15003

15003

General Session - Conference Presentation and Interactive Activity Only (45 minutes, no formal paper)

Cathy Taylor, Park University, Parkville, Missouri, USA, ctaylor@park.edu Henry Roehrich, Park University, Parkville, Missouri, USA, henry.roehrich@hotmail.com Julie Grabanski, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA, julie.grabanski@med.und.edu Jutta Catharine Pegues, Park University, Missouri, USA, Jutta.pegues@park.edu
 * External Factors that Impact Online Instructor Performance **

In the field of higher education, online instructor evaluators are faced with many challenges when conducting and completing annual evaluations for adjunct faculty members. The evaluation process is detailed and requires the execution of technical skills in which the decision made by the evaluator is organized, initiated, controlled and executed (Abemethy, 1996). The position of online instructor evaluator requires the ability to make fast and accurate decisions, which is considered as important as executing skills proficiently (Franks, Wiberg, & Fishburne, 1982). One of the challenges for an evaluator can be decision fatigue. A large number of options in the evaluation process can contribute to decision fatigue, and, accordingly, the evaluator may not consider all of the options that are available. This could negatively impact the review. The research explores the effect of external factors such as decision fatigue and Quality Matters™ recognition of course design on instructor evaluations and addresses possible solutions. The presenters include two online instructor evaluators for a private, nonprofit university and have extensive experience in faculty evaluation. The third presenter is a faculty member at a state university and has extensive experience in faculty and clinical evaluations. Abernethy, B. (1996). Training the visual-perceptual skills of athletes: Insights from the study of motor expertise. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 24, S89 – S92. Franks, I. M., Wilberg, R. B., & Fishburne, G. (1982). The process of decision making: An application to team games. Coaching Science Update, 12 – 16.

//Interactivity //

The presentation will be accompanied by PowerPoint slides. Audience participation will be highly encouraged through polling and discussions in the text messaging area. Audience members will be offered the opportunity to share personal knowledge and information about practices at their own universities. Questions for thought and interaction will be asked of the audience at various points in the presentation.

All Audiences Online Evaluation