Learning From the Lived Experience of Online Faculty at Midwest Catholic University During Disruption and Organizational Change
This Dissertation in Practice (DIP) provides insights from the lived experience of MCU faculty who taught online courses through disruptions of many kinds between 2020 and 2024. This qualitative phenomenological study used semi-structured interviews to explore what helped eleven faculty effectively teach online despite disruptions at MCU between 2020 and 2024. The analysis of the interview data distilled the essence of the meaning faculty attributed to their experience of disruptions, what factors helped them teach online well despite the turmoil, or what detracted from quality online teaching, in their view. This qualitative learning description from the MCU faculty is aimed at opportunities to improve teaching and learning, especially during future inevitable disruptions. The recommendations offer practical ideas for building organizational resilience and agility at different levels of the university and across functional divisions of the institution through learning communities and communities of practice around the scholarship of online teaching, learning and operations. Because of the unique nature of MCU, the mission-centered interactive manner of teaching was emphasized. This work is also adaptable to institutions across types and Carnegie classifications. Any institution may use the literature review and practical MCU context-specific recommendations, adjust them, and prepare for disruptions from AI, the enrollment cliff, or other issues they face. Keywords: Online learning, online teaching, online operations, navigating disruption in higher education, catholic higher education, quality assurance in online teaching and learning, distance education.
Catholic Higher Education, Distance Education, Navigating Disruption in Higher Education, Online Operations, Online Teaching, Quality Assurance in Online Teaching and Learning
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