Quality Matters: Designing Effective Online Teacher Professional Development Certificate Program for Elementary Science Instruction

• In Event: The Role of Teachers in Technology Integration in K–12 Schools

Abstract

This study examines data from a large-scale teacher professional development (PD) program training teachers to implement NGSS STEM and NGSS+Arts STEAM methods to teach science to elementary students. Theoretical frameworks on online course design, self-paced learning and transfer are discussed and applied through arts-integrated science pedagogies with teachers and students. By analyzing online teacher evaluation response data, this study sought to understand the efforts of recreating an in-person large scale PD into an online course, whether the course met high-quality instructional design certification, and if the course adequately supported teachers’ online learning experiences through NGSS-aligned STEM and STEAM strategies. Implications for intensive online PD are discussed, informing the design of online courses grounded in effective instructional design frameworks.

Authors

• Joseph Wong, University of California - Irvine

• Brad Hughes, University of California - Irvine