ERIC Number: EJ1129317
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Jul
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0215-773X
EISSN: N/A
"Coursera" Online Course: A Platform for English Teachers' Meaningful and Vibrant Professional Development
Silvia, Arnis
TEFLIN Journal: A publication on the teaching and learning of English, v26 n2 p228-246 Jul 2015
This article reports on English teachers' attitudes towards a professional development program run by "Coursera" ("coursera.org"). These teachers were participants of "Foundation of Teaching for Learning 1: Introduction" online course. Using a survey case study, the findings reveal that most of the participants perceive the course as a well-organized and effective platform to engage in professional learning. "Coursera" is an online learning platform offering various courses for teacher educators which are meaningful (closely related to their daily teaching practice) and vibrant (involves active collaboration among peer participants to review and assess their projects). Albeit this nature, another finding shows that the participants lament that their institutions do not provide professional development (PD) support. In fact, PD programs are not constrained to face-to-face encounters, since it can be designed using online platforms such as "Coursera", a massive open online course (MOOC). Accordingly, the contribution of the article is to show how online platforms make meaningful and vibrant teacher professional development (TPD) possible. The implication of the study is that school administrators and policy makers should provide support for their teachers to take online PD programs. This professional learning should contribute to the best teaching practice and student learning attainment.
Descriptors: Online Courses, English Teachers, Faculty Development, Teacher Attitudes, Foundations of Education, Introductory Courses, Teacher Surveys, Pretests Posttests, Case Studies, Course Evaluation, Teaching Skills, Skill Development, Organizational Culture, Theory Practice Relationship, Outcomes of Education
Association for the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language in Indonesia (TEFLIN). Malang, East Java, 65145, Indonesia. TEFLIN Publication Division, Department of English, Faculty of Letters, Universitas Negeri Malang, Jalan Semarang 5, Tel: +62-341-570566; Fax: +62-341-567475; e-mail: journal@teflin.org; Web site: http://journal.teflin.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A