The Design and Evaluation of Online Early Science Professional Development for Early Childhood Educators (Poster 13)

• In Event: Saturday Poster Session 1:15 pm
  In Poster Session: Online Teaching and Learning SIG Poster Session

Abstract

This study examines the effectiveness of an online early science professional development program for early childhood educators. The online program consists of 9 online, self-paced asynchronous modules addressing early science processes and content areas. Participants completed module evaluations at the completion of each module addressing participants’ online learning experience, their relation to early science content knowledge, as well as their pedagogical connections and confidence in early science. Descriptive analysis showed high levels of items related to participants’ online learning experiences and module impact measures. Regression analysis showed significant models of course impact items predicted by online learning module evaluation items, suggesting that future online professional development design should attend to participants’ online learning experiences in addition to professional development content.

Authors

• David Banzer, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Kathleen Sheridan, University of Illinois at Chicago