The rapid growth of online learning has caused sweeping changes in higher education. In response to increasing student demand and the wider availability of technological resources, colleges and universities have begun offering individual courses and entire programs online. In the field of teacher education, specifically, institutions are launching hybrid and online teacher preparation programs striving to adequately prepare teachers to educate diverse student populations amid a backdrop of historical and pervasive educational inequities. However, because there is little research on effective online learning practices for teacher preparation, this study sought to explore the efficacy of the online instructional format in nurturing beliefs and behaviors related to the following competencies: commitment to diversity and social justice, engagement in critical reflection, and active participation in collaborative professional communities. This study yielded no statistically significant differences between "synchronous" online and traditional on-campus preservice teachers' beliefs and behaviors related to diversity and teaching for social justice, and voluntary collaboration. Additionally, results established a significant predictive relationship between beliefs and behaviors associated with critical reflection and social justice teaching. These findings have important implications in the field of online teacher preparation. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]