Comparing Self-paced and Cohort-based Online Courses for Teachers
Michael Russell
Boston College
Glenn Kleiman
North Carolina State University
Rebecca Carey
Education Development Center
Joanne Douglas
Boston College
Abstract
The study investigated whether online professional development courses with different levels of support have different impacts on teacher outcomes. Variations of an online course for middle school algebra teachers were created for four experimental conditions. One was a highly supported condition, with a math education instructor, an online facilitator, and asynchronous peer interactions among participants available as participants worked through the course together. Another was a self-paced condition, in which none of the supports were available. The other two conditions provided intermediate levels of support. All conditions showed significant impact on teachers’ mathematical understanding, pedagogical beliefs, and instructional practices. Surprisingly, the positive outcomes were comparable across all four conditions. Further research is needed to determine whether this finding is limited to self-selected teachers, the specifics of this online course, or other factors that limit generalizability.
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Contributors
Michael Russell is an associate professor at Boston College’s Lynch School of Education and Director of the Technology and Assessment Study Collaborative.
Glenn Kleiman is executive director of the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation and professor of educational leadership and policy studies at the North Carolina State University College of Education. He was Vice President and Center Director at Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) while the research reported in this article was conducted.
Rebecca Carey is a project director at the Education Development Center and is currently working for the Regional Education Laboratory for the Northeast and Islands.
Joanne Douglas is a research associate at the Technology and Assessment Study Collaborative at Boston College.
Contact
Michael Russell
332 Campion Hall, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467;
E-mail: russelmh@bc.edu
Glenn Kleiman
1890 Main Campus Drive, Raleigh NC 27606;
Phone: +1.919.513.8509;
E-mail: glenn_kleiman@ncsu.edu
Rebecca Carey
(EDC, 55 Chapel Street, Newton, MA 02458;
Phone: +1.617.618.2892;
E-mail: rcarey@edc.org
Joanne Douglas
332 Campion Hall, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467;
E-mail: jldouglas31@hotmail.com
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