Through a multi-layered review of United States University, a gap in professional development for adjunct faculty was identified. To ensure that students’ are best supported in the online classroom, ensuring that faculty are provided with training around pedagogical and instructional skills aligned with the University mission is essential. The perceived value of the Community of Practice model was assessed to address the gap in faculty development through a mixed-methods convergent design study. The quantitative data and qualitative data were merged under the unidirectional framework for convergent design integration, and presented in a narrative discussion format. Themes which emerged included knowledge sharing, establishment of a community identity, and the preparation for full-time faculty roles. No statistical significant difference was found amongst the three disciplinary groups. The findings support that a Community of Practice model can address the unique professional development needs of an online-based adjunct faculty member.
","abstract_html":"<p>Through a multi-layered review of United States University, a gap in professional development for adjunct faculty was identified. To ensure that students’ are best supported in the online classroom, ensuring that faculty are provided with training around pedagogical and instructional skills aligned with the University mission is essential. The perceived value of the Community of Practice model was assessed to address the gap in faculty development through a mixed-methods convergent design study. The quantitative data and qualitative data were merged under the unidirectional framework for convergent design integration, and presented in a narrative discussion format. Themes which emerged included knowledge sharing, establishment of a community identity, and the preparation for full-time faculty roles. No statistical significant difference was found amongst the three disciplinary groups. The findings support that a Community of Practice model can address the unique professional development needs of an online-based adjunct faculty member.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Hill, Alyssa Marie"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Ed.D. Doctor of Education","degree_level":"Dissertation - Public Access","degree_discipline":"Higher Education Leadership","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Nathaniel Cradit","Janice Nilsen","Kathleen Gorski"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-06-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2020-06-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:20:57Z","subjects":["faculty development","community of practice","perceived value","mixed methods","convergent design","Higher Education and Teaching"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/465","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Nathaniel Cradit","Janice Nilsen","Kathleen Gorski"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Hill, Alyssa Marie"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2020-06-16T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Higher Education Leadership"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation - Public Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["faculty development","community of practice","perceived value","mixed methods","convergent design","Higher Education and Teaching"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/465"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Through a multi-layered review of United States University, a gap in professional development for adjunct faculty was identified. To ensure that students’ are best supported in the online classroom, ensuring that faculty are provided with training around pedagogical and instructional skills aligned with the University mission is essential. The perceived value of the Community of Practice model was assessed to address the gap in faculty development through a mixed-methods convergent design study. The quantitative data and qualitative data were merged under the unidirectional framework for convergent design integration, and presented in a narrative discussion format. Themes which emerged included knowledge sharing, establishment of a community identity, and the preparation for full-time faculty roles. No statistical significant difference was found amongst the three disciplinary groups. The findings support that a Community of Practice model can address the unique professional development needs of an online-based adjunct faculty member.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Academic Disciplinary Differences In The Perceived Value Of The Community Of Practice Model"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Nathaniel Cradit","Janice Nilsen","Kathleen Gorski"],"dc:creator":["Hill, Alyssa Marie"],"dc:date.available":["2020-06-16T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Through a multi-layered review of United States University, a gap in professional development for adjunct faculty was identified. To ensure that students’ are best supported in the online classroom, ensuring that faculty are provided with training around pedagogical and instructional skills aligned with the University mission is essential. The perceived value of the Community of Practice model was assessed to address the gap in faculty development through a mixed-methods convergent design study. The quantitative data and qualitative data were merged under the unidirectional framework for convergent design integration, and presented in a narrative discussion format. Themes which emerged included knowledge sharing, establishment of a community identity, and the preparation for full-time faculty roles. No statistical significant difference was found amongst the three disciplinary groups. The findings support that a Community of Practice model can address the unique professional development needs of an online-based adjunct faculty member.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/465"],"dc:subject":["faculty development","community of practice","perceived value","mixed methods","convergent design","Higher Education and Teaching"],"dc:title":["Academic Disciplinary Differences In The Perceived Value Of The Community Of Practice Model"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Higher Education Leadership"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation - Public Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:20:57Z"}