The Effectiveness of Online Teaching and Learning Delivery for Practicing Teachers in a Continuous Professional Development Programme

Introduction: Following the COVID-19 pandemic in the world and its negative impact on the continuous delivery of professional development programmes which require practising teachers to be physically present on campus for in-service training, online teaching and learning became the most convenient mode of delivery to meet the national requirements for the development of effective leaders in primary schools. Objectives: This study reflects different lenses of experiences encountered by practicing teachers who are developed through online teaching and learning delivery in a teacher training institution in Mauritius. Methods: A mixed case study research method was used to collect data about the perceptions of primary school teachers who were called by the Ministry of Education for online professional development in school leadership and management. A semi-structured survey questionnaire was administered to 113 teachers, and two focus group interviews with 5 teachers in each group were conducted. An interpretive inductive research method was used for the qualitative data collected, and the quantitative data was analysed using simple statistical descriptive methods about the effectiveness of online teaching and learning. Results: It was found that individual online assignment motivates teachers for digital engagement; socio-constructivism is the most preferred principle of their learning through student-led online pedagogy; online MCQs were an alternative assessment to the traditional assignment; and self-directed learning was enhanced through the regular posting of OERs by the online tutors. However, the greatest challenge to online teaching and learning delivery is the lengthy muteness of students, which results in online disturbance and delivery disruptions Conclusions: Online teacher professional development is context-bound, and the internal and external factors within the virtual learning environment and beyond should be considered as the higher education institution must address them to foster the professional development of primary school teachers.