Research into online teacher education

Eduventures (2009) Where Teacher Education and Online Programming Meet:  Supporting Field Experiences in Online Initial Teacher Licensure Programs Boston MA: Eduventures Inc

This study by a higher education research and consulting firm examines best practice in five institutions offering online teacher education: Walden University, Nova South Eastern University, University of Southern California, Western Governors University, and University of Cincinnati.

Until very recently many licensing agencies would not accept any qualifications for teacher education obtained through distance education. However, as the report states:

Advances in technology and the increasing acceptance of alternative pathways to teaching and online education have led to the emergence of online initial teacher preparation. Our recent research study has uncovered a number of major entrants to the field in the past two years…that indicate a growing market and the beginning of a new chapter in teacher preparation. This research brief provides descriptive case studies of five different online teacher education programs and identifies trends across the programs.

Of particular interest is the discussion of the use of video for initial teacher preparation:

Online teacher education programs strongly bring the P-12 classrooms into university preparation through extensive use of video clips of exemplary classroom practice; this serves as a way to provide candidates with
consistent exposure to different classrooms and hone candidates’ observation skills.

For questions about this study and/or to inquire about obtaining a copy of the report, please contact Eduventures at http://www.eduventures.com/about/contact-us/contact-info