Identifying Mentoring Support for Tenure-Seeking Faculty in Online Programs

by Yvonne Earnshaw, Ph.D. & Mary Ann Bodine Al-Sharif, Ph.D.

Yvonne Earnshaw, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Instructional Design and Technology in the School of Instructional Technology and Innovation within the Bagwell College of Education at Kennesaw State University. Dr. Earnshaw has an extensive industry background in technical writing, instructional design, and usability consulting. Her research interests include learning experience design, online teaching and learning practices in higher education, and workplace preparation of instructional designers.

Mary Ann Bodine Al-Sharif, Ph.D., currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Higher Education in the School of Education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She has worked for more than 15 years in higher education as both a faculty member and student affairs and services administrator. As a researcher, she focuses on student identity development, international and global education, and issues of social justice and advocacy within higher education.

In this session, we will present the findings from our study using CDA related to mentoring needs of online tenure-seeking faculty. The problem we seek to address for online tenure-seeking faculty is the lack of understanding related to the types of support through mentorship that would best meet their needs. Our findings suggest that online tenure-seeking faculty discussed support in three ways: non-existent where needed, lack of awareness, and in/sufficiently present.