Successful web-based educational offerings combine functionalities offered by the latest web development tools with vetted science content and with current research on best practices for face-to-face instructional delivery. Developing and delivering engaging, online courses and workshops that are cost effective, scalable, and produce significant learner gains, can be challenging. However, an asynchronous (any time, anywhere) course approach can address these goals, while also allowing novice and practicing educators to select and participate in needed courses at their convenience.
First and foremost, effective science teachers must have solid and up-to-date content knowledge. Contact with content experts (through videos and content design) within asynchronous online courses provides scalable access to science professionals and helps to empower classroom educators to provide high quality experiences for students. It is widely agreed that effective professional development practices must center on the learner and provide opportunities for self-reflection and self-assessment. Courses on BioEd Online make frequent use of online notebooks, so that teacher learners have opportunities to conceptualize thoughts, and then reflect upon and revise those ideas. Frequent use of self-assessment questions with embedded feedback provides opportunities for learners to uncover some of their own misunderstandings and to reinforce research-based information. Incorporation of outstanding web resources helps to leverage resources and provides rich experiences for online learners. This presentation will provide a road map for developing and delivering engaging, asynchronous (any time, anywhere) online courses and workshops that produce significant learner gains. (Funded by National Science Foundation, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIH), Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Houston Endowment Inc.)
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