Institutional perspectives on faculty development for digital education in Canada

Abstract

As digital education at the postsecondary level continues to grow, robust professional development that prepares faculty to teach in online and blended settings is necessary. In this study, we analyzed open-ended comments from the Canadian Digital Learning Research Association’s annual survey of Canadian postsecondary institutions (2017-2019) to deepen our understanding of faculty training and support for digital education as articulated by higher education institutions. We found that: a) digital education orientation or on-boarding processes for faculty vary widely; b) institutions employ an extensive array of professional development practices for digital education; c) institutions report culture change, work security, and unclear expectations as challenges in providing digital education training and support; and d) institutions articulate aspirations and hopes around professional development investments in order to build digital education capacity. These findings have significant implications for research and practice, which we describe in this article.