Moroccan EFL Teachers’ Participation, Preferences, and Perceived Effectiveness of Online Professional Development

The present study aims at investigating Moroccan EFL teachers’ participation in and attitude towards online professional development. It seeks also to examine teachers’ perceived effectiveness of online professional development by using a cross-sectional survey design. This design was supported with a questionnaire and a scale to collect data from a sample of (103) Moroccan EFL teacher. The data elicited was coded and analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The results of the study reveal that teachers in the Moroccan context are not fully engaged in online professional and they still exhibit higher preference to traditional forms of professional development. In addition, the results report that teachers perceive that online professional development provides effective content that is sustainable and access flexible. However, teachers also inform that online professional development is not active and collaborative in nature. Based on the results of this study a number of informed recommendations are directed to Moroccan English language teachers and policymakers.

Ready Teacher One: Virtual and Augmented Reality Online Professional Development for K-12 School Teachers

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are two technologies with the potential to enhance learning quality by activating episodic student memory. In this manuscript we outline the pedagogical benefits of AR and VR as well as the rationale, design, development, and pilot evaluation results from an in-service teacher online professional development program (OPD) on AR and VR linked with research activities. More specifically, we examined the “Augmented and Virtual Reality in Teaching and Learning” OPD course aimed at K-12 educators in a European country combining pedagogically informed methods such as inquiry-based learning and digital storytelling. Findings from a mixed-method research using questionnaires and focus groups indicate that AR- and VR-based pedagogical scenarios can be integrated effectively into everyday school teaching practice. The study also outlines implications and limitations that policy makers, education leaders, and educators need to consider for efficient institution-wide deployment of AR and VR technologies.