Linda Sellers

Integrating Technology and Problem-based Learning: A Mixed Methods Study of Two Teacher Professional Development Designs

This article describes two consecutive enactments of technology-oriented teacher professional development designs, aimed at helping teachers find high-quality online learning resources and use them in designing effective problem-based learning (PBL) activities for their students. To align with current professional development prescriptions, in the first enactment, teachers learned PBL design skills concurrently with technology skills. Following aspects of design-based research, the professional development theory, participant feedback, and results from the first enactment informed the design of the second. In this second enactment, technology skills were separated and presented prior to learning about PBL. Results from a mixed-methods study of impact indicated that both professional development enactments were associated with large increases in teacher knowledge, experience, and confidence with regards to technology use and integration. Variations in the level of PBL usage by teachers in their activities, and the degree to which they discuss PBL and technology integration are presented alongside limitations, practical significance, scholarly significance, and planned future work.

Experiences in the Field: The Evolution of a Technology-Oriented Teacher Professional Development Model

First launched in 2001, the Instructional Architect (IA.usu.edu) is a Web-based tool that helps teachers in finding online learning resources. Resources are then used to design and share instructional activities with their students and other teachers. Along with iterative system design and implementation of the IA, we have been refining a technology professional development (TPD) model to support teachers in integrating twenty-first century teaching and learning skills in their classrooms. This model is based on the notion of the teacher as an active designer (Brown & Edelson, 2003), rather than a passive consumer of learning activities. The most recent version of the model was revised to better support teacher use of problem-based learning (PBL) in their activities. PBL is an instructional method in which learners acquire knowledge through engaging with authentic and challenging problems in a collaborative setting (Barrows, 1986, Medical Education, 20, 481–486). Studies have shown that this approach is effective with teachers learning technology and design skills. This chapter will describe the IA software tool and recent iterations of our TPD model as informed by evaluation results and best practices in the literature. It concludes with a discussion of the impact of our work on teacher design activities, and their classroom practices.