Information and digital literacy in education via the digital path

Recent findings indicate that higher education enrollment is being outpaced by online enrollments while overall enrollment in higher education has declined over the last three years (Betts, 2017). Data analyzed from the U.S. Department of Education confirm that enrollment in online courses in higher education has more than tripled in the years from 2002 to 2014: 2002, 1.6 million; 2014, 5.8 million (Poulin & Straut, 2016).

Parallel to the growth of online learning, non-tenure track positions now comprise about three out of four appointments in higher education and half of these are part-time assignments (Morris, 2016). Challenges face higher education institutions when online programs reflect a significant percentage of part-time faculty. If a high rate of turnover exists, the cost of replacement can be substantial. Therefore, it is in the best interest of the institution to retain adjunct online faculty by searching for solutions (Reed, 2015).

Classroom Assessment Techniques, or CATs, are simple ways to evaluate students’ understanding of key concepts before they get to the weekly, unit, or other summative-type assessment (Angelo & Cross, 1993). CATs were first made popular in the face-to-face teaching environment by Angelo and Cross as a way to allow teachers to better understand what their students were learning and how improvements might be made in real time during the course of instruction. But the same principle can apply to online teaching as well.

Teaching brings moments when class discussions seem to take on lives of their own. Students lean forward, with several of them raising their hands to participate. You, the instructor, race to keep up, excited that everyone is so engaged. You are negotiating