There has never been a time with more pressure on teachers to gain additional teachers training qualifications. From government initiates like "No Child Left Behind", to the greater use of technology in the classroom, teachers are under pressure to know more, be better-qualified, and more valuable as educators. Better qualifications also mean better prospects and pay.
Yet, for teacher, the practicality of getting a further education while working, presents a real scheduling challenge. Teachers are working harder than ever. Increasing demands are made on school teaching staff, yet fewer and fewer teachers employed, and expected to meet these.
The question is, if you're a teacher and your schedule is packed with activities during the school day and follow-up activities after work hours, how do you fit in an enhanced education?
Well certain teachers are turning to online teachers training courses as the answer. But do these courses really measure up to their hype? Are these courses a genuine way to get a recognized qualification? In this article we'll explore some of the current issues around online teachers training.
The promise of online teachers training courses is that you'll obtain your BA, Masters or Doctorate in education without leaving your house. The hope is that when you've done this, your qualification from an online university will be looked on favourably by school administrators and future employers. Is this really possible, or are online teachers training courses a waste of time and money?
In fact this promise is a reality. Long established universities are moving many more teachers training courses online. And specialist online teachers training universities like Walden University and Phoenix University are becoming more prominent and established in online course delivery.
Importantly for teachers, courses offered by online universities are often accredited with important teaching standards bodies. Accreditation is probably the number one thing to look for in an online degree course. After all, will a degree be any use if no one respects it? Apart from gaining a quality degree, the next thing that makes online teachers training appealing is the ability to study entirely from home. Does this claim measure up with the reality?
Again, this promise is met with real life experience. Although some schools have a period where they may expect you to attend offline class, which seems reasonable, many online teachers training courses are indeed, nearly 100% online.
This does not mean that your class schedule will be 100% flexible though. Courses have periods set aside for online discussion and during these, all students are required to attend. You need to leave your schedule open – they can sometimes be arranged as short notice by course professors.