How a SPOC might facilitate in-service teachers' interactions in professional development

Abstract

Online professional development programs for teachers are much discussed. Teachers are obliged to continuously renew their skills in teaching methodology to keep pace with changing demands in society. Providing flexibility in time and space and opportunities for interaction, online courses are expected to facilitate teachers’ professional development in general. Informed by a single-case study design,we explore in-service teachers’ perceptions of a professional development program organized as a small private online course (SPOC), the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in Mathematics Education. We compared teachers who joined the course individually from their schools with teachers collectively participating from their own schools. We conclude that the teachers who participated as a group from distinct schools appear to be more actively involved in offline activities that enhance professional development than their individually participating counterparts. Finally, we provide some implications for further research.