Online Language Teacher Education: Practices and Possibilities

Abstract

Along with the expansion of computer technologies in education, an increasing number of academic degrees and professional development credentials in second-language (L2) education are offered online. Despite the rapid growth in the number of online language teacher education (OLTE) programmes, there is still a dearth of research about OLTE and its implementation and efficacy. We thus aim to critically review emerging patterns surrounding OLTE programmes and to contribute to promoting the efficacy of these programmes. This review is based on a synthesis of the existing literature on OLTE and of supplementary studies of other related areas, such as computer-assisted language learning and computer-mediated communication. We discuss the purposes, learning experiences, and evaluations of OLTE programmes with the aim of developing L2 teachers through collaborative, reflective, and experiential learning. This discussion illuminates critical issues and possibilities that emerge at the programmatic and pedagogical levels of OLTE. We further identify the challenges unique to OLTE programmes as a future research agenda.