Using the mTSES to Evaluate and Optimize mLearning Professional Development

Robert Leo Power,Whitney Kilgore,Dean Cristol,Belinda Gimbert,Robin Bartoletti

doi:10.19173/irrodl.v17i4.2459

Abstract

<p>The impact of targeted professional development activities on teachers’ perceptions of self-efficacy with mobile learning remains understudied. Power (2015a) used the Mobile Teacher’s Sense of Efficacy Scale (mTSES) survey instrument to measure the effects of a mobile learning themed professional development course on teachers’ confidence with and interest in mobile learning. The current study looks at changes in perceptions of self-efficacy amongst participants in another open course about mobile learning called <em>Instructional Design for Mobile Learning</em> (ID4ML), which took place from May 4 – June 6, 2015 (Power, Bartoletti &amp; Kilgore, 2015). The purpose of this study is to verify the reliability and construct validity of the mTSES instrument developed by Power (2015a, 2015b) and Power, Cristol and Gimbert (2014), and to explore trends in self-efficacy changes amongst a more diversified participant population. This paper reports on the findings from the analysis of data collected using the mTSES tool. The findings provide useful feedback on the impacts of participating in the ID4ML course. They also provide further support for the utility of the mTSES instrument as a measure of perceptions of self-efficacy with mobile learning. These findings point to the potential utility of the mTSES as a tool for both planning and evaluating mLearning professional development training for teachers.</p>

Highlights

Despite increasing calls for wider integration of mobile technologies into formal education, one of the most significant determinants of teachers’ willingness to adopt mobile learning strategies remains understudied (Kenny, Park, Van Neste-Kenny, & Burton, 2010)
The Mobile Teacher’s Sense of Efficacy Scale instrument was developed in an attempt to address the lack of mobile learning self-efficacy research (Power et al, 2014; Power, 2015a, 2015b)
The Mobile Teacher’s Sense of Efficacy Scale (mTSES) tool revealed that participants from the ID4ML Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) showed increases only in their levels of confidence with their abilities to use mobile learning to improve student engagement

Summary

Introduction

Despite increasing calls for wider integration of mobile technologies into formal education, one of the most significant determinants of teachers’ willingness to adopt mobile learning strategies remains understudied (Kenny, Park, Van Neste-Kenny, & Burton, 2010). This study examined changes in participants’ perceptions of self-efficacy after participating in a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) called Instructional Design for Mobile Learning (ID4ML) (Power, Bartoletti, & Kilgore, 2015). The results of this study demonstrate the utility of the mTSES instrument as a tool for assessing the effectiveness of mobile learning focused professional development They highlight the potential for the mTSES to be used by professional development planners to design training to meet the specific needs of target audiences. Teachers’ adoption of new instructional technologies and pedagogical strategies is influenced by confidence in their ability to do so effectively This perception of confidence is referred to as a teacher’s sense of self-efficacy by Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk Hoy (2001a), who defined it as “a judgement of... Addressing perceptions of self-efficacy appear crucial in any effort to increase the adoption of new techniques and technologies

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Results

Discussion

Conclusion