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ONLINE VS. FACE-TO-FACE: EDUCATOR OPINIONS ON PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DELIVERY METHODSBY TERESA SCRUGGS THOMAS
Tamar Avineri EMS 792x
Focus and Purpose of Study
Identify and analyze perceptions of online professional development (PD) instructors and participants regarding online PD and its effectiveness as a PD
delivery model
“Effectiveness”
True measure of effectiveness is how PD impacts student learning
Thomas’s study measured “effectiveness” based on Instructor and participant perceptions Sustainability Collaborative environment Facilitation of networking Design
Motivation for Research
Could online PD offer an effective method of delivery for professionals with limited time, funding and options for PD?
Contribute to literature on online PD, as it is limited in availability
Research Questions
1. Is there a difference in the study participants' perceptions of the effectiveness of online professional development based on teaching experience or number of OPD courses taken?
2. Is there a difference in the study participants' preference of a professional development model based on teaching experience or number of OPD courses taken?
Research Questions (cont’d)
3. Is there a difference in the study participants' perceptions of changes in their teaching methodology after participating in online professional development based on teaching experience or number of OPD courses taken?
4. What factors influence K-12 educators to teach or participate in online professional development courses?
Research Questions (cont’d)
5. What are the benefits noted by K-12 educators who teach or participate in online professional development?
6. What are the barriers noted by K-12 educators who teach or participate in online professional development? (p. 52-3)
Methodology and Data Analysis
Quantitative Data gathered through online survey Validity of survey examined by educators
experienced in instructional technology Subjects were employees of an urban school
district, predominately African-American, in a southeastern state Group 1 (N = 11): K-12 educators who had taught at
least one professional development course online Group 2 (N = 50): K-12 educators who had
participated in at least one online professional development course
Methodology and Data Analysis (cont’d)
Group 1 survey: 10 Likert-type questions and 3 multiple-choice questions
Group 2 survey: 16 Likert-type questions and 3 multiple-choice questions
Surveys addressed effectiveness of online professional development as a delivery method as well as benefits and/or hindrances to participating in online professional development
Group 2 survey also included questions regarding impact on their teaching methods
Data analysis conducted through descriptive statistics, reliability, and ANOVA
Major Findings
Both groups indicated that online professional development is effective (based on the measures identified by the researcher)
Overwhelming majority of instructors agreed with the statement that online professional development design is better than face-to-face professional development design, while majority of participants disagreed with it
Majority of both instructors and participants agreed that online professional development is a more effective forum for continuous training and networking
Both groups indicated that face-to-face professional development provides a better environment for collaboration
The majority of online participants responded that online professional development is a more effective way for them to learn, and a majority of the instructors believed that it is a more effective training method
Major Findings
Data showed positive association between number of courses participants took online and their perceived effectiveness
Number of years of teaching experience an instructor had showed to positively affect their perception of the effectiveness of online PD
Statistically significant difference between opinions about effectiveness of online PD and number of courses participants had taken Those who had taken seven or more OPD courses appeared to perceive
a greater impact of online PD on their teaching methodology Most significant incentives and benefits of teaching or participating
in online PD were ability to work any time and from any internet accessible computer as well as lack of travel requirements and stipends
Most significant hindrances were slow internet and lack of face-to-face interactions
Future Research
Closely examine how online professional development is and
should be reviewed and evaluated to ensure quality control
Focus research on measuring effectiveness of online
professional development based on student learning
Focus on administrators and the importance of identifying
their opinions and perceptions of online professional
development
Conduct a qualitative study of participants and instructors of
online professional development
Literature Review Chapter
Structured in 7 parts
Introduction
Professional Development
Online Professional Development
Developing and Evaluating Professional
Development
Online Training Industry
Summary
Literature Review Chapter (cont’d)
Only 4 of 183 total references dated
prior to 2000 (nature of the topic)
Sources ranged from research literature
to reports by national organizations
Literature Review Chapter (cont’d)
Professional Development Section
Began with rationale for PD in general
Outlined benefits and barriers of PD
Identifies models of PD examined in literature
Used section to lead well into the next
section on Distance Education as potential
solution to barriers of traditional PD
Literature Review Chapter (cont’d)
Distance Education and Online
Professional Development Sections
Provided history and evolution of both
Differentiated between sections
Distance Education: options for all learners
Online PD: focus on PD for adults offered online
Literature Review Chapter (cont’d)
Strongest part of the chapter:
Identification of potential sources for
future research supported by literature
Lack of research supporting effectiveness
of online PD
Mentioned two new grants awarded by NSF
on the subject
Literature Review Chapter (Faults)
Did not discuss how studies were done or
specific results
Did not discuss how individual studies helped
construct theory or argument on the subject
Did not offer significant critique of the
literature (however did often connect
researchers’ findings)
Literature Review Chapter (cont’d)
Summary Section
Offered conclusions and implications
Cited national mandates requiring
accessible PD
Set the stage for the discussion of her own
study
Reflection • Appreciated process we have gone through to this date• Reminded of importance of allowing myself time to reread many times• Challenges in sampling for quantitative study• Getting an increasingly better sense of dissertation process