Teacher professional learning experiences in MOOC

teachers from Sonora, Mexico who participated in the Key Learning Collection

Abstract

In recent years, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) have become important venues for professional learning for teachers. In this context, the purpose was to understand the professional learning experiences that a group of primary education teachers in Mexico experienced in the set of MOOCs called “Key Learning Collection”. The qualitative research method was used, and a semi-structured interview was applied as an instrument to 17 in-service teachers. The findings on the teachers learning experiences were categorized into: (1) interaction with the MOOC didactic proposal; and (2) completion or abandonment of MOOC. Within the first category, the didactic-pedagogical elements that characterized the construction of the teachers learning are detailed, such as: activities, interaction between participants, resources for learning and evaluation schemes. In the second category, the motivations and skills that favored some teachers to complete the MOOC are highlighted, and that their absence influenced the abandonment of the learning experience by other teachers; for example, commitment to teaching, and digital skills, self-regulation and time management. These results are useful to favor the construction of online, massive and open environments that promote the professional learning of teachers according to their characteristics and needs.