Choosing Relevant Internet Assisted Course Types for Professional Development

Abstract

Online courses for the professional development of workers in service is ever pervasive and continually growing. However, studies of teaching with technology are mostly conducted in K-12, pre-service, or higher education settings resulting in a lack of attention given to the professional development context. In addition, most studies tend to investigate learners instead of instructors, even though the latter are reportedly struggling in conducting online teaching. One of the struggles instructors face includes choosing effective technologically enhanced course types in line with the learning content. This study aims to alleviate the issue by investigating online courses in a professional development context, particularly one in a government institution namely the Financial Education and Training Agency (FETA) under the Indonesian Ministry of Finance. By analyzing curriculum documents followed by interviewing online instructors, the present study aimed to uncover practice-based considerations to guide the selection of course types for online courses. There were essentially three main course types at FETA: distance learning, web-based learning, and webinar courses, each suitable for various kinds of learning content.