TIRF released its 2013 commissioned study, "A Case for Online English Language Teacher Education," at the 2013 TESOL Convention in Dallas, Texas. The research investigated a range of online professional development opportunities offered by institutions around the world. This presentation features Dr. Denise Murray, author of the study, and TIRF Trustee, Dr. MaryAnn Christison. In addition to conducting an extensive literature review, Dr. Murray analyzed eighteen case reports submitted by providers of online professional development opportunities for language teachers. A free downloadable PDF of the report can be located on TIRF’s website.

1. Welcome to TIRF’s 2013
Presentation at the TESOL
Convention in Dallas!

3. Task
• How do you define online in the
context of an education course?
• Share your definition with a
neighbor.

4. A Case for Online Language Teacher
Education
IMPETUS FOR THE STUDY

5. Some Statistics
• 6.7 million (32%) US college students taking
one online course (Sloan Consortium 2011)
• Growth of MOOCs e.g., Coursera
– 115 courses
– 33 institutions worldwide
– 1.5 million participants
• K-12 U.S. schools e.g., Pennsylvania
– 300,000 students online
• OLTE
– 20 in mid-1990s
– 120 in 2009 (Hall & Knox)

6. Research Questions
(1) What language teacher education
programs, workshops, and/or courses are
currently being offered online, and what are
their key characteristics?
(2) At what levels is such education being
offered (e.g., undergraduate, diploma,
certificate, master’s degree, doctoral studies, or
individual workshops or courses for professional
development)?
(3) What issues arise in delivering language
teacher education online? How have institutions
addressed these issues?

7. A Case for Online Language Teacher
Education
CLARIFYING THE STUDY

8. Some Definitions
Online Hybrid Blended Web-
facilitated
30-79% online (Sloan)
80%+ Some face-to- Meet face-to- 0-29% online;
delivered face class time; face; online face-to-face;
online large threaded LMS or
(Sloan) proportion of discussions webpages
the course and file- (Sloan)
would take sharing
place online (Bauer-
(Bauer- Ramazani)
Ramazani)

9. Defining OLTE
OLTE is any professional development
opportunity (PDO) in education for teachers of
English to speakers of other languages (TESOL)
where at least 80% is delivered online. These
PDOs may include professional development
courses, certificates, diplomas, and/or degree
programs delivered by for-profit education
organizations, professional organizations, and
colleges/universities.

10. Defining OLTE
OLTE is any professional development
opportunity (PDO) in education for teachers of
English to speakers of other languages (TESOL)
where at least 80% is delivered online. These
PDOs may include professional development
courses, certificates, diplomas, and/or degree
programs delivered by for-profit education
organizations, professional organizations, and
colleges/universities.

11. A Case for Online Language Teacher
Education
WHO DOES OLTE?

12. Task
• Describe any OLTE you are engaged
in or are familiar with.
• Share with a neighbor.

13. Finding Providers
• Web searches
• Web-based educational consolidators
• TESOL professional websites, journals, and
newsletters
• Trinity College London Validated Course
Providing Organisations 2012
• Announcements of the project
• Distance learning accreditation websites

14. Finding Providers
• 186 potentials
– 106 universities; 80 non-universities
– Asia, Australasia, Europe, North America, and
South America
– Not-for-profit and for-profit organizations
– Large and small
• 140 contacted
– 97 universities
– 43 non-universities

15. Providers Contacted
Country University Non-university
Providers Providers
U.S. 50 6
U.K. 13 13
Canada 9 7
Australia 10 1
Spain 1 5
New Zealand 4 1
Thailand 1 2
Mexico 2
Ireland 2

16. A Case for Online Language Teacher
Education
WHAT DATA IS NEEDED TO
ANSWER THE QUESTIONS?

17. Research Questions
(1) What language teacher education
programs, workshops, and/or courses are
currently being offered online, and what are
their key characteristics?
(2) At what levels is such education being
offered (e.g., undergraduate, diploma,
certificate, master’s degree, doctoral studies, or
individual workshops or courses for professional
development)?
(3) What issues arise in delivering language
teacher education online? How have institutions
addressed these issues?

18. Data Sets
• Literature review
• Review of Websites offering OLTE
• Case Reports

19. Data
LITERATURE REVIEW

20. Literature Review
• Online learning
• OLTE
• Distance Education
• CALL

21. Key Issues in Literature Review
• Access
• Building Community
• Intersection of technology and pedagogy
• Student life online
• Professional development for teacher
educators
• Administrative support

22. Data
REVIEW OF WEBPAGES OF OLTE
PROVIDERS

23. Task
• What do you think are essential
features of an OLTE webpage?
• Share your ideas with a neighbor.

24. Analysis of Webpages of OLTE
Providers
• Design
• Program content
• Home page
• Sales pitch
• Enquiry desk
• Edifice
• Appeals to audience
• Quality
• Job placement
• Travel

25. Data
CASE REPORTS

26. Providers Contacted
• 140 contacted by individual emails
– 18 agreed to write case report
– 5 program hadn’t or had just started
– 1 no online program
– 8 forwarded to another person; no reply
– 12 too busy, not enough staff to write; 2
concerned about proprietary information
– 96 no response (after 2 emails)

27. Case Report Content
• In collaboration with TIRF board, a format was
developed for case reports:
– Identify and describe the PDO
– Describe the target audience
– Describe how you recruit students
– Describe the curriculum
– Explain goals and objectives
– Describe teaching & learning activities
– Describe local context/global context
– Describe preparation for future teaching contexts

28. Case Report Content
– Describe characteristics of teacher educators
– Describe non-teaching support staff
– Explain learning assessments
– Explain mechanisms to evaluate the PDO
– Discuss challenges of offering PDO online
– Describe successes of PDO and how documented

29. Case Report Providers
Country Type of institution
(number)
Australia University (2)
Guatemala Bi-national center (1)
New Zealand University (1)
United Kingdom University (2)
United States Association (2)
Publisher (1)
University (9)

30. Case Report Providers
Country Type of institution
(number)
Australia University (2)
Guatemala Bi-national center (1)
New Zealand University (1)
United Kingdom University (2)
United States Association (2)
Publisher (1)
University (9)

31. Issues from Case Reports
• The audience for OLTE
• Pedagogical choices
• Technological choices
• Ensuring quality

32. A Case for Online Language Teacher
Education
IN CONCLUSION

33. Findings
• Types and characteristics of OLTE
• Trends
– Appropriate candidates for OLTE
– Developing communities of practice
– The intersection of technology and pedagogy
– OLTE quality

34. Where to now?
• Further research:
– Instructor attitudes and experiences;
– Participant attitudes and experiences;
– Technical support staff attitudes and experiences;
– Peer-peer interaction;
– Instructor-participant interaction;
– Learning outcomes;
– Cost effectiveness; and
– Washback of online pedagogical strategies to
classroom practice.

35. the complexity of the issues involved in
technology and learning is pushing us to look
beyond gross decontextualized measures of
effectiveness to understand effectiveness in
terms of the specifics of what people do with
computers, how they do it, and what it means
to them (Kern 2006: 189).

36. the complexity of the issues involved in
technology and learning is pushing us to look
beyond gross decontextualized measures of
effectiveness to understand effectiveness in
terms of the specifics of what people do with
computers, how they do it, and what it
means to them (Kern 2006: 189).

37. Prof. Denise E. Murray
denise.murray@tirfonline.edu

38. Access to OLTE Paper
Visit www.tirfonline.org
- Click on “English in the Workforce”
Direct link
-
http://www.tirfonline.org/wp-content/uploads/20

39. Focused discussion
• Appropriate candidates for OLTE
• Developing communities of practice
• The intersection of technology and pedagogy
• OLTE quality
• Teacher qualifications