Exploring Faculty Agency in Open Education: A Qualitative Study

Instructors are motivated to pursue open education for a variety of reasons, but their ultimate ability to do so is dictated by the extent of their professional agency. This qualitative study explores First Year Writing instructors’ ability to actively shape their work environment at the individual, organizational, and societal levels, as described by O’Meara et al (2011). The researchers’ thematic exploration of in-depth interview transcripts uncovered a variety of faculty agency influences and outcomes, revealing contextual conditions that may be especially effective in encouraging open educational practices among faculty in a wide variety of disciplines.