Pedagogy, Course Design, and Student Engagement: Instructor Preparations for Teaching in the Correctional Environment

Existing research consistently provides evidence for the success associated with incarcerated student participation in higher education in prison programs. In consideration of the benefits of these programs, instructors who teach for higher education in prison programs are one of the primary links between the institutions of education and corrections and are therefore well-positioned to provide valuable insight into their experiences navigating the tensions at the intersection of the university operating in the correctional environment to shed light on the nature and quality of these programs. Through a multi-method approach including a survey (n = 156) and semi-structured interview (n = 41), this study explores how instructors prepare for offering a course for higher education in prison programs, which remains understudied in this line of research. Findings indicate that there remain substantial burdens on instructors and higher education in prison programs to continue to provide high-quality education in the correctional environment, as programs remain fragile and burdens are ever-changing across course offerings and semesters.