What Skills Do I Need to Teach Online? Researching Experienced Teacher Views of Essential Knowledge and Skills in Online Pedagogy as a Foundation for Designing Professional Development for Novice Teachers

Abstract

As e-Learning continues to dominate educational services globally, the domain of online pedagogy continues to expand, and teaching in online, blended and hybrid classrooms now considered an essential element of teacher education in the many parts of Europe, Canada and the US. As a result, the need for professional development of higher education teachers has never been greater. An important precursor to designing effective teacher preparation programs is to establish what novice teachers need to know and do to be successful in virtual teaching spaces. The idea that professional development for online teaching needs to focus on instructional and communicative skills, not just the technology skills, is reinforced throughout the literature. This large international qualitative study was designed to investigate and explore the perceptions of experienced teachers of the skills and knowledge deemed essential for online teaching and the capacities they perceive as most important for effective e-Learning. Transformative learning theory formed the foundational theoretical framework for this study. The research problem identified was the lack of practitioner voices on the challenges that novice teachers experiences in their transition to online teaching and the perspective changes that happen when they reconsider their pedagogies. Results indicate that teachers need to transform their pedagogy when teaching in virtual spaces and this includes new roles, modes of interaction and discovery of engaging ways of teaching online that increase connectivity and interaction with students. Implications for professional development and practice in higher education are examined.