Higher education faculty concerns teaching in a hybrid environment: Implications for Chinese private higher education faculty developers and faculty

Abstract

Through a lens of cross-cultural collaboration and change theory, this study explored the concerns of higher education faculty from 11 private institutions in Shanghai, China who, with little to no training, were asked to develop and teach a hybrid course. Faculty taught a range of subjects. Using the stages of concern dimension of the concerns-based adoption model of change, results showed faculty were primarily concerned with learning more about hybrid teaching and learning. The greatest disparity between concerns of faculty groups (i.e., experience, content taught) was related to online teaching experience. It is recommended that prior to engaging higher education faculty in faculty development, consideration must be given to cultural norms and individual differences. Facilitators must get to know participants on a professional level and cultural level. The study implications extend to faculty development facilitators and to the way in which relationships are viewed in Chinese higher education.