Elementary Education Teacher Candidates' Development of Lesson Planning Skills in an Online Instructional Design Course
Universities continue to explore the presence and role of online courses in their educational programs. Colleges of Education are in the center of this effort as teacher educators and researchers explore whether or not teacher candidates can learn how to teach by taking online courses. This study examined both learning outcomes and teacher candidates' reactions to completing an asynchronous online course in an elementary education program focused on designing instruction and learning how to integrate technology into teaching. Analyses of variance of indicated statistically significant gains across the three semesters that the course was offered. Further, inductive qualitative analyses of teacher candidates' reactions included primarily positive comments about the flexible nature of the course, the nature of feedback given, and the authenticity of assignments. Implications are shared for the future design and research of online teacher education courses.