During the past several years an increase in use of Course Management Systems (CMS) in higher education’s instructional infrastructure had been witnessed (Morgan, 2003). As a result, increased online education placed an emphasis on CMS because CMS were able to provide information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Faculty, staff, and students were increasingly dependent on information and learning services provided by the colleges and universities (Carey & Gleason, 2006). The flexibility provided by the CMS had led campus faculty, staff, and students to expect continuous availability in campus systems (Carey & Gleason, 2006). This study examined faculty perceptions of a course management system used to enhance teaching and learning. Faculty members’ perceived motivation reasons and barriers were analyzed in this study using descriptive statistics. The important motivation reasons for using a course management system were to provide course information, augment student learning, and provide diverse teaching methods. In addition, the study revealed that faculty members were satisfied with institutional support in terms of training and technical support but not rewards received. Demographic variables (gender, age, faculty tenure status, faculty rank, college of teaching, location of course delivery, and time spent per week preparing materials) were examined to see if there were differences in faculty members’ perceived satisfaction of pedagogical effectiveness. An online survey was sent to 300 faculty members who used CMS in their academic courses at Mississippi State University. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the survey data. The results revealed that the majority of faculty used CMS primarily to: (a) distribute information to students, (b) augment student learning and (c) provide diverse teaching methods. In terms of strengths and weaknesses of a CMS some faculty members thought the tools were complicated to use while others thought it was easy to use. Overall, the majority of faculty thought that CMS was a great way to communicate with students. Faculty also thought that lack of time played a role in their ability to use CMS effectively.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:MSSTATE/oai:scholarsjunction.msstate.edu:td-4482 |
| Date | 12 May 2012 |
| Creators | Logan, Kimberley LaSha |
| Publisher | Scholars Junction |
| Source Sets | Mississippi State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Theses and Dissertations |
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