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Initial teacher education by open and distance modes: A snapshot of e-competency experiences in Australia

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Open access
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Dobozy, Eva
Ifenthaler, D.
Date
2014
Type
Journal Article

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Dobozy, E. and Ifenthaler, D. 2014. Initial teacher education by open and distance modes: A snapshot of e-competency experiences in Australia. eLearning Papers. 38 (Digital Literacies & eCompetencies): pp. 57-67.
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eLearning Papers: Digital Literacies & eCompetencies
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This article is published under the Open Access publishing model and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ Please refer to the licence to obtain terms for any further reuse or distribution of this work.

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Abstract

This paper explores the need for greater clarity of the effectiveness of initial teacher education by open and distance modes. Reports about global teacher shortages are not new. However, the recent infograph produced by the United Nations Education, Science, and Cultural Organisation (2013) paints an alarming picture. One way to assist in the supply of sufficient qualified school teachers is to provide initial teacher education (ITE) at a distance. This paper reports on an investigation of e-competency experiences of first-year students enrolled in distance-delivered ITE. The findings from in-depth interviews by all respondents as the preferred study mode. More importantly, a number of participants reported that for them, it is the only way to gain a teaching qualilfication even though some acknowledge a lack of e-competency skills at the commencement of their studies.