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This article aims to shed light on our understanding of how teacher reflection could be fostered through online teacher professional development. In this respect, the presented article starts from three theoretical foundations, namely the characterisation of online teacher professional development, logic modelling and fostering teacher reflection. Based on these foundations, a logic model is constructed and subsequently used to analyse an online teacher professional development programme. The examined online teacher professional development trajectory is the Digital Didactics programme, which originated in Flanders (Dutch-speaking part of Belgium). Twenty participants and four coaches participated in the study. The results explain how reflection was fostered through several online teacher professional development programme features. The reflective practices that formed the main outcomes of this study were mainly from a behavioural, attitudinal and social nature. The conclusions drawn can inform both theory and practice on how online teacher professional development could instigate teacher reflection.

The increased number of courses taught in an online environment has led to more teachers in need of professional development for online or blended teaching. Although various professional development programs have been scrutinised, only a few studies integrate the feelings of teachers during their professional development process. Teachers’ feelings form an inherent part of their teacher-selves and are reflected in their everyday practice. Therefore, this study uses a hermeneutic phenomenological research method to examine the lived experiences – the feelings – of educational staff within a professional development program that targets online and blended teaching. The results indicate that teachers experience a large range of feelings and that these fluctuate throughout the program. These include positive feelings of connectivity, responsibility, and satisfaction, but also more negative feelings of chaos and frustration. The recognition and understanding of these feelings can illuminate particular aspects of professional development that are experienced more positively or negatively, which can guide further efforts for qualitative improvement.

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Successful implementation of blended learning initiatives requires careful planning and consideration of multidimensional factors. Focusing on evaluation and accountability for the design of professional development initiatives (PDIs) is the next step towards creating efficient and effective PDIs. This is especially needed since the Covid-19 pandemic has seen a dramatic shift towards using, and training for integration of digital teaching tools in higher education. The purpose of this qualitative research is to synthesize how professional development initiatives for blended learning in higher education institutions can be evaluated. Following a systematic review of the literature, fourteen empirical research articles were withheld and analyzed qualitatively using an inductive coding framework inspired by the 5 levels of evaluation by ( Guskey, T. R. (2000). Evaluating professional development. Corwin Press.). The results show that evaluation can be organized into five categories which correspond to the five evaluative levels for professional development by Guskey. The study concludes with recommendations and approaches for each evaluation category with a particular focus on higher education contextual challenges.

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