Exploring the Use of
Course-Specific Websites among Higher Education Faculty
Lamont A. Flowers
Assistant
Professor
Department of
Educational Leadership, Policy and Foundations
University of Florida
Posted: August, 2004
Student Affairs Online, vol. 5 no. 3 - Summer 2004
Abstract
Utilizing data from the 1999 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty, this study examines data from all full-time instructional faculty members who selected higher education as their principal field or discipline of teaching to obtain the percentage of higher education faculty who used course-specific websites. The study documents how these faculty members in the field of higher education utilized course-specific websites.
With the growing use of technology
in postsecondary education, research on the effects of technology on student
learning as well as research on the use of technology by college faculty has
accumulated in recent years (Bento
& Bento, 2000; Cudd, Lipscomb, & Tanner, 2003; Flowers, 2004; Flowers,
Pascarella, & Pierson, 2000; Howell, Saba, Lindsay, & Williams, 2004;
Warburton, Chen, & Bradburn, 2002; Witt, 2003). One line of this research
has focused on the impact of using course-specific websites in the classroom.
Overall, the weight of this research indicates that course-specific websites
and related technologies (i.e., Internet, distance learning technologies, etc.)
have increased the efficiency with which instruction is delivered within
certain educational contexts (Bento & Bento, 2000; Murphy, 2002; Murphy
& Cifuentes, 2001; Richards, 1999; Witt, 2003). These and other studies are
important and have implications for how technology will be used in the
classroom of the future. However, what is missing from the literature is a study
that describes how higher education faculty use course-specific websites in the
classroom. Accordingly, the purpose of this article is to report the percentage
of higher education faculty who use course-specific websites and how higher
education faculty use course-specific websites.
Method
Data from the
1999 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF:99) was used in the present
study because the NSOPF:99 contain comprehensive data on a representative
sample of college faculty in the United States (Abraham et al., 2002). The
institutional data in NSOPF:99 consists of more than 800 institutions (Abraham
et al., 2002). The NSOPF:99 faculty and staff sample represents approximately 1
million college faculty (Abraham et al., 2002). Among all college faculty, 57%
were employed on a full-time basis and 43% were employed on a part-time basis
(Zimbler, 2001). Of all full-time faculty, 91% were instructional faculty
(i.e., had instructional duties for credit). This study was based on data from
full-time instructional faculty who selected higher education as their
principal field or discipline of teaching. Employing the weighted NSOPF:99 sample,
this study was based on approximately 403 higher education faculty who used
course-specific websites (154 higher education faculty from public institutions
and 249 higher education faculty from private institutions).
Results
Based on the 1999
National Study of Postsecondary Faculty, 23% of all higher education faculty
used a website for at least one of their classes. According to Table 1, in the
fall of 1998, 14% of all higher education faculty at public institutions used a
course-specific website. In contrast, 37% of all higher education faculty at
private institutions used a course-specific website. Among the higher education
faculty who used course-specific websites, Table 2 showed how higher education
faculty used course websites for specific teaching purposes. These data revealed
that higher education faculty at private institutions were more likely than higher
education faculty at public institutions to use websites to post general class
information, information on homework, and practice exams or exercises. In
contrast, higher education faculty at public institutions were more likely than
higher education faculty at private institutions to use their course-specific
websites to post links to other information. In the fall of 1998, no higher
education faculty reported that they had used course-specific websites to post
exams or exam results.
Discussion and Recommendations for Future Research
This brief report presented
descriptive data to examine the extent to which higher education faculty used course-specific websites.
Overall, these data showed that more faculty at private institutions used
course-specific websites for their classes than did higher education faculty at
public institutions. Additionally, data also revealed that higher education
faculty at private institutions and higher education faculty at public
institutions used course-specific websites for slightly different purposes. These
data are informative and suggest that additional research should follow to
extend these results. First, research is needed, using recent data, to examine
the extent to which higher education faculty are currently using course-specific websites. Second,
more research is needed to further analyze the specific ways and reasons that higher
education faculy are using course-specific
websites in the classroom. For example, research is needed to explore the
extent to which specific content domains related to the study of higher
education administration and student affairs administration may be more effectively
taught using course-specific
websites as well
as other information technologies. Third, future research should examine
how e-mail is used by higher education faculty. Relatedly, studies that examine the effects of using
e-mail on student-facutly interactions would add useful information regarding
the impact of technology in the classroom.
References
Abraham, S. Y., Steiger, D. M., Montgomery, M., Kuhr, B. D., Tourangeau, R., Montgomery,
B., et al. (2002). 1999
National study of postsecondary faculty (NSOPF:99):
Methodology report (NCES 2002-154). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
Bento, R. F., & Bento, A.
M. (2000). Using the web to extend and support classroom
learning. College Student
Journal, 34, 603-608.
Cudd, M., Lipscomb, T., & Tanner, J. (2003). Technology in the
classroom: An assessment of
hardware and
software use in finance instruction. Journal of Education for Business, 78,
244-248.
Flowers, L. A. (2004). Using Docutek ERes in a student affairs
classroom. StudentAffairs On-Line, 5.
Retrieved
February 9, 2004, from http://www.studentaffairs.com/ejournal/Winter_2004/UsingDocutekERes.html
Flowers, L. A., Pascarella, E. T., & Pierson, C.
T. (2000). Information technology use and
cognitive
outcomes in the first year of college. Journal
of Higher Education, 71,
637-667.
Howell, S. L., Saba, F., Lindsay, N. K., & Williams, P. B.
(2004). Seven strategies for enabling
faculty success in distance education. Internet &
Higher Education, 7(1), 33-49.
Murphy, T. H. (2002). An analysis of the perceived benefits and
affordances of course websites
by on-campus agricultural students and faculty members. Journal
of Agricultural
Education, 43(2),
44-55.
Murphy, K. L., & Cifuentes, L. (2001). Using web tools,
collaborating, and learning online.
TechTrends, 45(1),
28.
Richards, R. T. (1999). Lessons learned from teaching with
technology: A critical perspective.
TechTrends, 43(4), 31-33.
Warburton, E. C., Chen, X., & Bradburn, E. M. (2002). Use
of telecommunications technology
by postsecondary instructional faculty and staff in fall 1998 (NCES 2002-161).
Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
Witt, P. L. (2003). Enhancing
classroom courses with internet technology: Are course web sites
worth the trouble? Community
College Journal of Research & Practice, 27, 429-438.
Zimbler, L. J. (2001). Background
characteristics, work activities, and compensation of faculty
and instructional staff in postsecondary institutions: Fall 1998 (NCES 2001-152).
Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
Table 1
Percentage
of Higher Education Faculty Who Used Course-Specific Websites, by Institutional
Type
|
|
Yes No |
|
|
Public |
14 |
86 |
|
Private |
37 |
63 |
Note. U.S.
Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1999
National Study of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF:99).
Table 2
Among
Higher Education Faculty Who Used Course-Specific Websites, Percentage Using Websites
for Specific Teaching Purposes, by Institutional Type
|
|
Purpose of Course-Specific Website is
to Post: |
|||||
|
Institutional Type |
General Class Information |
Information on Homework |
Practice Exams or Exercises |
Exams or Exam Results |
Links to Other Information |
|
|
Public |
67 |
34 |
0 |
0 |
100 |
|
|
Private |
90 |
67 |
57 |
0 |
67 |
|
Note. U.S. Department of
Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1999 National Study of
Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF:99).