Unal receives Outstanding Presentation Award
Aslihan Unal, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Elementary and Special Education, received the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE) 2021 Outstanding Presentation Award.
Unal and University of South Florida’s Zafer Unal presented, “How Teacher Choice and Voice can Improve Professional Development Design and Implementation,” during SITE’s virtual conference in October.
The presentation was based off a research article completed by the pair in which they surveyed 1,167 in-service teachers in the United States to determine complete a professional needs assessment. Their results indicated that teachers who participated in the study feel they have little to no input in the professional development learning decisions they are required to complete and would like to see this changed. While development activities are required to maintain licensure, the study indicated that it can often feel like it is a waste of time to the teachers if the opportunity is not well constructed or relevant to the participants.
“The purpose of this study was to collect and analyze data about in-service teachers’ professional development activities and determine their current professional development needs,” said Unal. “One of the most important results of the study is that participants strongly suggested a centralized professional development system in which teachers can input their professional development needs and search for available PD opportunities listed in the same system that is approved by the school district/board.”
To read a complete version of the research article, visit https://www.learntechlib.org/p/220203/
Posted in Awards, Conferences, Publications