Evaluation of Web-based courses (WBCs) in Microsoft Educator Community Platform (MECP) for teachers' professional development (TPD) in Oman.
Author
Al-Malkiyah, Rahma Khamis Abdullah.
Publisher
Sultan Qaboos University.
English abstract
The diversified sites and platforms have created new avenues for online
teachers' professional development. Thus, the teachers find an alternative environment
to solve the lack of teachers' professional development training programs. The current
study aimed to evaluate the use of Web-Based Courses (WBCs) in the Microsoft
Educator Community Platform (MECP) in teachers' professional development (TPD).
It investigated the degree of teachers' satisfaction with WBCs and their challenges in
learning through WBCs. A quantitative and qualitative research approaches were
adopted to achieve the research objectives. The study sample consisted of (118) male
and female teachers who were enrolled in the MECP and participated in completing a
5-point Likert scale survey. The sample also included ten teachers' trainers who the
researcher interviewed. The findings of the study indicated a high degree of teachers'
satisfaction with utilising WBCs in TPD. However, both teachers and trainers revealed
that the English language of the courses' content was a challenge that hindered
learning through WBCs. Many trainers' interviewees demonstrated their preference
for online training more than face-to-face training, and that clear goals and content
were effective online training elements. In light of research findings, the researcher
affirmed the need to pay more attention to the use of WBCs in MECP for TPD and
implications and recommendations for further research were proposed.
