Rethinking Professional Development: Development and Evaluation of an Evidence-Based Online PD Course on the Effective Use of Technology in the Classroom

Abstract

Technology-enhanced teaching (TET) is most effective when integrated meaningfully into classroom settings. Teachers require technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) to achieve this integration. This study details the development and evaluation of an online professional development (OPD) course aimed at enhancing teachers’ TPK for the effective use of technology in science and language subjects. The course was created to rethink OPD, i.e., to overcome known shortcomings of OPD design consciously. It was based on the Interactive–Constructive–Active–Passive (ICAP) framework, which promotes interactive and constructive learning activities. Thus, the OPD course incorporated text-based and video-based interactive learning modules (learning nuggets), discussions about staged video vignettes showing classroom situations with conventional vs. good use of technology by the teacher, professional learning communities, and practical teaching trials with group reflections. The evaluation study of this OPD followed a pre–post design involving 76 in-service teachers. Participants completed surveys and a test of their ability to apply ICAP knowledge to teaching situations before and after the OPD. The evaluation revealed that teachers perceived the course as beneficial, though no statistically significant improvement in applied ICAP knowledge was observed. These findings highlight opportunities and challenges in designing and measuring effective OPDs that support the meaningful integration of technology into classroom practice.