If You Choose Not to Decide: A Survey of Online Field Experiences for Canadian Teacher Preparation Programs

Jason Siko; Michael Barbour; Douglas Archibald; Nathaniel Ostashewski

doi:10.21432/cjlt28658

Authors

Jason Siko Clarkston High School https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8371-0838
Michael Barbour Touro University California https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9037-3350
Douglas Archibald United States Army Directorate of Training and Doctrine https://orcid.org/0009-0008-7290-1453
Nathaniel Ostashewski Athabasca University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6367-864X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21432/cjlt28658

Keywords:

K-12 distance education, pre-service teacher preparation, teacher education

Abstract

Despite the rapid growth in online and distance learning in Canada, there does not appear to be much interest on the part of teacher education programs to evolve to meet the needs of future generations of teacher candidates. While understanding the notion that systemic change in tertiary education takes time, the steady growth of online and blended learning in Canada–and globally–combined with raised awareness of distance learning stoked by the COVID-19 pandemic should make educators and policymakers worry about failing to respond to a rapidly changing educational landscape. This paper highlights the status of distance and online field experiences provided by Canadian teacher education programs. In addition, we review program offerings to support in-service teachers, such as graduate certificate, degree, and diploma programs, as well as MOOCs offering free professional development. This study, a replication of a mixed-method study originally conducted in the United States and published as a technical report by Archibald et al. (2020)[1], found that a minority of teacher education programs offered online or blended field experiences. Further, we found that programs were slow to change these deficiencies due to institutional lack of resources, limited knowledge base, perceived lack of usefulness for their teachers’ future careers, and regulatory bodies discouraging online field experiences. This study highlights the dramatic need for programming in distance and online education.

[1] This article is original, with some exceptions in the “Results” section.

Author Biographies

Jason Siko, Clarkston High School

Jason P. Siko is a science and computer science teacher at Clarkston High School in Clarkston, MI in the United States. He has held several academic appointments in teacher preparation programs and continues to serve as an adjunct instructor in undergraduate and graduate educational technology courses.

Michael Barbour, Touro University California

Michael K. Barbour, Touro University California. Michael has been involved with K-12 distance, online, and blended learning for over two decades. His research focuses on the effective design, delivery, and support of K-12 distance, online, and blended learning, most recently with an eye to how regulation, governance, and policy can impact effective environments and practices.

Douglas Archibald, United States Army Directorate of Training and Doctrine

Douglas Archibald, United States Army Directorate of Training and Doctrine. Douglas is a blended learning and adult education researcher specializing in non-traditional students. He trains military faculty in blended learning practices at the Fires Center of Excellence at Fort Sill, OK in the United States. His research has been featured in The British Journal of Education Technology, the Journal of Online Learning Research, TechTrends, and Learning, Design, and Technology.

Nathaniel Ostashewski, Athabasca University

Nathaniel Ostashewski is Associate Professor of Open, Digital, and Distance Education at Athabasca University in Alberta, Canada. He teaches graduate courses in distance education research design, educational technology, and online and blended learning. He has been utilizing digital technology in teaching since 1987, both at the K12 and graduate education level.

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