Action for e-learning in the classroom : a small study on a professional development initiative

Abstract

RESEARCH QUESTIONS: 1. What are the current practices and perceptions of e-Learning for teachers at my school?

2. From a teacher perspective, can in-house professional development workshops in e-Learning lead to changes in the use of e-Learning in the classroom?

3. From teachers’ perspectives, what specific aspects best benefit them when undertaking professional learning to enhance the use of e-Learning in the classroom?

This small, qualitative study aimed to investigate teachers’ experiences and perceptions about implementing e-Learning from professional development programmes into their classroom practices. Furthermore, it explored teachers’ experiences and perceptions of using e-Learning in the classroom and how a professional development programme could better support teachers to incorporate e-Learning approaches in their learning programs. As part of this study, a literature review was undertaken to identify specific professional development aspects that had been identified as being effective in increasing the use of e-Learning in the classroom.

Two professional learning and development workshop programmes were designed and implemented using the aspects that had been identified during the literature review. The aspects selected for the professional development workshop programmes were active learning, relevance to individual teachers’ requirements, collaboration, reflection and time. Five participants took part in the research study, and their experiences and perceptions were recorded using individual semi-structured interviews and questionnaires.

The findings indicated that participants viewed their e-Learning confidence and capability as low to moderate. In addition, evidence from the study, in the form of the questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, suggested that the strategies used in this professional development initiative could lead to positive changes in the use of e-Learning in the classroom. Furthermore, the study identified that equipment and infrastructure restrictions, ineffective professional development programmes and lack of teacher confidence and capability in e-Learning were contributing factors that prevented increased use of e-Learning within the classroom environment.