Abstract: The blended learning (BL) approach provides an efficient and effective instructional experience. However, adopting BL poses some challenge to faculty; the most important obstacle found in this research is faculty’s lack of knowledge regarding the use of technology in their teaching. This challenge prompted the researchers to develop a solution to address this problem by improving faculty’s ability to use of technology in teaching. A systematic Learning Management System (LMS) Process Improvement Model, named Opening, Analyzing, Stimulation, and Achieving Processes (OASA), is proposed that enables educational institutions to establish a well-designed, effective faculty development program for BL teaching and learning. OASA is structured into five levels. Transformation from the lower to the higher levels of capability in BL teaching and learning is based on prescribed processes intended to provide a new foundation of practices. The conceptualization of OASA was demonstrated by means of a prototype with scope focusing on enhancing faculty’s level of capability from Level Two to Level Three. The research has been validated using various validation strategies. The main finding is that OASA is a well-founded approach that can help educational institutions overcome challenges related to faculty’s lack of knowledge in using technology in teaching. This study found that adopting OASA would make faculty development processes more understandable, give faculty a starting point for BL pedagogy, keep faculty focused on tasks, and show a process of BL improvement until faculty achieve best practices. In addition, the main contribution is that OASA expands the BL body of knowledge, generalizing a solution for problems relating to faculty’s lack of knowledge about technology, and demonstrating the proposed solution by means of a Blackboard based prototype of BL course.

Keywords: Blended learning, Higher Education, Process Improvement, Capability Ma, Capability Maturity, Faculty Development, Higher Education, process improvement

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Recommended Citation: Badawood, A., Steenkamp, A. (2013). A Systematic Approach to Faculty Development Towards Improved Capability in Tertiary Teaching in a Blended Learning Environment. Information Systems Education Journal, 11(3) pp 101-114. http://isedj.org/2013-11/ ISSN: 1545-679X. (A preliminary version appears in The Proceedings of ISECON 2012)