Online Professional Learning in Response to COVID-19—Towards Robust Evaluation
As COVID-19 continues to impact upon education worldwide, systems and organizations are rapidly transiting their professional learning to online mode. This raises concerns, not simply about whether online professional learning can result in equivalent outcomes to face-to-face learning, but more impo...
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doaj-a215db319acb40eb9b4f29af7109a5592021-02-25T00:02:44ZengMDPI AGFuture Internet1999-59032021-02-0113565610.3390/fi13030056Online Professional Learning in Response to COVID-19—Towards Robust EvaluationAlireza Ahadi0Matt Bower1Abhay Singh2Michael Garrett3School of Education, Faculty of Arts, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park 2109, AustraliaSchool of Education, Faculty of Arts, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park 2109, AustraliaDepartment of Applied Finance, Macquarie Business School, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park 2109, AustraliaCinglevue International Pty Ltd., Unit 22/1 Walsh Loop, Joondalup, WA 6027, AustraliaAs COVID-19 continues to impact upon education worldwide, systems and organizations are rapidly transiting their professional learning to online mode. This raises concerns, not simply about whether online professional learning can result in equivalent outcomes to face-to-face learning, but more importantly about how to best evaluate online professional learning so we can iteratively improve our approaches. This case study analyses the evaluation of an online teacher professional development workshop for the purpose of critically reflecting upon the efficacy of workshop evaluation techniques. The evaluation approach was theoretically based in a synthesis of six seminal workshop evaluation models, and structured around eight critical dimensions of educational technology evaluation. The approach involving collection of pre-workshop participant background information, pre-/post-teacher perceptions data, and post-workshop focus group perceptions, enabled the changes in teacher knowledge, skills, and beliefs to be objectively evaluated, at the same time as providing qualitative information to effectively improve future iterations of the workshops along a broad range of dimensions. The evaluation approach demonstrated that the professional learning that was shifted into online mode in response to COVID-19 could unequivocally result in significant improvements to professional learning outcomes. More importantly, the evaluation approach is critically contrasted with previous evaluation models, and a series of recommendations for the evaluation of technology-enhanced teacher professional development workshops are proposed.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-5903/13/3/56professional developmenttechnology-enhanced teachingevaluation frameworksCOVID-19 |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Alireza Ahadi Matt Bower Abhay Singh Michael Garrett |
spellingShingle |
Alireza Ahadi Matt Bower Abhay Singh Michael Garrett Online Professional Learning in Response to COVID-19—Towards Robust Evaluation Future Internet professional development technology-enhanced teaching evaluation frameworks COVID-19 |
author_facet |
Alireza Ahadi Matt Bower Abhay Singh Michael Garrett |
author_sort |
Alireza Ahadi |
title |
Online Professional Learning in Response to COVID-19—Towards Robust Evaluation |
title_short |
Online Professional Learning in Response to COVID-19—Towards Robust Evaluation |
title_full |
Online Professional Learning in Response to COVID-19—Towards Robust Evaluation |
title_fullStr |
Online Professional Learning in Response to COVID-19—Towards Robust Evaluation |
title_full_unstemmed |
Online Professional Learning in Response to COVID-19—Towards Robust Evaluation |
title_sort |
online professional learning in response to covid-19—towards robust evaluation |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Future Internet |
issn |
1999-5903 |
publishDate |
2021-02-01 |
description |
As COVID-19 continues to impact upon education worldwide, systems and organizations are rapidly transiting their professional learning to online mode. This raises concerns, not simply about whether online professional learning can result in equivalent outcomes to face-to-face learning, but more importantly about how to best evaluate online professional learning so we can iteratively improve our approaches. This case study analyses the evaluation of an online teacher professional development workshop for the purpose of critically reflecting upon the efficacy of workshop evaluation techniques. The evaluation approach was theoretically based in a synthesis of six seminal workshop evaluation models, and structured around eight critical dimensions of educational technology evaluation. The approach involving collection of pre-workshop participant background information, pre-/post-teacher perceptions data, and post-workshop focus group perceptions, enabled the changes in teacher knowledge, skills, and beliefs to be objectively evaluated, at the same time as providing qualitative information to effectively improve future iterations of the workshops along a broad range of dimensions. The evaluation approach demonstrated that the professional learning that was shifted into online mode in response to COVID-19 could unequivocally result in significant improvements to professional learning outcomes. More importantly, the evaluation approach is critically contrasted with previous evaluation models, and a series of recommendations for the evaluation of technology-enhanced teacher professional development workshops are proposed. |
topic |
professional development technology-enhanced teaching evaluation frameworks COVID-19 |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/1999-5903/13/3/56 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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