MOVING FROM THE CLASSROOM TO THE KEYBOARD: HOW SEVEN TEACHERS CREATED THEIR ONLINE TEACHER IDENTITIES

Teacher identity is defined as a sense of teacher self that results from a productive combination of key personal and professional subjectivities or beliefs [1]. Much research has been done on the development of teacher identity in the K-12 arena, with some on instructors at the college level [5], yet no research to date has looked at how instructors at the college level who are teaching online develop their online instructor identity. The purpose of this interview-based, qualitative study is to understand the experience of first time online instructors and how they develop their online teacher identity. Recommendations are made for effective preparation of online instructors.