Distance Education in Teacher Preparation Programs: A National Study

Overview & Synopsis

The growing demand for distance education at both the K-12 school and university level, has prompted a number of teacher education programs to integrate distance-based technology into their preparation programs. This study examines data from 102 teacher education programs to analyze the current status of distance education in teacher preparation across the United States. Findings show limited use of distance education, with Web 1.0 technologies more commonly used than Web 2.0. Use of distance education was primarily within the contexts of course settings and more frequently in hybrid formats than in online formats. The role of the individual faculty member in the decision-making process was also found to be prominent. Further noted was that many institutions did not have a plan for the integration or the assessment of distance education in their programs.