ERIC Number: EJ1311521
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Aug
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2576-6767
EISSN: N/A
Turning towards Greater Equity and Access with Online Teacher Professional Development
Lesiak, Atom J.; Griswold, Joan C.; Starks, Helene
Journal of STEM Outreach, v4 n3 Aug 2021
Access to professional development opportunities promotes equity for both teachers and students. We identified time, distance, and childcare needs as limiting factors for teachers seeking to attend our conference workshops and in-person professional development opportunities. Therefore, just months before the COVID-19 pandemic and the rapid shift to online learning, the Genome Sciences Education Outreach (GSEO) program transitioned to online professional development for the NIGMS sponsored SEPA grant Genes Environment and Me Network (GEMNet) program. Our program was well positioned to support teachers in our network by providing online PD that included technology support and rapid access to our online curriculum for use for distance learning. Here we share the process of creating online PD as well as converting our materials to the digital environment. Additionally, we provide survey data and lessons learned from eight online PD trainings from January 2020 to January 2021 for both Health/Family and Consumer Science Teachers (n=20) and Biology Teachers (n=23). Notably, Teachers provided feedback affirming our initial reasons for providing online PD, and appreciated being supported at an overwhelmingly difficult time to be an educator. Our findings support the need for both online and in-person professional development opportunities for future programs.
Descriptors: Equal Education, Access to Education, Online Courses, Faculty Development, Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Science Teachers, Program Effectiveness
Journal of STEM Outreach. PMB 0367, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN 37203. e-mail: jstemoutreach@vanderbilt.edu; Web site: https://www.jstemoutreach.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) (DHHS/NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 5R25GM12921904