Online Professional Development Program Research Articles

How Does Online Professional Development Program Enriched with Collaborative Discussion Develop Teachers’ Noticing Skills?

How Does Online Professional Development Program Enriched with Collaborative Discussion Develop Teachers’ Noticing Skills?

Evaluating the effectiveness and implementation of an online professional development program for health professional educators: The case of Jimma University

The usage of virtual platforms for reforming teachers' continuous professional development (CPD) is becoming more and more necessary in contemporary higher education (HE) settings. For a comprehensive understanding of the implications of this strategy for CPD, research studies from various contexts are required. This study evaluated the effectiveness and implementation of a pilot online professional development (PD) package called the ‘higher diploma program (HDP)’ for health professional educators (HPEs) in the Ethiopian HE context. We used mixed methods in a Hybrid II design. Additionally, a comprehensive e-learning quality framework guided the overall research and integration of the qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative component includes a key-informant interview (KII) with facilitators, a program coordinator, and a single focus group discussion with HPEs. Additionally, the quantitative component includes a cross-sectional survey of the (HPEs’) responses to a self-report questionnaire. The findings show that this pilot project was feasible and well accepted by the HPEs, facilitators, and coordinators of the project. These participants also perceived several implementation challenges as weaknesses of the pilot project. Mitigating the prevailing challenges requires sustained and collaborative efforts by universities, the education and health sector, and other partner institutions. Our interpretations imply that customizing online PD in HE is, ultimately, a local phenomenon that results from individual motivation and interest, institutional capacity, and contextual factors like access to technology, the quality of online PD resources, and program management.

Real needs, tailored solutions: Developing customized online professional development programs for teachers—A case study

This instrumental case study explored 10 English as a foreign language (EFL) instructors’ perceptions and experiences of participating in an asynchronous online professional development (OPD) program. The study aimed to explore instructors’ professional development (PD) needs, the factors influencing their participation in OPD, and the perceived effective characteristics of the OPD program. Data gathered through individual interviews, reflective reports, and a focus group were analyzed using a reflective thematic analysis approach. The study revealed that the EFL instructors’ limited engagement in reflective practice and continuous PD could potentially result in overconfidence and a lack of awareness regarding their PD needs. Furthermore, the article highlights perceived effective characteristics of the OPD program: flexibility, collaboration, facilitation and organization, reflection, relevance, and practicality. Findings suggest that these characteristics not only contributed to its effectiveness but also promoted instructors’ participation and engagement in the OPD.

Who benefits and when? Understanding differential treatment effects of an online professional development program

The quality of educational experiences has a direct impact on children’s development and overall wellbeing. To ensure that children receive high-quality education experiences it is important that educators are trained in current best practices and feel efficacious in the implementation of these practices. Professional development (PD) has shown to be an effective mechanism for addressing educator knowledge and promoting feelings of self-efficacy. However, multiple barriers exist to delivering in-person PD (e.g., time and resource constraints). Online PD represents an attractive alternative for many educators, but the research on the effectiveness of online PD is mixed. The current study evaluates the effectiveness of a series of PD courses designed to promote positive youth development and identifies subgroups of educators who benefitted from the courses more than others. Results indicated improvement in feelings of self-efficacy around the implementation of practices to promote positive youth development, but new teachers in afterschool programs benefitted more than other educators.

THE EFFECTIVE USE OF VIRTUAL COMMUNICATION IN AN ONLINE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM: INVESTIGATING TEACHERS’ ATTITUDES

The coronavirus (COVID-19) is considered to be an external factor that affects teachers’ attitudes toward online professional development. Therefore, this study investigates the use of virtual communication in an online professional development program through the lens of teachers’ attitudes toward technology. This study was conducted in 15 schools across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the COVID-19 pandemic. A teacher training program called The Ta’alouf Inclusion Special Education, one of the initiatives of the Al Jalila Foundation (AJL), aimed to train teachers, promote inclusion, and support children with special educational needs and disabilities. Participants (teachers, school leaders, learning support assistants, social workers, and department heads) received 24 hours of virtual training sessions on numerous topics related to inclusive education and special educational needs and disabilities. A concurrent mixed-method approach was utilized to collect quantitative data from participants using an online survey and qualitative data using interviews. The study results reveal that the quarantine of COVID-19 did not affect teachers’ continued professional development. On the contrary, teachers felt the ease of using technology and the usefulness of the topics mentioned, which formed their positive attitudes toward using technology and led to their engagement and continuation of developing professionally either during or after the pandemic.

Preparation of preschool teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic: an online professional development program in STEM education

ABSTRACT Background This study investigated how an online professional development program (OPDPs) affected preschool teachers’ STEM teaching competence, what technological tools and materials they used during STEM education after the program, and what they thought about OPDPs. Purpose This study aimed to focus on all dimensions of the effects of OPDPs on the professional development of preschool teachers in STEM education Sample The sample consisted of 41 public or private school preschool teachers (33 women and eight men) with different experiences. Desıgn and method Participants were recruited using purposive criterion sampling. The study adopted a mixed embedded design. Quantitative data were analyzed using paired sample t-test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and effect size. The qualitative data were analyzed using inductive content analysis. Lesson plans were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results The program help participants develop the competence to deliver STEM classes. It also helped them positive attitudes toward OPDPs. After the program, participants used more tools and materials (technological materials, daily-life materials, computer-free coding materials, Lego sets, etc.) in their lectures. Recommendations were made based on the results.

Early childhood educator outcomes from online professional development for physical literacy: A randomised controlled trial

IntroductionEarly childhood is recognised as a critical window of opportunity for physical literacy development, however early childhood educators typically lack the training required to effectively provide appropriate physical literacy opportunities for children. We examined the effects of an online physical literacy professional development program—relative to continuing with ‘standard’ practice—on early childhood educators’ physical literacy knowledge and application. MethodsWe conducted a parallel two-arm randomised controlled trial, in which 88 early childhood educators were randomly assigned to an online professional development program designed to support educators’ physical literacy instructional skills (intervention arm; n = 37), or a ‘standard practice’ control condition (n = 51). Data were collected prior to and after the four-week intervention period. We measured educators’ physical literacy knowledge and application (our primary outcome) through independent coding of open-ended survey responses, and educators’ self-reported perceptions of values, confidence, behaviours, and barriers (secondary outcomes). Between-group differences were assessed through analysis of covariance. ResultsOne intervention arm participant withdrew from the study, resulting in 87 participants included in analysis. Educators in the intervention arm scored significantly higher on post-intervention physical literacy knowledge (d = 0.62) and application (d = 0.33) than those in the control arm. Educators in the intervention arm also scored significantly higher than controls on confidence in teaching physical activity (d = 0.42) and significantly lower than controls on perceived personal barriers to physical activity (d = 0.53). Thirteen participants in the intervention arm (36%) did not begin the online professional development program. ConclusionImprovements in physical literacy instructional outcomes indicate the potential for further investigation into broader implementation of online professional development programs of this nature in the future.

Expressed Willingness of STEM Teachers to Teach Engineering

Teaching engineering at the middle and high school levels has been a topic of discussion among scholars regarding the challenges it creates. One of the most critical challenges at the school level is identifying qualified teaching staff to lead engineering courses. The present study explored teachers’ willingness to lead an engineering course and the reasons behind their willingness or unwillingness to do so. The study involved 434 participants, who were enrolled in a STEM professional development program and were diverse regarding their teaching subjects, the grade levels they taught, and the locations of their schools in Turkey. In this mixed-methods study, researchers collected data at the beginning of an online professional development program. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively, while qualitative data were analyzed with a data-driven codebook. Almost two-thirds of the participants were keen to teach an engineering course, yet differences were observed according to the subjects they taught and their professional backgrounds. Most of the mathematics teachers, the group with the highest percentage of willingness, seemed to have a holistic approach towards engineering, with half emphasizing collaboration between teachers and engineers. The study provided further insights into how initial teacher training and continuous professional development programs can be structured based on teacher expectations and needs.

In Search of Belonging Online: Achieving Equity through Transformative Professional Development

Abstract Online classes hold the potential to expand college access to Black, Latino/a/x, Indigenous, and other students of color who must be supported to diversify the STEM workforce. Research shows that fostering belonging is key to the academic success of students from minoritized groups. However, online classes often lack interpersonal interactions and are often left out of research about the positive impacts of belonging. This paper summarizes an equity-focused STEM grant project that produced an openly-shared online professional development program, the Humanizing Online STEM Academy. Through the Academy, STEM faculty are introduced to a model of humanized online teaching that centers belonging as a way to address equity gaps. Participant survey responses present opportunities for future research about belonging in online courses.

Vietnamese teachers’ attitudes toward online professional development programs

In addition to the massive deployment of online learning among students worldwide, virtual training has also become a necessity to ensure the demand of teacher professional development. Exploring teachers’ attitudes toward online training programs helps educational stakeholders in understanding their expectations toward professional training modes, which positively contribute to boosting the effectiveness of career development programs. The present study sheds some light on Vietnamese English teachers’ attitudes toward online professional development programs. Twenty-five EFL teachers in Can Tho city Vietname took part in the research by providing answers to the questionnaire delivered using Google Form application; ten of them volunteered to attend further interview sections. The results of pair sample t-tests show that the English teachers preferred face-to-face to online training programs. In addition, the qualitative findings further revealed that they had no offense to online training mode, yet deny its sole implementation for all future professional development activities. Especially, most teachers approved the practice of online training in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, some of them started to acknowledge a blended teacher training program as they are relying in its affordances and accessibility. Considering the crucial role of development programs for teachers, the findings of this study contribute to providing input enhancement for teacher professional training stakeholders in Vietnam.

Teachers' Perspectives towards Online Professional Development Programs during the Period of COVID-19 Pandemic in the Saudi EFL Context

This study aimed to explore a group of teachers' perspectives on the effectiveness of online professional development programs in the Saudi English context. To achieve this main research objective, a five-point Likert scale with 21 items belonging to four essential dimensions was carried out on 537 English teachers using the snowball sampling method. The data was collected online through a Google Form-generated link. The study's findings revealed that English teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness of online professional development programs presented to them during the pandemic of Covid-19 were relatively high. No statistically significant differences were found due to gender, age, experience, or qualifications regarding teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness of online professional development programs. However, there were statistically significant differences in the efficiency of these programs between teachers who have attended these programs and those who have not in favour of the former. On the basis of these findings, limitations and recommendations were put forward.

Primary school teacher outcomes from online professional development for physical literacy: A randomised controlled trial

IntroductionPrimary (or elementary) school teachers are often relied upon to provide children with opportunities for physical literacy development; however, many of these teachers feel they lack the skills to effectively promote or ‘teach’ physical literacy. We examined the effects of an online physical literacy professional development program—relative to receiving widely-available online resources or continuing with ‘normal’ practice—on primary school teachers’ physical literacy knowledge and application. MethodsA parallel three-arm randomised controlled trial in which 92 primary school teachers were assigned to (a) an online professional development program designed to support teachers’ physical literacy instructional skills (‘intervention’), (b) receive widely-available online physical literacy resources (‘comparison’), or (c) a typical practice ‘control’ condition. Data were collected at baseline and following the four-week intervention period. The primary outcome was teachers’ physical literacy knowledge and application; secondary outcomes included teachers’ self-reported perceptions of confidence, values, and barriers. Between-group differences were assessed using the intention-to-treat principle with analysis of covariance accounting for demographic factors and baseline differences in the focal outcome. ResultsTeachers in the intervention arm scored significantly higher on post-intervention physical literacy knowledge and application than their counterparts in both the control (d = .47, p = .044) and comparison (d = 0.87, p = .007) arms. This pattern of differences was also observed for teachers’ value of physical literacy, autonomy support, and perceived personal barriers. ConclusionTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first adequately powered randomised controlled trial to demonstrate improvements in physical literacy instructional outcomes as a result of primary school teacher participation in targeted online professional development.

A Digital Petting Zoo of Learning Objects: An Online Professional Development Program to Support a Community of Practice among Employees at an Academic Library

This article provides a detailed description of a professional development initiative taking place in a fully online modality. The project sought to share asynchronous learning objects and support a community of practice around online instructional design. Beyond the practical and theoretical underpinnings of the initiative, the strategies employed to develop and deliver the project are explained. Additionally, detailed analysis of participation and lessons learned are presented that may be applied to relevant online professional development initiatives in other academic library settings.

Improving Literacy for Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: An Innovative Approach

Most students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) have significant reading difficulties, but educators have few in-service professional learning opportunities geared to reading instruction for these students. The Integrated Literacy Study Group was developed as an online professional development program to prepare elementary teachers to meet the literacy needs of students with or at risk of EBD. In this study, the authors use a within-subjects design to evaluate the feasibility of the 10-week digital program with 13 elementary teachers. From pretest to posttest, teachers made statistically and educationally significant gains in knowledge of evidence-based social and emotional learning and reading strategies for students with EBD, as well as significant improvements in general teacher self-efficacy, reading self-efficacy, and social and emotional self-efficacy. Pretest-to-posttest change in teacher burnout and classroom management was educationally significant, but statistically nonsignificant. Most teachers perceived the program content as relevant to their needs and those of their students.

Teaching home-visitors to support responsive caregiving: A cluster randomized controlled trial of an online professional development program in Brazil.

BackgroundHome-visiting programs are a common and effective public health approach to promoting parent and child well-being, including in low- and middle-income countries. The World Health Organization and UNICEF have identified responsive caregiving as one key component of the nurturing care children need to survive and thrive. Nonetheless, the importance of responsive caregiving and how to coach it is often overlooked in trainings for staff in home-visiting programs.MethodsTo determine whether it is possible to enhance home-visitors’ understanding of responsive caregiving and how to coach it, we conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial with 181 staff working in Brazil’s national home-visiting program. We used a computerized random number generator to randomly assign half of participants to take an online professional development course about responsive caregiving immediately and the other half to a waitlist. Individuals assessing outcome data were blind to group assignment.ResultsCompared to those in the control group (N = 90, both randomized and analyzed), participants assigned to take the course (N = 91, both randomized and analyzed) were more knowledgeable about responsivity (Cohen’s d = 0.64, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 0.34, 0.94) and its importance for children’s socioemotional (odds ratio (OR) = 1.88, 95% CI = 1.00, 3.50) and cognitive (OR = 2.57, 95% CI = 1.15, 5.71) development, better able to identify responsive parental behaviors in videotaped interactions (d = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.51, 2.21), and suggested more effective strategies for coaching parents on responsivity (d = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.21, 0.80) and tracking goal implementation (OR = 3.20, 95% CI = 1.28, 7.99). There were no significant changes in participants’ tendency to encourage goal setting and reflection, or their perspective-taking skills. Participants were very satisfied with the course content and mode of delivery and there was no drop-out from the program.ConclusionsA short, online professional development program created moderate to large improvements in home-visitors’ knowledge and intended coaching practices. This suggests that such programs are feasible, even in low-income and rural areas, and provide a low-cost, scalable option for possibly maximizing the impact of home-visiting programs – particularly with regard to parental responsivity, and in turn, child outcomes.

Keep Teaching: Leveraging Disruption as a Catalyst for Change

In response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the University of Maryland (UMD) Libraries quickly switched to online teaching and learning. This disruption created a chance for innovation, allowing the UMD Libraries to scale back nonessential functions and focus on improving mission-critical work. The authors present the teaching program at UMD Libraries as a case study for innovation under pressure, highlighting three areas: (1) redevelopment of the Fearless Teaching Institute, an online professional development program for library teachers; (2) transition of a fundamental program—the Academic Writing Program—from an in-person to an online learning environment; and (3) redesign of the Research and Teaching Fellowship, a teacher training program for master of library and information science (MLIS) students, all to better support online learning and pedagogy.

Ready Teacher One: Virtual and Augmented Reality Online Professional Development for K-12 School Teachers

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are two technologies with the potential to enhance learning quality by activating episodic student memory. In this manuscript we outline the pedagogical benefits of AR and VR as well as the rationale, design, development, and pilot evaluation results from an in-service teacher online professional development program (OPD) on AR and VR linked with research activities. More specifically, we examined the “Augmented and Virtual Reality in Teaching and Learning” OPD course aimed at K-12 educators in a European country combining pedagogically informed methods such as inquiry-based learning and digital storytelling. Findings from a mixed-method research using questionnaires and focus groups indicate that AR- and VR-based pedagogical scenarios can be integrated effectively into everyday school teaching practice. The study also outlines implications and limitations that policy makers, education leaders, and educators need to consider for efficient institution-wide deployment of AR and VR technologies.

AN OPEN ONLINE COURSE TO ENHANCE DIGITAL COMPETENCES OF TEACHERS

The purpose of this study was to design an online professional development program and evaluate the developed course in light of the implementation results. This course provided teachers with the opportunity to develop an ICT-enhanced lesson plan and apply it in their own classes. The current study was conducted using design-based research. Of the 171 teachers registered, 47 participated and 36 completed the full course and received certificates. The self-assessment of the 36 teachers on their ICT-enhanced classroom practices were used in the evaluation of the course. Second, teacher opinions were also solicited via the Teachers’ End-of-course Evaluation Questionnaire. Third, the course was evaluated using a rubric by the instructors. According to the results, the self-assessments of teachers on ICT-integration were high. The satisfaction of the teachers with the open online course was also very high, with 97% recommending the course. The course was evaluated as “exemplary” in terms of Learner Support & Resources, Online Organization & Design, and Instructional Design & Delivery categories, and as “effective” in the rubric’s Assessment & Evaluation of Student Learning, Innovative Teaching with Technology, and Faculty Use of Student Feedback categories. Future implementations could be revised by increasing interaction and feedback and providing additional implementation opportunities for the teachers.

Social Validity of an Early Intervention Online Professional Development Program

This article presents findings from an online early intervention orientation program developed to provide one state with an economical and systematic means for onboarding new early intervention providers, administrators, and service coordinators. The quantitative findings suggest the courses were a successful method of delivering training to participants, the courses were perceived to achieve their intended objectives, and the courses had high social validity in terms of ease of use and content of the courses. The qualitative findings revealed participants' plans for putting course content into practice. Findings suggest that online course delivery could be a viable and efficient means of providing early intervention orientation to a statewide network. The design of the courses and alignment with adult learning characteristics is discussed. Potential limitations and contributions to the field of early intervention are included.

Impacts of authentic assessment on the development of graduate attributes

ABSTRACT Authentic assessment activities are those that afford learners opportunities to practice finding solutions to real-world issues and challenges, so that upon graduation they are able to apply these skills to issues and challenges they will face in their workplaces. When learners are able to do this successfully, they are judged as job ready. However, ascertaining the impacts of authentic assessment activities upon the achievement of learning outcomes and the development of desirable graduate attributes is challenging. How can we know for certain that our assessment activities have had the desired impact? A possible pathway is to examine the impacts of authentic assessment activities on the development of graduate attributes. The study reported in this paper offers insights on how, and in which ways, the design of authentic assessment activities in an online professional development program for practitioners influenced the development of generic graduate attributes.