Let’s Ask the Educators: What changes should be made to online professional development?

Delaney Burns

Research Question

  1. What are the eductor recommendations for online professional development and how do the differ by resource type?

Recommendations for Online PD by Participants

Words teachers frequently use when making recommendations to improve professional development.

Top 20 Words

Time Recommendations from Teachers

  • Stop taking up the valuable time I need to teach.

  • Much too much material for one to grasp. Smaller chunks with less time restraints for completion. It is difficult to work on new material when we still have the old curriculum in place.

  • Accessing this falcon series have been very time consuming and leaves many flustered.

  • Make it available at all times not just certain hours.

Teacher Recommendations for Videos

  • Having the videos work with the technology available at our school.

  • Make the video work for our computers at school be sure the videos can be seen

  • Videos were too long

  • Some of the videos wouldn’t play.

  • Time is a HUGE factor with teachers- the videos take way too long to buffer

  • Quit making teachers spend time watching videos that are snail-paced and useless.

Teacher Recommendations for Access

  • Make it easier to navigate, and make it much clearer what is expected in terms of materials to complete

  • Make it easier to access.

  • making it easier to print our certificates.

  • Make it easier to get in and out!!

  • Make getting into the system easier for people that are not too computer savvy.

Top 5 Words by Resource

Conclusions

  1. The word “time” appears frequently in responses, indicating that many teachers feel time constraints are a significant issue in online professional development.
  2. Many teachers wrote a variation of “none at this time” meaning they did not provide recommendations for the resource.
  3. The words “videos” and “easier” indicate recommendations for improving modules and how they are accessed.

Discussion

  • Limitations: While able to provide quick insight into a large number of responses, analysis raised as many questions as it answered.
  • Implications: The online learning needs to be modified to make it easier for educators to navigate and be designed knowing the time constraints of the professionals.
  • Next Steps for Analysis: Dig into how the modules can be improved to be more accessible.