Professional development in distance education - a successful experiment and future directions

2013 ◽  
Vol 411-414 ◽  
pp. 2795-2804
Author(s):  
Jun Feng Wang

Abstract. The key of Open University construction is the teachers’ team building, and the teachers’ professional development is the most important part. Open University teachers’ professional development has not fit for our teaching requirements any more. The rapid development of information society put forward some severe challenges to Open University teachers’ professional development. Under the view of philosophy of technology, fit for the request of the new situation, It must have some progress on Open University teachers’ professional development: first, to improve the professional academic level; second, to improve the teaching skills; third, to improve the information technology. Those three parts constitute connotation of professional distance education teachers. In the deep analysis the difference between Open University teachers’ professional development and the reality, base on this reason, they offered a good plan, which we hopefully can enhance, the Open University teachers’ professional level, and also can improve the distance education quality.


Author(s):  
Christina M. Tschida ◽  
Elizabeth M. Hodge ◽  
Steven W. Schmidt

The rapid expansion of distance education in higher education has left a high demand for faculty willing to design and teach online courses, often with little or no training. The path from face-to-face to online courses is not an easy one and can be filled with frustration and doubt for many faculty. Professional development often focuses on technology tools rather than pedagogical issues of online learning or course content. This chapter focuses on research that examines the experience of several faculty from the college of education at a state university in the Southeast United States, as they learned to teach online. It presents their negotiations of issues of online platform and pedagogy and their efforts to find professional development to meet their needs. The implications for institutions of higher learning are important as distance education continues to increase and more and more faculty are asked (or told) to transfer their courses online.


Author(s):  
Maria Northcote ◽  
Kevin P. Gosselin ◽  
Daniel Reynaud ◽  
Peter Kilgour ◽  
Malcolm Anderson ◽  
...  

In today's higher education environment, online education has become a rich and nuanced medium characterized by a dynamic and progressive use of technology. These technological advancements require research-informed guidelines and practices to facilitate understanding of how they can be used to foster positive outcomes in distance education contexts. By employing a mixed-methods multiphase design case study at Avondale College of Higher Education, the authors examine the challenges, self-confidence and threshold concepts, or transformative, conceptual understandings that academic faculty staff experience while engaging in distance education course design. The authors examine how these threshold concepts, attitudes and skills can be used to inform the design of professional development programs for academic staff who teach in online contexts. The results and associated recommendations of the six-year investigation are presented to inform professional development programs that aim to improve the quality of online teaching, course design and learning experiences of students.


2017 ◽  
pp. 665-681
Author(s):  
Jennifer J. Matthews

As we become more of a global society, it is imperative for the work environment to mirror this diversity and for individuals to be supported in their professional development. Therefore, the aim of this chapter is to describe how the field of counseling can contribute to the advancement of workforce diversity education. The understanding and application of counseling skills (e.g., attending skills) can positively influence interactions within the workplace and enhance workforce diversity initiatives. A case study is included with discussion questions along with an exploration of future directions for enhancing workforce diversity.


Author(s):  
Neal Shambaugh

Attention to the quality issues of distance education in higher education has focused primarily on courses. Entire academic programs are now delivered online, and faculty members must spend a significant amount of resources in addressing curricular-issues of online programs, as opposed to pedagogical issues for the courses they teach. Priorities for instructor interactivity and immediacy can become explicit goals for all learning experiences in academic programs. This chapter is organized in three parts: (1) the value of using interactivity/immediacy in the design of extended learning academic programs, (2) instructional design best practices for developing interactivity and immediacy in online academic programs, and (3) recommendations for different level of academic programs, including undergraduate, master's, doctoral, and specialized programs, including teacher education, certificates, and professional development.


2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 545-554
Author(s):  
Allison R. Warren ◽  
Ann M. Steffen

Transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) older adults face numerous barriers to healthy aging. These older adults may be less likely to seek out aging-focused services due to fear of discrimination and a lack of culturally competent services. There is a dearth of trainings for aging-focused professionals that would contribute to the development of affirming service environments for TGNC older adults. The current study explores providers’ responses to a professional development training made available nationwide to staff and volunteers of area agencies on aging. Participants’ ( N = 155) reflections on what would be most helpful in their future work with TGNC older adults included requests for role-plays, instructions on creating more inclusive agency documents, increased contact with TGNC older adults, and managing discriminatory language in the workplace. Future directions include creating professional development opportunities that incorporate experiences with and exposure to both other aging-focused providers and TGNC elders.


2006 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Solem ◽  
Lex Chalmers ◽  
David Dibiase ◽  
Karl Donert ◽  
Susan Hardwick

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