Institutional Resources and Systemic Approaches to Support Higher Education Faculty Preparedness to Teach in an Online and Hybrid Modality

Date of Award

Summer 2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership (EdD)

Committee Chair

Donis Toler

Committee Member

Crissie Jameson

Committee Member

Blake Renner

Abstract

The expansion of online and hybrid learning has accelerated dramatically since the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than half of college students enrolled in distance education courses by 2023, yet many faculty members remain underprepared to teach effectively in these modalities. Community colleges face particular challenges given their reliance on adjunct faculty and limited research examining how institutional resources shape faculty readiness in two-year settings. This qualitative descriptive study examined how faculty at a large Midwestern community college described their preparedness to teach in online and hybrid modalities in relation to institutional technologies, support, training, and resources. Guided by Bandura's self-efficacy theory, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 faculty participants and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three themes emerged: (1) preparedness as a developmental practice built through experience, practical professional learning, and adequate time and compensation; (2) institutional systems as mediators of readiness through human support networks, reliable technologies, and coordinated change management; and (3) assessment and quality as ongoing constraints shaped by academic integrity concerns, course standardization, and uneven quality-assurance implementation. These findings suggest that colleges can strengthen faculty preparedness by coordinating support services, providing model-based professional development, and offering clearer guidance on assessment integrity and quality expectations.

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