Professional Development for Teachers
Online professional development helps teachers understand what it's like to be a distance learner
Developing the organizational and pedagogical skills of a distance education staff – both teachers and administrators – requires a program of continuous professional development. At the Support Center, we provide a customized distance education Web site to each member state and four online classes that state staff can use to develop the skills of staff in their state. Between classes the Web site can be used to facilitate communication among teachers and administrators, providing a place where teachers can raise questions and get answers. Throughout the professional development process, we provide training and ongoing support to state staff in effective use of the tools and courses.
Distance Learning 101: Teaching Adult Learners at a Distance
Project IDEAL's introductory course is designed for teachers and administrators new to distance education. Participating teachers and administrators work together to address critical issues in distance education and create a distance-learning plan for their center. Print-based course materials include the Handbook of Distance Education for Adult Learners and the DL101 Study Guide. Since it is an online course, teachers get to experience what it's like to be a distant learner before they try to teach others at a distance.
Distance Learning 102 - Study Group on Teaching
The Study Group on Teaching provides opportunities for experienced distance teachers to spend four weeks focusing on how to support learners in their course of study. The class is built around case studies of difficult teaching-learning challenges. Each participant develops a case study of a learner who had difficulty learning a concept online. The class discusses each of the case studies, building a "community of practice" that remains available as a resource after the course is done.
Distance Learning 103 – Evaluating Web-based Resources for Adult Learners
This four-week course extends the idea of study groups in another direction: identifying and evaluating web-based resources for teaching at a distance. Using the same online format, DL103 incorporates a different content focus and different activities for participants. Using a template developed by the Support Center, participants review and assess various educational Web sites, with the support of a facilitator. As part of the course, participants develop a shared set of reviewed materials they can incorporate into their teaching.
Distance Learning 104 - Study Group on Persistence
This study group focuses on issues of persistence among adult learners. The course follows a seminar model in which a facilitator guides participants as they read and discuss selected literature on persistence and explore ways to apply this knowledge to keeping their own distance students engaged.