Instructor Experiences with Implementing Technology in Blended Learning Courses

Organizational leaders in institutions of higher education expect instructors to implement blended learning courses without understanding instructor experiences with technology. Requiring faculty to teach blended learning courses without fully understanding the experiences instructors had implementing technology may lead to developing inappropriate professional training programs, ineffective use of technology, or to instructor disuse of technology in the future. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research study was to explore the experiences instructors had implementing technology in blended learning courses in campus-based institutions of higher education worldwide. This qualitative phenomenological research study used a modified van Kaam method by Moustakas (1994) with in-depth, semi-structured interviews to explore the experiences instructors had implementing technology in blended learning courses. The analysis of the transcribed interviews revealed four themes: (a) facilitating instruction and learning, (b) frustrating, (c) satisfying and rewarding, and (d) socially connecting. The conclusions derived from the study suggest that learning about the experiences instructors had implementing technology in blended learning courses may guide educational leaders in providing support and in preparing professional development workshops on how to teach blended learning courses.