Comparing the Impact of Online and Face-to-Face Professional Development in the Context of Curriculum Implementation

TLDR

The study investigates whether teacher knowledge, beliefs, classroom practice, and student learning differ between online and face‑to‑face professional development. A randomized experiment using a common curriculum set for both modalities was conducted to compare classroom practice and student outcomes, enabling a direct assessment of PD delivery methods. Teachers and students achieved significant gains in both conditions, with no notable difference between modalities, underscoring implications for how teacher professional learning is delivered.

Abstract

This study employed a randomized experiment to examine differences in teacher and student learning from professional development (PD) in two modalities: online and face-to-face. The study explores whether there are differences in teacher knowledge and beliefs, teacher classroom practice, and student learning outcomes related to PD modality. Comparison of classroom practice and student learning outcomes, normally difficult to establish in PD research, is facilitated by the use of a common set of curriculum materials as the content for PD and subsequent teaching. Findings indicate that teachers and students exhibited significant gains in both conditions, and that there was no significant difference between conditions. We discuss implications for the delivery of teacher professional learning.