UTeach Blended Learning Professional Development boosts teacher retention and significantly strengthens teachers’ skills to integrate technology.
A study conducted by the Texas Education Research Center suggests that UTeach Blended Learning Professional Development (BLPD) “is positively associated with long-term teacher retention in the classroom and in education, delivering effective teacher development that significantly benefits teachers by supporting their skills to integrate technology in their classrooms.”
Testimonials and survey data from teachers across Texas who have completed the UTeach BLPD attest that the job-embedded, just-in-time, and facilitated online professional development truly helps teachers change their practice.
The study concludes that “UTeach’s BLPD boosts teacher retention and technology engagement and supports teachers’ instructional growth with tailored BL strategies, enhancing teaching practices across Texas for an increasingly technology-driven world.”
Executive summary (PDF)
Blended Learning Courses
- Foundations of Blended Learning
- Advanced Blended Learning
- Personalized Blended Learning
- Blended Learning Coaching and Collaboration
- Designing Project-Based Instruction and Blended Learning
- Implementing Project-Based Instruction and Blended Learning
- AP Computer Science Principles
- AP Computer Science A
- Teaching Algebra 1 Using Blended Learning
- Introduction to Data-Driven Instruction
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Blended Learning Classrooms
- Mastering the New Science TEKS
TEACHER RETENTION
Participants in the BLPD program tend to remain in education at a higher rate than those not in the program.
Overall, this course has transformed my thinking about blended learning. I no longer think that more work or something else must be done in the classroom. The course’s articles, activities, and assignments have shown me that the only thing I must change is my way of thinking.
— Study participant
TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION
Teachers participating in UTeach’s BLPD significantly changed their attitudes toward blended learning and increased their ability to use technology productively in the classroom. Specifically, the study found that BLPD participation positively impacted teachers' attitudes and beliefs in five categories: disposition, online integration, data practice, personalized instruction, and online interaction.
One potential lever to improve teacher retention lies in professional development programs, specifically those that train teachers to leverage technology in the classroom to provide more personalized learning environments.
— Texas Education Research Center
Source: Texas Education Research Center at The University of Texas at Austin. (June 2024). Participation in the UTeach Blended Learning Professional Development Program and Long-Term Teacher Retention.