Making the shift to virtual professional learning

ABSTRACT

This qualitative research involved the development of 12 weeks of twice-weekly virtual maker professional learning (PL) sessions for K–12 and post-secondary educators at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The sessions were developed by four researchers from a maker lab in Ontario, Canada that moved entirely online in March 2020. The research question driving the study was: what are best practices related to virtual maker professional learning? Findings and implications related to this question include: a) technical issues should be anticipated and addressed in advance of each session; b) simple, hands-on activities are most effective for online maker professional learning; c) collaboration are pivotal to a rich online maker professional learning experience; d) using free, virtual tools is imperative for equitable access and learning; and e) adaptability is key when working with a diversity of learners/teachers from varied subjects and divisions.

KEYWORDS:

• Online learning
• making
• makerspace
• professional learning
• best practices

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethics statement

Ethics was obtained from Ontario Tech University’s Research Ethics Board. Approval number assigned to this research: 15-094. Written consent was obtained from participants.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada [grant number 950-230686].

Notes on contributors

Laura Morrison

Laura Morrison is a sessional instructor and research associate. Her research focuses primarily on critical digital literacies and online teacher education.

Janette Hughes

Janette Hughes is Canada Research Chair in Technology and Pedagogy and Professor in Digital Literacies. Her research explores critical digital literacies across the lifespan.