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The Distance Education Mentoring Program (DEMP) is a unique program designed to assist faculty with developing and teaching quality online courses. This paper describes a survey assessment of the 92 faculty members who completed the program over the last four years and looks at preliminary data determining the program's success.

The Distance Education Mentoring Program (DEMP) is an initiative designed to assist faculty in learning the technology and instructional design principles necessary to develop and teach quality online courses. This paper describes the results of a survey assessment of 92 faculty members who completed the program over the last four years. Participants in the program not only developed high quality online courses, but also changed their beliefs and learned skills and methods that could be applied to their teaching practice in the classroom. This suggests that faculty members participating in the DEMP experienced a transfer of learning from their immediate task of online course development to other teaching contexts. Regression results show that the program's success was strongly related to its collaborative atmosphere. These findings have implications for other institutions seeking to use a mentoring approach to successfully help faculty develop high quality online and traditional teaching practices. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

This study describes assessment results from the Distance Education Mentoring Program (DEMP) at Purdue University Calumet, Indiana, USA. The program, sponsored by the university's Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, was made available to all teaching faculty who wished to become proteges and develop their skills at teaching online courses. The DEMP is a university initiative designed to enhance the development of high-quality online courses by mentoring faculty in instructional design principles. Faculty member proteges who completed the mentoring program were surveyed using an anonymous questionnaire. Data were obtained from 34 faculty respondents who completed the program during the last three years. Using regression analysis, we found that the Pyramid Model explained 83% of the variance in perceptions of teaching improvement attributable to the DEMP. The program's process orientation, continuous improvement approach, and focus on customer satisfaction explained proteges' perceived improvement in teaching. In addition, proteges believed their peer faculty mentors provided more psychosocial support than career development. Implications for implementation of a mentoring program in a university setting are discussed. (Contains 4 tables and 2 figures.)

This article presents a four-stage model for mentoring faculty in higher education to deliver high quality online instruction. It provides a timeline that shows the stages of program implementation. Known as the Distance Education Mentoring Program, its major outcomes include certified instructors, student achievement, and the attainment of a competitive advantage in the tight student market for higher education. The program's benefits to the mentor, protege, and the organization are discussed. (Contains 1 figure.)

Distance education has dramatically increased the educational opportunities for underserved populations. This is evidenced by the fairly recent proliferation and success of online universities, and it is happening in spite of criticism of e-learning and online degree programs among academia and the popular press. As a result, many institutions, including traditional and respected universities across the country--who were once among the harshest critics--are now offering distance education courses. However, not all students who wish to enroll in online courses are ready or prepared to be successful completing online coursework. Research suggests that at least half of all students enrolled in online courses are not course completers. Obviously, increasing the percentage of program completers in the distance learning environment is essential. This article details a proven and comprehensive system to achieve this objective, using the authors' experiences at Purdue University Calumet in Hammond, Indiana, as a framework. (Contains 1 note.)

This study summarizes the results of a program evaluation of the Distance Education Mentoring Program (DEMP), an ongoing initiative at Purdue University Calumet, Indiana (USA) designed to enhance the development of online courses by mentoring faculty in instructional design principles and technology. The evaluation covers a four year period and is based on a survey of 47 protege-participants, who are both faculty members and clients of the program, using an anonymous online questionnaire. The research questions yielded evidence that focused on two broad themes, one of which was faculty participation, satisfaction, and university impact of the program. The second theme addressed the programmatic modifications required by a changing faculty client base. Analysis showed that thirty percent of the university's faculty have participated in the program and were teaching 44% of the online courses offered by the university. This suggests that the DEMP was making a mainstream impact on faculty views and abilities related to the online delivery of material. Participants were satisfied with the DEMP and its effectiveness, which was related to the collaborative nature of the program. It was also found that faculty participating in later cohort groups of the DEMP had different needs, which necessitated building more structure and accountability into the program. Policy implications for program administrators are discussed to help universities develop a competitive advantage in the growing market for online education. (Contains 6 tables and 2 figures.)

Three thousand, one hundred sixty students involved in online instruction at 31 colleges and universities across the United States completed a survey designed to probe into whether statements derived from 8 standards in the Quality MattersTM(QM) rubric contributed to their success. The 43-item survey instrument measured students’ perceptions of online course quality. The effect of age and employment status on their perceptions was measured. Based on a series of ANOVA (analysis of variance)s, it was found that the highest rated standard was QM3 on Assessment and Measurement. There were significant differences between age groups. Students under 45, contrasted to those over 45, highly valued clarity and appropriateness of assessments and clear criteria for grading. For students above the age of 45, QM6 on Course Technology was valued highest. They placed a high value on the tools and media that support learning objectives and classmate interactivity. QM3 was rated highest across all employment groups—those employed part-time, full-time, and those who were unemployed. Standards 1 (Course Overview and Introduction), 2 (Learning Objectives), 4 (Resources and Materials), and 7 (Learner Support) were valued higher by students working full-time and those who were unemployed compared with those working part-time. It is likely that students who work part-time are not as focused on academics as are those who do not work. They may not be as motivated to perform well as students who work full-time. Implications for course designers and instructors are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patterns of technology ownership and usage, as well as skills with and preferences for various technologies, affect the college experience (Educause 2012). Students at a commuter campus of a large Midwestern public university were surveyed about technology and the learning process: 94% of the respondents believed that technology had the potential to benefit learning and 85% thought it was central to their academic success. Students credited technology-enhanced courses with increased and more effective communication with instructors, the ability to better manage course activities and expanded opportunities for practice and reinforcement. Students’ prior experiences with a course management system affected their perceptions of the role of technology and their subsequent beliefs about the benefits of its use in their university courses. Implications for administrators who make decisions about faculty development, student retention and funding for technology-enhanced course offerings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Now that most of the innovators and early adopters of online instruction are comfortably teaching online, many institutions are facing challenges as they prepare the next wave of online instructors. This research study examines how faculty in this “next wave” (the majority of adopters) differ from the innovators and early adopters of online instruction. A specific online course development program is described and the experiences of the “majority” in the program are examined in relation to the experiences of previous participants (the innovators and early adopters). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]