Theoretical underpinnings in the planning of the in-service training

The rapid technological development and the growth of online learning, present new challenges for higher education teachers and institutions. Web 2.0 tools create new opportunities for teachers and students to communicate, collaborate and contribute by different modalities. The need for teachers to harness this potential in order to be able to respond to the changing needs and expectations of their students make in-service training of higher education online teachers a priority. What is often overlooked in in-service initiatives however, is that teachers have varying degrees of technological competence and pedagogical competence. They also teach different kinds of content to students with different pre-existing knowledge, etc.  

This poster presents the implementation and outcomes of two simultaneous in-service training initiatives at the University of Gävle, Sweden. The initiatives were aimed at developing online teachers’ ability to successfully integrate ICT in their teaching. When planning this initiative we deliberately wanted to avoid techno centrism and a narrow focus on standards or competencies. Instead we were inspired by Mishra & Koehler’s theoretical framework TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) which recognises that developing the ability to successfully integrate ICT as a tool for learning means understanding the reciprocal relationship between technological knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and content knowledge (Mishra & Koehler 1986; 1987). Mishra & Koehler has built on Shulman’s (1986) pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) to create a conceptual framework that also includes technological knowledge and the ability to successfully integrate this with their pedagogical knowledge and content knowledge. In other words, a teacher that possesses TPACK knows how to successfully integrate ICT in their practice to create an added pedagogical value.