November 2005 Online Professional Development: Benefits and Drawbacks Education Week online chat features EDC expert in Web-based learning Concerns about quality, accreditation, and misperceptions dominated the discussion of Web-based professional development programs for teachers featured on a recent EdWeek online chat. With the rapid proliferation of online courses, “there is no commonly agreed upon stamp of approval to guarantee the quality,” says Barbara Treacy, managing project director at EDC’s Center for Online Professional Education, which designs and delivers Web-based professional development programs for educators and administrators across the country. Treacy was a featured guest on the EdWeek chat, which aired live on Wednesday, November 16. She was joined by Peggy Gaskill, the head of the master's degree program in education at Walden University, which offers college degrees online to students nationwide. In addition to offering tips on how to gauge a course’s value and credibility, the two panelists discussed current research on the effectiveness of online learning, issues of accreditation and standards in this young field, and ideas for overcoming bias against distance learning programs. Despite concerns, Treacy remains enthusiastic about the value of online courses. “There's lots of evidence that online professional development does provide robust and intense interaction, and that it provides lots of important and rich opportunities for collaboration,” she said. “I find it helpful to invite skeptical administrators or other decision makers or stakeholders into a live course to see and experience for themselves the warmth, humor, and engagement in an online course.” “High quality online professional development has to meet the same high standards as any effective professional development course or program,” says Treacy. When assessing online programs, the panelists advise consumers to consider carefully whether the content is well designed, regularly updated, and aligned to state and local standards; the professional credentials of program designers and instructors; and opportunities for interactive feedback from the instructor and other participants. The panelists also emphasized that quality online professional development programs include numerous opportunities for classroom-based learning. Treacy stressed that all professional education programs for teachers should be project-based, link closely to ongoing classroom experiences, and promote professional collaboration. She notes that in EDC’s EdTech Leaders Online project, “participants get together face to face where possible to share their classroom projects or student work, and it further pushes participants to complete and implement their projects.” A transcript of the chat is now available on the EdWeek site: To learn more about EDC’s online learning opportunities, contact Barbara Treacy at btreacy@edc.org or visit EdTech Leaders Online http://edtechleaders.org. type full url here ©2005 Education Development Center, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
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