Support the evolving instructor role with professional development beyond product training, articulated role expectations, and communities of practice¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

As technology shifts adult education toward student-centered learning, instructors need support that goes beyond vendor product training: opportunities to develop ideas and strategies, try them out, reflect, and adjust, plus connection with peers through communities of practice. The report states "This shifting role requires support that goes beyond just product training. It requires opportunities to develop ideas, strategies and resources, then to try them out, reflect, and adjust." Programs should also articulate teacher-role expectations and institutionalize technology-integration knowledge, since instructors turn over about every two years.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Provide technology and product training plus professional development on technology integration
• Articulate the changing role of the instructor at the program level
• Connect instructors to internal and external communities of practice
• Institutionalize training, ideas, and best practices in the institution's knowledge base

Constraints¶

• Educators can find themselves spending more time managing technology logistics such as logins, data loss, audio, and headphones than engaging with the curriculum

Target Learners¶

• adult basic education instructors
• adult education program administrators

Target Learning Goals¶

• effective classroom technology integration
• differentiated and learner-centered instruction

Related Strategies¶

• Build institutional data-use practice: train instructors to analyze learner data and align product data to required assessments
• Grow-your-own teacher pipelines and institutionalized peer-based professional learning to build a qualified newcomer-school workforce
• Staff development should make teaching principles explicit through articulation, reflection and evaluation, supported by institutional incentives and training

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Constantakis, P. (2016). Integrating Digital Tools for Adult Learners: Four Critical Factors. Digital Promise. https://digitalpromise.dspacedirect.org/items/52ffa633-226c-445f-8113-54cc83dc76c7