted Endeavor of Online Teaching: The Need for a New Lens. In: Hokanson, B., Clinton, G., Tracey, M. (eds) The Design of Learning Experience. Educational Communications and Technology: Issues and Innovations. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16504-2_6

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