Teaching Certificates Earned Online and Hiring Practices of High School Principals

Abstract

A national survey of United States high school principals (n = 2,187) was used to assess the acceptability of job applicant qualifications that included degrees earned either online, partly online, or in a residential teacher-training program. The applicants with coursework taken in a residential setting were overwhelmingly preferred over applicants holding a degree earned partly or wholly online. Analysis indicated that the type of institution, personal experience and perceived benefits of face-to-face interaction play an important role in the formation of the perceived quality of online degree, programs and courses.