Effect of an Internet-Based Multimedia Teacher Development Program in Enhancing Teachers’ Assessment Literacy
WCER Working Paper No. 2003-9
Nan Huai, Jeffery P. Braden, Jennifer White, and Stephen N. Elliott
July 2003, 32 pp.
ABSTRACT: This study examined the effectiveness of Assessing One and All (AOA), a Web-based teacher professional development program. AOA was designed to enhance practicing teachers’ general assessment literacy and their knowledge and skills in large-scale assessment, testing accommodations, and alternate assessments. A synthesis of Putnam and Borko’s (2000) and Mott’s (2000) criteria for successful professional development was used to evaluate AOA. Successes and challenges of the course’s technology elements, such as multimedia, hypertexts and hyperlinks, are discussed. Fifty-five participants from Arizona, South Carolina, and Wisconsin were in the final data pool. Twenty-nine participants took the online course (instructional group); the others (N = 26) did not take AOA course (comparison group). All participants completed a (a) pre- and post-learning group discussion and pre- and post-learning assessment survey, (b) diary on assessment-related professional development during the 12-week course, and (c) core activities. Ten volunteers received individual pre- and post-learning individual interviews. Repeated measures MANOVA, repeated measures MANCOVA, ANCOVA, matched-pair t-tests, descriptive data, and qualitative data were used to address whether (a) AOA is effective in enhancing teachers’ knowledge about assessment and inclusive practice in assessment; (b) AOA is effective in enhancing teachers’ self-efficacy in conducting large-scale assessments, testing accommodations, and alternate assessments; and (c) teachers accept online courses as an alternative to traditional professional development programs. The study concluded that AOA was effective in improving teachers’ knowledge and skills in assessment and inclusive assessment practices. The online course could serve as an effective tool for professional learning.
keywords: Online Education; Assessment Literacy; Professional Development; Teacher Education; Educational Accountability
