Open AccessUnbundling Faculty Roles In Online Distance Education Programs
Author(s) -
Patricia Neely,
Jan Tucker
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
contemporary issues in education research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1941-756X
pISSN - 1940-5847
DOI - 10.19030/cier.v3i6.211
Subject(s) - unbundling , distance education , higher education , business , cost effectiveness , faculty development , public relations , professional development , marketing , medical education , psychology , pedagogy , political science , economics , industrial organization , medicine , economic growth , risk analysis (engineering)
Many colleges and universities are expanding their current online offerings and creating new programs to address growing enrollment. Institutions often utilize online education as a method to serve more students while lowering instructional costs. While online education may be more cost effective in some situations, college decision makers need to consider the full range of cost implications associated with these online offerings. The unbundling of faculty roles in online distance education programs is one cost consideration which is often overlooked. As the faculty role has become more distributed, so have the costs associated with providing instruction and instructional support. This paper reviews the hidden costs associated with the unbundling of the faculty role and presents a framework for calculating the true costs of the unbundled faculty role.