ONLINE VS. FACE-TO-FACE: EDUCATOR OPINIONS ON PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DELIVERY METHODS BY TERESA SCRUGGS THOMAS Tamar AvineriEMS 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