Mind Over Medium

By Eric Wills

For Nancy Jacobson, online professional development just makes sense. The 5th grade teacher at Frazee Elementary School lives in a rural part of western Minnesota, 60 miles from the nearest college offering traditional in-person courses. By going online instead, she can save driving time and gas money, and complete her weekly coursework whenever she has time.

Online professional development isn’t just convenient, however. If it’s done right, it can also be as effective as face-to-face PD in helping teachers improve student performance, according to the study “Ready to...