Professors and instructors' experiences with transitions and policies for the online environment

Abstract

Professors develop policies and procedures for their courses that are relevant and applicable for their classroom or learning platform. In particular, professors transitioning from a traditional to an online (synchronous or asynchronous) course delivery platform may adjust and/or design policies in their course outlines to fit each respective learning platform in which they teach. This thesis is a qualitative study based on interviews of professors at a certain mid-sized university. The study investigates professors’ policy decisions centering on their transition to an online modality and the challenges they face identifying and resolving problems with the existence or lack of online policies for students. Six professors were interviewed about their policy evolution and development emerging out of their recent transitions from the traditional to the online setting. Data include the interviews and review of the course outlines provided. The project report presents the policy development issues encountered as professors moved into the online setting and concludes with some recommendations based on these data.