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