Learning to teach online: Measuring the influence of faculty development training on teaching effectiveness through a TPACK lens

The purpose of this study was to examine one model for training new online instructors and measure the influence it had on their teaching effectiveness and knowledge integration. The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model served as the conceptual framework. Using a quantitatively-driven mixed-methods design, three data sources were used: (1) instructors' pre and post-training course syllabi, (2) pre and post-training student evaluations of teaching scores, and (3) results of a follow-up online survey. The findings of this study revealed that instructors demonstrated: (a) statistically significant changes in their incorporation of elements into the redesign of course syllabi and (b) improvements in their teaching abilities as self-reported in the follow-up survey. However, there were no significant changes in their student evaluations of teaching pre- and post-training. Overall, instructors demonstrated modest improvements in their teaching effectiveness.