Timing and Spacing of Work as Predictors of Confidence in Self-Paced, Online Teacher Professional Development

In this study, the authors examine two aspects of the timing of work in an online, self-paced PD: (a) the time at which a majority of overall work is completed by participants, and (b) the frequency of work across the course timeframe. In the study, 42 middle-school teachers participated in an online PD to support novice teachers in increasing their confidence with the implementation of a problem-based, blended learning curriculum. The authors forward two novel measurement methods to examine the effects of timing of work on confidence using online server interaction logs. The findings challenge conventional assumptions about when work is completed and the perceived benefits of spreading out work over long periods of time.