Faculty Uses of and Attitudes toward a Course Management System in Improving Instruction
Terrance Harrington
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Marilyn Staffo
The University of Alabama
Vivian H. Wright
The University of Alabama
Abstract
The investigators in this study were interested in knowing how faculty uses of a course management system (CMS) helps improve content and instruction, and how faculty attitudes may help or hinder that effort. Seven faculty members were interviewed and the texts were coded and analyzed qualitatively. From the analysis, the investigators derived five main categories concerning the use of a CMS: faculty motivations; benefits; perspectives; differing class formats; and issues and needs. Results of this study show that communication and organization play key roles in course improvement, that a university’s commitment and support is critical in securing faculty involvement, that discussion boards and student tracking may be the primary non-assessment methods for determining student learning, that bottom-up pressure from students desiring content online is more important than pressure from above, and that the 'extended class' (24/7 access) may be the most important feature of an online class component.
About the Author(s)...
Terrance Harrington creates and maintains online courses for faculty at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Public Health and is a doctoral student in Educational Leadership - Instructional Technology at The University of Alabama. His research interests include instructional improvement using technology, human-machine interfaces, institutional impacts of technology use, emerging technologies for education and cognitive processes as related to technology use. He may be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Marilyn Staffo coordinates instructional technology development, including course management system development, for faculty from all academic areas at The University of Alabama. Dr. Staffo’s research interests include technology decision-making, instructional technology effectiveness, integrating technology into teacher education programs, digital equity, and using technology in academic programs for English Language Learners. She may be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Vivian H. Wright is an Assistant Professor of Instructional Technology in the College of Education at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. In addition to teaching in the graduate program, she works with teacher educators on innovative ways to infuse technology in the curriculum to enhance teaching and learning. Dr. Wright’s research interests include K-12 technology integration and asynchronous education. She may be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
