Effects of preventative measures and interventions on faculty burnout in the online teaching environment

ABSTRACT

Background: Online education is a concept that has been rapidly evolving. The perceptions of online education have been negative by the majority of face-to-face instructors. However, technological advancements have created opportunities to expand in the online education sector. The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on how unprepared institutions are to transition to online education. As a result, occupational stressors have had a negative impact on online faculty. Educators' burnout rates have almost doubled since the start of the pandemic. While burnout is a known problem in the teaching profession, the effects of burnout in online education are not clear. The purpose of this literature review was to research potential preventative measures and interventions against burnout for faculty teaching in online education. Methods: The review of the literature addressed the following topics a) the negative effects of faculty burnout, (b) online stressors that increase the risk of faculty burnout in the online environment, and (c) preventative measures and interventions to combat faculty burnout outcomes. Results: A literature review demonstrates that implementing preventative strategies and interventions against faculty burnout in online education is necessary to maintain faculty health and job performance. Most importantly, yoga, physical activity, positive coping strategies, and social support systems effectively mitigate burnout symptomology for faculty. Conclusion: Preventative measures and interventions play a valuable role in reducing burnout symptomologies such as high emotion exhaustion, high depersonalization, and low personal achievement for faculty. Future research is warranted to assess how effective these preventative measures and interventions are for faculty in online education. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)