Award Date

1-1-2008

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

First Committee Member

Kent Crippen

Second Committee Member

Greg Levitt

Number of Pages

204

Abstract

With the increasing popularity and accessibility of the Internet and Internet-based technologies, along with the need for a diverse group of students to have alternative means to complete their education, there is a major push for K-12 schools to offer online courses. This is primarily occurring through offering virtual high school programs via online distance education. Virtual schools have been in existence since the proliferation of the Internet in the mid-1990s, and they continue to grow in popularity as a realistic alternative to traditional education. As the number of online distance education courses continue to proliferate throughout the nation, a growing number of teachers are facing the challenge of creating online versions of their traditional, face-to-face courses while still preserving the quality of the instruction. Little is known about this population of teachers or the extent of their preparation. This study examines the demographic nature of the K-12 online teachers and the level of preparation with respect to three major areas identified from the literature: (a) technological knowledge; (b) pedagogical knowledge; (c) content knowledge. By studying this particular population, teacher educators can better understand the specific needs that teaching in an online environment pose. This, in turn, can inform changes, adaptations, and improvements to teacher preparation programs across the United States.

Keywords

Distance Educators; Educators K--12; K-9; Knowledge; Levels; National Survey; Online Education; Online; Preparation; States; Teacher Preparation; Tpck Framework; Virtual Schools; Virtual Schooling

Controlled Subject

Curriculum planning; Educational technology; Teachers--Training of

File Format

pdf

File Size

3563.52 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

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