Fourteenth International Conference on e-Learning & Innovative Pedagogies

Abstract

Online learning is the most notable advancement in higher education. The present paper examines the perceptions of elementary school Pre-Service Teacher (PST) students with regards to online learning through the lens of Perceived Resources and Technology Acceptance Model (PRATAM). Specifically, PST’s perceptions in an online practicum class was examined on factors of perceived resources, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude toward using, behavioral intention to use, and actual system use. Factor analysis and Cronbach alpha was used to verify the construct validity and reliability of the 40 survey questions. The D2L learning management system was the platform on which the online course was administered. In addition, teachers’ perceptions of online feedback given by their Professor on their classroom practicum teaching was also examined. The online feedback helped the PSTs’ to learn, modify and incorporate best pedagogical practices in their classroom teaching practices. Survey data was collected at two points (beginning and end of semester) to measure the change in PST’s beliefs, attitudes, intentions, and behaviors in the online course as well the feedback they received from the Professor. An independent sample t-test was used to compare the pre-test and post-test scores. The results showed that there was a significant increase in teacher perceptions of online learning from the pre-test to post-test scores. This study makes an important contribution towards PST learning in a online environment especially with regards to incorporating the professors’ online feedback in classroom teaching. Practical implications and future research directions are discussed.