Share Paper: Perceptions in Higher Education of Professional Learning Networks (PLNs)

1. Daniel G Krutka, Texas Woman's University, United States
2. Torrey Trust, University of Massachusetts Amherst, United States
3. Jeffrey Carpenter, Elon University, United States

Abstract: Many faculty members in higher education have turned to professional learning networks (PLNs) to take advantage of reduced temporal and spatial constraints in an effort to engage with colleagues. While we know that professors have cultivated PLNs, there is scant research about what PLNs mean to the professional lives of higher education professionals. This manuscript reports initial findings of a qualitative study in which we investigated PLN experiences through analysis of survey data from 151 higher education faculty members. While findings are similar in some regards to studies completed with K-12 teachers, data analysis suggested that higher education participants had ...