Abstract
Teachers’ Professional Development Massive Open Online Courses (TPD-MOOCs) are a new form of MOOCs and have influenced an intense research interest. This study reports on the design and implementation of a TPD-MOOC which utilizes digital educational content and Open Educational Recourses (OER) and supports in-service elementary school teachers to enhance their self-efficacy beliefs. In the design framework we take into consideration the findings of previous research and the educational needs of the participants. We conducted an experimental design research and compared the teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs before and after their participation in a TPD-MOOC. A total of 251 teachers enrolled in this course and 142 of them completed it. We used quantitative data to measure the enhancement of teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and the effectiveness of the course. The results provide evidence that our TPD-MOOC improved in service elementary school teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs in teaching biological concepts. Recommendations are made for future research.
Highlights
Constant scientific, social and technological changes affected, among other fields, education, making knowledge acquired by in-service teachers during their university education insufficient
This study reports on the design and implementation of a teachers’ professional development (TPD)-MOOC which utilizes digital educational content and Open Educational Recourses (OER) and supports in-service elementary school teachers to enhance their self-efficacy beliefs
Regarding the dependent samples non-parametric Wilcoxon tests did not reveal statistically significant differences in mean scores for Personal Biological Teaching Efficacy Belief (PBTE) (z = −1.65, p > .05, r = .18) and Biological Teaching Outcome Expectancy (BTOE) (z = −.66, p > .05, r = .07) in the group of teachers who did not participate in the MOOC and simultaneously the effect sizes were very small (Table 5)
Summary
Social and technological changes affected, among other fields, education, making knowledge acquired by in-service teachers during their university education insufficient. A new role of Tzovla et al / Contemporary Educational Technology, 2021, 13(4), ep324 teacher emerges, that of the lifelong learner who is called upon to be developed professionally to keep up with changes and being able to participate in redesigned learning environments (Kedraka, 2008). The evolution of online learning environments could support professional development programs and reform education. In this regard some start-ups such as Coursera and Udacity in USA, a great number of initiatives in European level such as FutureLearn, European Schoolnet Academy and some others in international level such as XuetangX gave opportunities to those interested to participate in flexible courses for free, which are known as MOOCs (Massive Open Online Course). Apart from these, new forms have emerged, combining features of cMOOCs and xMOOCs and offering several choices in different areas (Bruff et al, 2013)
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