This study encompasses research on the role of mentoring in the experiences of instructional supervisors in K-12 school districts and how mentoring contributed to their professional development. The method used for this research included a questionnaire, one-to-one interviews, and a panel discussion to capture the essence of the work of the…

Professional development in higher education is increasingly shifting to online formats. However, online professional development often does not lend itself well to fostering meaningful human interconnection. Taking a constructivist approach, we share findings from a qualitative research study that explored what participants found meaningful in a…

This dissertation was conducted using case study methodology to examine how teachers of different content areas integrate media literacy into their instruction to address the specialized knowledge and discourses of their disciplines after participating in a media literacy online professional development, how they applied the content from the…

A significant contributor to student success is engagement in the school setting. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can be a helpful framework for increasing student engagement and creating an inclusive environment for all learners. This study investigated the relationship between teachers' understanding and implementation of Universal Design…

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are an integral part of the instructional personnel in undergraduate general chemistry courses. Professional development programs for GTAs are well-established across STEM disciplines ranging from two-day to week-long sessions, covering a wide variety of topics, ranging from pedagogy and safety standards to…

Social studies classrooms are often lauded as ideal spaces where productive conversations centered around race/ism can, and should occur. Unfortunately, social studies classrooms have yet to live up to this reality as traditional social studies instruction--a type of standards-based instruction characterized by lectures, rote memorization, and…

This qualitative phenomenological research study used narrative inquiry to explore teacher perceptions of both traditional and virtual professional development in schools. Structured interviews were implemented with fifteen participants to determine differing teacher perceptions on professional development, and the results of this study support…

Schools and districts face continuing pressure to implement educational reforms that will bring about improved academic outcomes for all students. Successfully implementing these needed reforms requires individual administrators to distribute leadership activities throughout the network of leaders present at the site and district level, more…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine what preparational experiences are necessary for assistant principals to effectively transition to the principalship. Fifteen principals completed a 21-item survey and answered seven interview questions to better understand how the North Carolina Standards for School Executives aligned with…

Historically, teacher preparation programs do not adequately prepare teacher candidates to effectively integrate technology into teaching and learning. In addition, an underlying concern is if teachers are ready for online learning and teaching, and sparse research has focused on the preparations of teachers in integrating technology and online…

This study employed Kirkpatrick's training evaluation model to better examine the reactions and learning experiences of a group of pharmaceutical industry sales professionals who participated in pandemic-related virtual compliance training in spring 2020. The field of learning technologies has few examples and limited knowledge regarding the…

This exploratory case study examined how and if career counselors learned about the impact of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) on occupations, including which actions, activities, and conditions helped or hindered their learning, and what impact this learning had on their professional practice. The data included questionnaires and…

Mental health distress for students is prevalent on postsecondary campuses, which negatively affects students' psychological well-being and academic success. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to examine the influence that social and emotional learning (SEL) professional development focused on respect had on the instructional practice…

In March 2020, K-12 schools tried to quickly get all teachers up to speed on remote learning. School librarians, ever the leaders in education, quickly jumped in, creating and offering what was needed for their schools, students, and teachers. American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Town Halls and state and regional virtual spaces were…

This study investigates the effects of a short pedagogical training on university teachers' professional vision and (mis)conceptions concerning teaching and learning, utilizing a mixed-methods approach. Participants' written interpretations of a video-based teaching--learning situation were analyzed and comparisons were made between prospective…