Adapting to a Virtual Learning Environment

Authors

Winston H. Maddox, Antioch University - PhD Program in Leadership and ChangeFollow

Images

Winston H. Maddox, Ph.D. is a 2015 graduate of the PhD Program in Leadership and Change at Antioch University.

Dr. Winston Maddox [left] at his Dissertation Defense, March 2015 with Committee Chair, Dr. Jon Wergin [center] and Committee Member, Dr. Elizabeth Holloway [right].

Dissertation Committee:

• Jon Wergin, Ph.D., Committee Chair
• Elizabeth Holloway, Ph.D., Committee Member
• Marcus Tillery, Ph.D., Committee Member

This Dissertation is accompanied by 22 MP4 Videos, accessible at the bottom of this page.

Keywords

higher education, community colleges, online teaching, professors, college teachers, pedagogy, virtual learning, PAR, participatory action research, disorienting dilemmas, progressive transformation, paradigm shifts, leadership, change

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2015

Abstract

This participatory action research (PAR) dissertation examines the experiences of five experienced faculty transitioning from teaching in a traditional classroom to a virtual learning environment. The research participants used technology to deliver course material and reflected on the changes in their pedagogical practice. Data were collected using four phased sessions, including the completion of interview questions, individual interview video sessions, and group video sessions and the review of participant video validation postings. Research participants used journaling to reflect on their values, beliefs, assumptions, and experiences associated with teaching and learning. Research participants teaching in virtual learning environments were provided an avenue to develop an understanding of previous encounters with technology, attitudes toward technology, and the relationship they envisioned for the use of technology in their classrooms. The study concluded with the development of an “Introduction to Online Teaching for Experienced Faculty Workshop.” The results of this dissertation substantiated that faculty experience various disorienting dilemmas that correlate with a progressive transformation, resulting in at least one case in a paradigm shift. The study also highlights the faculty participants’ concerns, issues, and perspectives of positivist versus constructivist teaching styles as a function of their participation. This dissertation is accompanied by 22 MP4 videos of the participants in this study (see List of Supplemental Files). This dissertation is available in open access in AURA http:/aura.antioch.edu and OhioLink ETD Center, www.ohiolink.edu/etd

Comments

Winston H. Maddox, Ph.D.

Winston H. Maddox is the Dean of Business and Technology at Mercer County Community College in West Windsor, New Jersey. He is a also a full professor in the Computer Information Technology Department. He received his B.A. from the University of Hartford, M.A. from Bowling Green State University, and Ph.D. from Antioch University. Dr. Maddox is also a full professor in the Computer Information Technology department.

Dr. Maddox has over twenty years of corporate experience having worked at Digital Equipment Corporation, now Hewlett Packard, and at the General Electric Corporation. He has developed an extensive background and knowledge in the management of computer information systems and the effect technology has on older individuals. He currently resides in New Jersey with his wife Sheila and their two children.

ORCID ID 0000-0003-2000-4618

Recommended Citation

Maddox, W. H. (2015). Adapting to a Virtual Learning Environment. https://aura.antioch.edu/etds/197