Examining Preservice and Non-Preservice Students' Online Course Participation Patterns

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 51
  In Roundtable Session: Using Models, Exploring Factors, Gathering Lessons Learned, and Analyzing Patterns to Inform Online Teaching and Learning

Abstract

While concurrently attending a four-week practica, the first cohort of a newly extended graduate pre-service program had the option of attending some fully online 12-week graduate-level courses with non-teacher candidate peers. This study examined the new programming option and course delivery format for graduate pre-service student teachers (PSTs), compared to their non-PST peers, through an examination of less studied but significant online participation activities. This mixed-method study used a variety of automatically-generated data, and instructor and student interviews, to provide a deeper understanding of participation patterns potentially affected by the demands of the concurrent practica. Findings illustrate the value of microanalytic case study analysis for a nuanced understanding of the different levels of PST and non-PST activities in online courses.

Authors

• Lesley Wilton, University of Toronto - OISE

• Clare M. Brett, University of Toronto

• Jim Hewitt, OISE/University of Toronto