Researching Communities of Practice When Transitioning In-service Educator Training to Blended Learning

3. Computational Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation Engineering (CORE), New Jersey Institute of Technology, USA)

Abstract: The New Jersey Department of Education sought to develop an online professional learning community for 150,000 educators in nearly 600 school districts. The authors present a post-project analysis of the project developed in support of Face-to-Face, Blended, and fully online learning situations. This project created an “Online Professional Learning Exchange” with blended online learning modules and was funded with over two million dollars. The greatest strength of the OPLE tool is to aid the state of NJ in shifting their training from expert delivery of knowledge in a face-to-face format towards the Community of Practice. The paper presents a Systematic Review of the Literature, an analysis of Professional Learning and Training Methods, and a description of the Methods to create Blended Learning Modules focused on video, written materials, polls, and discussions. Through this integrated approach, the OPLE allows users to master concepts that enhance their ability to provide more efficient and practical instruction to their students. Finally, the paper concludes with the results and implications in light of the current world developments and their impact on education. 

Key words: communities of practice (CoP), blended learning, educational technology (EdTech), professional learning, instructional design