Abstracts
Abstract
Although the number of online academic degree programs offered by universities in Turkey has become increasingly significant in recent years, the current lack of understanding of administrators’ motives that contribute to initiating these programs suggests there is much to be learned in this field. This study aimed to investigate administrators’ perceptions of motives for offering online academic degree programs in universities in Turkey in terms of online associate degree programs, online master's degree programs, online bachelor's degree completion programs, and online bachelor's degree programs. A qualitative research method was employed for this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 administrators from different universities’ distance education centers in Turkey and thematic analysis was applied to the data. The research found that administrators’ motives for offering online academic degree programs mainly involve in answering to the high demand of prospective students. Six major themes were identified with regard to influencing factors for administrators’ motives: demands for programs, mission to support education, readiness of infrastructure, teaching staff as well as applicability of content, overcoming the shortage of classroom space and teachers, obtaining revenue, and gaining prestige.
Keywords:
- motives,
- distance education,
- online academic degree programs,
- administrators
Download the article in PDF to read it.
Download
Appendices
Bibliography
- Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2015). Grade level: Tracking online education in the United States. Babson Survey Research Group. Retrieved from http://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/gradelevel.pdf
- Bates, A.W. (2000). Managing technological change: Strategies for college and university leaders. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
- Betts, K.S. (1998). An institutional overview: Factors influencing faculty participation in distance education in postsecondary education in the United States: An institutional study. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 1(3). Retrieved from http://www.westga.edu/~distance/betts13.html
- Bonk, C. (2001). Online teaching in an online world. Bloomington, IN: CourseShare.com. Retrieved from http://publicationshare.worldisopen.com/docs/faculty_survey_report.pdf
- Çakır, R. & Yildirim S. (2006). Are computer teachers trained for the teaching profession? An assessment of a computer teacher training program. Education and Science, 31(142), 35-44.
- Casares, J., Dickson, D. A., Hannigan, T., Hinton, J., & Phelps, A. (2012). The future of teaching and learning in higher education. Retrieved from https://www.rit.edu/academicaffairs/sites/rit.edu.academicaffairs/files/docs/future_of_teaching_and_learning_reportv13.pdf
- Center for Student Selection and Assignment. (2016). Guidebook for higher education programs and quotas. Retrieved from http://dokuman.osym.gov.tr/pdfdokuman/2016/LYS/TERCIH/OSYSKONTKILAVUZU01082016.pdf
- Distance Education Accrediting Commission. (2017). Directory of accredited institutions. Retrieved from https://www.deac.org/Student-Center/Directory-Of-Accredited-Institutions.aspx
- Dooley, K. E., & Murphrey, T. P. (2000). How the perspectives of administrators, faculty and support units impact the rate of distance education adoption. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 3(4). Retrieved from https://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/winter34/dooley34.html
- Engin, M. (2013). Investıgatıon of creation, application and management processes of technology-based distance educatıon systems at universities (Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Ankara University, Turkey).
- Harris, D. A., & Krousgrill, C. (2008). Distance education: New technologies and new directions. Proceedings of the IEEE, 96(6), 917-930. doi: 10.1109/JPROC.2008.921612
- Higher Education Counsel. (2016). Öğrenci sayıları özet tablosu [Summary table of number of students; online document]. Retrieved from https://istatistik.yok.gov.tr/yuksekogretimIstatistikleri/2016/2016_T1.pdf
- Jarvis, P. (2007). Globalization, Lifelong learning and the learning society: Sociological perspectives (Vol. 2). London: Routledge.
- Johnson, L., Smith, R., Willis, H., Levine, A., & Haywood, K. (2011). The 2011 Horizon Report. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium. Retrieved from https://www.nmc.org/system/files/pubs/1316814265/2011-Horizon-Report(2).pdf
- Latchem, C., Özkul, A.E., Aydin, C.H., & Mutlu, M.E. (2006) The open education system, Anadolu University, Turkey: e-transformation in a mega-university. Open Learning, 21(3), 221-235. Retrieved from http://ocw.metu.edu.tr/file.php/118/Week10/Lathchem_open-learning-AOF-2006.pdf
- Latchem, C., Simsek, N., Cakir, O., Torkul, O., Cedimoglu, I., & Altunkopru, A. (2009). Are we there yet? A progress report from three Turkish university pioneers in distance education and e-learning. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 10(2). Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/686/1220
- McKenzie, B.K., Mims, N., Bennett, E.K., & Waugh, M. (2000). Needs, concerns, and practices of online instructors. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 3(3). Retrieved from http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/fall33/mckenzie33.html
- Panda, S., & Mishra, S. (2007). E‐learning in a mega Open University: Faculty attitude, barriers and motivators. Educational Media International, 44(4), 323-338.
- Rockwell, S.K., Schauer, J., Fritz, S.M., & Marx, D.B. (1999). Incentives and obstacles influencing higher education faculty and administrators to teach via distance. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 2(3). Retrieved from http://www.westga.edu/~distance/rockwell24.html
- Schifter, C. (2002). Perception differences about participating in distance education. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 5(1).
- Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., & Zvacek, S. (2015). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (6th ed.) Charlotte, NC: Information Age.
- Snyder, T. D., & Dillow, S. A. (2015). Digest of education statistics, 2013. National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, D.C. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED556349.pdf
- Varol, A. (2002, September). YÖK enformatik milli komitesi'nin misyonu [The Mission of the national ınformatics committee]. In Bilişim, Bildiriler Kitabı (pp. 245-251). Istanbul, Retrieved from http://www.asafvarol.com/makaleler/dorduncubolum33.pdf
- Varol, A. (2010, April). Distance education studies of firat university. 10th International Educational Technology Conference & Exhibition, Proceeedings CD, Istanbul, Turkey. Retrieved from http://asafvarol.com/makaleler/ikincibolum15.pdf