Exploring Health Science Faculty Perceptions Regarding Their Readiness to Teach Online

Area of Science:

• Health professions education
• Online learning pedagogy
• Instructional technology

Background:

• Online learning is increasingly prevalent in higher education.
• Health science faculty have not fully adopted online teaching methods.
• Instructional technology offers innovative ways to deliver learning materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate health science faculty perceptions of their readiness to teach online.
• To identify specific faculty attitudes towards online teaching competencies.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods design with a sequential explanatory framework was utilized.
• The Faculty Readiness to Teach Online (FRTO) instrument assessed faculty attitudes and perceived competencies.
• Data collection focused on faculty perceptions of their ability to teach in an online environment.

Main Results:

• Health science faculty reported limited formal training in online instruction.
• Significant differences were observed in faculty perceptions regarding critical remote instruction competencies.
• Attitudes towards online teaching readiness varied among participants.

Conclusions:

• Findings highlight the urgent need for specialized online instruction training for health science faculty.
• Addressing these training needs is crucial for effective and meaningful engagement of adult learners in online health science programs.
• Professional development should focus on identified competency gaps to support future online education initiatives.