Graduation Year
2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Ed.D.
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
Degree Granting Department
Language, Literacy, ED.D., Exceptional Education, and Physical Education
Major Professor
Veselina Lambrev, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Lauren Braunstein, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Bárbara C. Cruz, Ed.D.
Committee Member
Maria Diaz, Ed.D.
Keywords
Online Learning, Online Teacher Professional Learning, Professional Development, Professional Learning
Abstract
In recent years, online teacher professional learning has become a common format. However, in the large rural school district in central Florida where I work, the rising enrollment in online professional learning contrasted with declining completion rates among participants. My qualitative research study sought to explain why teachers’ perceptions of effective professional learning differ and why some teachers who enroll in asynchronous online professional learning courses fail to complete them. Using narrative inquiry, I collected data through qualitative questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with six teachers representing varied educational backgrounds. Analysis of the six participants’ interviews revealed five central themes: challenges of online professional learning, including feelings of isolation, technological barriers, and family-work balance pressures; preference for face-to-face learning that provides immediate clarification, interpersonal interaction, and structured accountability; characteristics of effective professional learning across various modalities, including relevance, opportunities for collaboration, and well-designed course structures; instructor or facilitator is key to the learning experiences; and specific recommendations for improving online professional learning. Participants emphasized the need for timely communication, flexible due dates, alternatives to discussion posts, and opportunities for virtual sessions. In addition, my study also provided recommendations for online professional learning future practices as well as recommendations for future research. My study contributes to the limited research on online teacher professional learning by providing support structures that teachers identified as needed to complete online professional learning.
Scholar Commons Citation
Rutledge, Kathryn A., "From Behind the Screen: Evaluating Teachers' Perceptions of Online Professional Learning" (2026). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/11407
