The #Openteach project aims to generate new knowledge about effective online teaching practice and to harness this new knowledge to support the professional development of online teachers and to more effectively support online student learning experiences.
Part time teachers miss out on CPD
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is recognised as crucial to the upskilling of educators to enhance the student learning experience. However, an important gap exists in the provision of CPD for part-time and online teachers. As they rarely have the opportunity to avail of campus-based resources they may consequently have limited access to professional development.
Teaching online is different
Online learning is the fastest growing areas of education worldwide. In the U.S., a recent report by Babson Survey Research found that 32% of all American college students were studying at least one course online. However, teaching online requires different pedagogical approaches to traditional lecturing, therefore institutions need to support teachers transitioning into online teaching to ensure quality. Effective online teaching supports student engagement and success, this is key as online students are more vulnerable to attrition.