Dissertation Abstract

Creating Integrated Facilities: Community College Radiologic Technology Faculty Attitudes Towards Instructional Technology, Distance Education, and Continuing Professional Education

Community colleges espouse the mission of providing services to their external constituents; external constituents refer to any individuals who want to or need to participate in educational activities.

Some community colleges are already discovering innovative ways to offer educational activities to their constituents. One method of delivery that is gaining notoriety is distance education. Distance education results in the combining of two or more institutions; the resultant partnership may be referred to as integrated facilities.

Integrated facilities must be accepted by the community college faculty, and in this case, the Radiologic Technology faculty in order to provide area hospital radiographers with continuing professional education. The acceptance of integrated facilities by faculty members may be hampered if they do not have favorable attitudes towards instructional technology, distance education, and continuing professional education. Therefore, this research profiles the demographic characteristics of community college Radiologic Technology faculty nationwide as well as their attitudes towards instructional technology, distance education, and continuing professional education.

This research also provides data concerning the existence of integrated facilities as well as to what extent and by what means Radiologic Technology faculty offer continuing professional education to area radiographers. In addition, factual information regarding the use and knowledge of instructional technologies is presented, as well as information regarding institutional training and support for using instructional technologies and participating in the provision of distance education programs.

The survey method of research was unplemented to gather the necessary data. The results revealed significant differences between the genders relative to attitudes concerning the purpose of, participation in, and the offering of continuing professional education.

In addition, even though the existence of integrated facilities was not widespread, a majority of the respondents indicated that their departments do offer some form of continuing professional education to area radiographers.

Lastly, a majority of respondents also indicated that institutional support and training for using instructional technologies and distance education was less than adequate.

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