Prepared by Badrul H. Khan, Ph.D.

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Advances in information technology, coupled with changes in society, have had a tremendous impact on our educational systems. Participants in this educational and training paradigm require rich learning environments supported by well designed teaching and learning resources. Both human and technological resources are critical to support flexibility in learning. To provide increased flexibility in learning for students, the majority of faculty members in various academic institutions are enticed into teaching in blended and online environments.

No one single learning delivery method is capable of supporting the kind of flexibility that learners need. Therefore, a mix of traditional and new learning approaches and technology should be appropriately utilized for flexible learning. Faculty should use a blend of learning approaches in our strategies to get the right content in the right format to the right people at the right time. Blended learning combines multiple delivery media that are designed to complement each other and promote flexibility in learning. It mixes various event-based activities, including face-to-face classrooms, live e-learning, and self-paced learning.

To stay connected in the emerging technology based teaching, faculty should be familiar with what works and what doesn't in the blended learning format. Blended learning in an open and distributed learning is challenging. A new set of skills needed (by faculty) to teach in this new open and distributed learning environment. These skills not limited to only in pedagogical strategies, but many more. But what does it take for faculty to have successful e learning experience?" After communicating with learners, instructors, trainers, administrators, and technical and other support services staff involved in e learning and blended learning, Khan (Source: Managing e learning: Design, delivery, implementation and evaluation. Hershey, PA: Information Science Publishing) found that each stakeholder group has its own set of issues and concerns about e-learning and he clusters these issues into eight categories to develop A Framework for E Learning: institutional, pedagogical, technological, interface design, evaluation, management, resource support, and ethical.

A successful faculty development program for open and distributed learning blended with face to face classes should address issues encompassing the eight categories of blended learning environments. Evolve uses a Faculty Development Model or FD model (see Figure 1) based on the E Learning Framework to assist faculty in staying current with technological change and issues critical to teaching in the information society.


Figure 1: Evolve's Faculty Development Model

The purpose of the FD Model is to help us think through every aspect of what we should be doing for various dimensions of a blended learning environment. Table 1 provides the description of the eight categories of the FD Model.

Categories or Dimensions	Descriptions
Institutional	The institutional category is concerned with issues of administrative affairs, academic affairs, and student services related to e-learning.
Management	The management of e-learning refers to the maintenance of the learning environment and distribution of information.
Technological	The technological category examines issues of technology infrastructure in e-learning environments. This includes infrastructure planning, hardware, and software.
Pedagogical	The pedagogical category refers to teaching and learning. This category addresses issues concerning content analysis, audience analysis, goal analysis, medium analysis, design approach, organization, and learning strategies.
Ethical	The ethical considerations of e-learning relate to social and political influences, cultural diversity, bias, geographical diversity, learner diversity, the digital divide, etiquette, and legal issues.
Interface design	Interface design refers to the overall look and feel of e-learning programs. Interface design categories encompass page and site design, content design, navigation, accessibility, and usability testing.
Resource support	The resource support category examines the online support and resources required to foster meaningful learning.
Evaluation	The evaluation of e-learning includes both assessment of learners and evaluation of the instruction and learning environment.

Table 1. Description of the eight categories of the FD Model

It is important to address issues encompassing the eight dimensions of the model. No matter whether we develop supplemental materials for a face to face course or create a stand alone online course, we should become familiar with skills and knowledge needed in each category to be successful in online teaching.