Experiences and perspectives of online community college faculty

Abstract

Online courses and programs have become prevalent in higher education, and since the COVID-19 pandemic, community colleges have seen a spike in online learning interest. Using a basic qualitative design, this study explored the experiences of nine full-time community college faculty who taught solely online through semi-structured interviews. Findings uncovered that participants described their experience as challenging yet fulfilling, navigating the complexities of fully online instruction while finding deep fulfillment in serving non-traditional learners. Participants affirmed and expanded on essential competencies for effective online teaching and expressed their desires for greater institutional support. Interpreted through Tamim's (2020) systems model, Moore's (1997) theory of transactional distance, and the Community of Inquiry framework (Garrison et al., 1999), the findings reveal that the quality of online community college teaching is shaped by how well institutions support faculty in sustaining presence, developing their practice, and leaning into the human capacities that no technology can replace. The findings contribute to the understanding of online faculty workload and institutional support in the community college context, with particular implications for institutional leadership, instructional design and educational technology support, and faculty professional development.