Online Instruction

In the last decade, colleges and universities have §steadily increased the number of course offerings §that use Web-based instruction either as the sole §method of delivery or in a blended format with §traditional face to face instruction. Although the §popularity of Web-based instruction continues to §grow, some faculty have been resistant and reluctant §to incorporate it into their teaching. The research §study in this book examines the factors influencing §faculty decisions to incorporate Web-based §instruction at the university level. The study, §which was based on a mixed research design, includes §faculty who have taught a course exclusively online, §those who have used a blended method of delivery, §and those who have only used a traditional face to §face method of instruction. Findings include §facilitating factors and incentives, as well as §inhibiting factors and barriers to using Web-based §instruction at the university level. The findings §should be especially useful to university §administrators and department chairpersons seeking §to expand their distance learning programs and §increase the use of Web-based instruction by §university faculty.