Introducing Online Training in an Early Childhood Professional Development System: Lessons Learned in One State

Online child care training in the United States: a preliminary investigation of who participates, what is offered, and on which topics the workforce is focusing

“…For example, a study of nearly 5900 home-based family child care providers in 42 US states found individual users are diverse in terms of their ethnicity and years of experience (Durden et al 2015). However, another survey of 231 early care and education staff in one US state showed only half of the participants were comfortable with the technology needed to complete online training (Stone-MacDonald and Douglass 2015). Similarly, a three-state study of nearly 600 home-and center-based child care providers found individuals were more likely to prefer online training over traditional classroom-based approaches as long as they were comfortable using the internet as part of their daily work (Weigel et al 2012).…”

“…In the short term, researchers have noted the need for better data on rates of participation in in-service training which may not lead to a degree, but aims to enhance the child care workforce's capacity to support child care quality and promote young children's learning, nonetheless (Gomez et al 2015). In addition, it could be useful to have a better sense of the role online-based training plays in meeting the child care workforce's training needs (Stone-MacDonald and Douglass 2015), especially since such training may be useful for individuals who lack access to in-person options due to cost, geographic constraints, or personal or professional obligations, or merely prefer to learn at their own convenience and pace (Aikens et al 2016;Donohue and Fox 2012; National Center on Child Care Professional Development Systems and Workforce Initiatives 2014; Olsen et al 2010).…”

Understanding faculty training in competency‐based curriculum development

“…Sitzmann, Kraiger, Stewart, and Wisher () found that web‐based instruction was 2% more effective than classroom instruction for declarative knowledge and equally effective for procedural knowledge in a 2‐day media training. While this single study is not sufficient to argue that web instruction is more effective than classroom instruction for other learning goals, it does support the hypothesis that training paired with technology effectively engages the learner (Stone‐MacDonald & Douglass, ).…”

“…Recording the training sessions allows for repeated use of the training and has the potential to lower overall training costs. If the scope is small, perhaps a one‐on‐one session with an expert of CBE component development may prove to be a better investment as the bench strength is developed in‐house; additionally, studies have shown that one‐on‐one coaching with an expert can be most effective (Kim, Park, & O'Rourke, ; Pearce, ; Stone‐MacDonald & Douglass, ).…”

“…Face‐to‐face training is typically achieved in a classroom environment; for some, this type of training is the most effective, especially when the trainees are unskilled or new to the content (Krawcke, ). Classroom training is a conventional method of training that is deemed to be effective due to the immediate direction provided and feedback that the learner receives from the educator (Stone‐MacDonald & Douglass, ). However, the advancements in technology and web‐based training such as webinars have recently increased.…”