As a Special Education Director, I’ve sat in countless debriefs where educators say some version of: “We had PD, but I still don’t feel ready.” During the COVID-19 pivot to Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT), districts moved quickly to online professional development (PD). Many programs were well-intentioned, but they leaned heavily on content delivery—webinars, tool walkthroughs, and slide decks—without creating the conditions that actually build confidence in practice.
A 2025 study in the Journal of Online Learning Research provides a clear takeaway: teachers’ Online Teaching Self-Efficacy (OTSE) increases when online PD is designed to help teachers apply learning, learn from peers, and feel supported—not just informed.
What Is Online Teaching Self-Efficacy (OTSE), and Why Should Districts Care?
OTSE is a teacher’s belief that they can succeed in online teaching now and in future settings. This matters because self-efficacy is tied to what we all want in schools: persistence, resilience, and better instructional decision-making when things get hard.
In special education, OTSE has an added layer. When teachers feel confident online, they are more likely to:
- Differentiate instruction for diverse learners
- Maintain consistent communication with families
- Use accessible digital tools appropriately
- Collaborate effectively with related service providers (speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, school psychologists, etc.)
And when confidence is low, we often see the opposite: avoidance of new strategies, inconsistent implementation, and rising stress—especially in already strained environments where staffing shortages (including therapists) are real and ongoing.
The Study Snapshot: What Happened in This District?
Researchers studied an online PD program created during the pandemic called the Remote Teaching Excellence (RTE) project. It served a large Mid-Atlantic public school district and ran from January to June 2021. The program offered six monthly 90-minute Zoom sessions focused on key remote/hybrid teaching topics such as differentiated virtual instruction, student engagement, hybrid learning, trauma-informed strategies, and assessment.
The evaluation focused on 61 classroom teachers who completed both pre- and post-surveys measuring OTSE. The results were meaningful:
- Self-efficacy for online student engagement increased from 70.74 to 80.49 (out of 100)
- Self-efficacy for online instructional strategies increased from 77.98 to 87.31 (out of 100)
These increases were statistically significant with large effect sizes. In plain terms: teachers didn’t just “like” the PD—they felt more capable after it.
The Real Secret: Four Design Elements That Built Confidence
The RTE project wasn’t magic. It was design. The PD included four consistent elements that mapped well onto what we know about how self-efficacy develops (based on Bandura’s framework): mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion, and reduced stress through supportive environments.
1) Expert Guest Speakers (But Kept Practical)
Each session included a 15–30 minute expert presentation with demonstrations and examples. Teachers reported that the best expert segments were “straight to the point,” understandable, and immediately relevant to what they were facing.
Why this matters: modeling provides vicarious experience. When teachers see a strategy done well—and can imagine themselves doing it—they gain confidence faster than from reading about it.
2) Communities of Practice (CoP) Small Groups
Teachers were assigned to small groups of 8–12 colleagues with similar roles (grade level, content area, special education, ESOL, etc.). These groups stayed together across sessions and met in breakout rooms for 30–45 minutes each time.
From a district leadership lens, this is the part many PD models skip—and it’s often the part teachers value most. In the study, “discussing with my small group” was rated extremely helpful (around 9.5 out of 10).
Why this matters:
- Teachers gained practical ideas tailored to their context
- They problem-solved with peers who “get it”
- They normalized challenges and reduced isolation
- They shared wins, which reinforces mastery
3) Network Facilitators (Structure + Psychological Safety)
Each CoP group had a trained facilitator—often a peer teacher or graduate student—who helped maintain norms, encourage participation, and keep the conversation productive. Teachers rated facilitators as one of the most helpful aspects of the entire program.
This is a major leadership lesson: a strong facilitator doesn’t “teach” the group as much as they protect the conditions for learning—especially vulnerability, honesty, and shared reflection.
In special education meetings with families, we talk a lot about trust and psychological safety. The same principle applies to adult learning. If teachers don’t feel safe saying, “This isn’t working,” they won’t get to solutions.
4) Hands-on Activities (Good, But Teachers Wanted More Practice)
The program included activities during sessions and “homework” follow-ups (lesson plans, reflections, visuals). Teachers liked demonstrations of tools and strategies, but many wanted more time to practice during the live session—ideally with peers and with access to expert feedback.
This is a familiar tension for districts: we want practice time, but we also worry about screen fatigue and time demands. The study team acknowledged this tradeoff and intentionally avoided overscheduling teachers.
What District Leaders Can Apply Immediately (Even Outside a Pandemic)
Whether your district is refining remote learning, building hybrid readiness, or simply trying to improve technology-infused instruction, the RTE findings translate well beyond 2021.
Here are practical moves I recommend to PD planners and building leaders:
- Design PD around application, not attendance
- Keep teacher groups consistent across sessions to build trust
- Use trained facilitators to support discussion and follow-through
- Build in time for teachers to adapt strategies to their own students (including IEP and 504 needs)
- Offer optional coaching or office hours for feedback after implementation
Where TinyEYE Fits: Supporting Schools When Capacity Is Tight
Many districts are balancing two realities at once: the need to strengthen remote/hybrid instructional capacity and ongoing staffing shortages—especially among specialized service providers. From my seat, the most sustainable solutions are the ones that expand access without lowering quality or compliance.
Online service delivery, when implemented thoughtfully, can support continuity of services and reduce scheduling barriers. It also aligns with what this study highlights: confidence grows when professionals have structured support, opportunities to practice, and a community to learn with.
For districts partnering with TinyEYE, the leadership question becomes: how do we pair service delivery with capacity-building so educators feel competent and supported? The RTE model offers a blueprint: expert modeling, small-group collaboration, facilitation, and practice.
Final Takeaway
If your PD plan is mostly “watch this” and “try that tool,” you may get compliance—but not confidence. This study reinforces what many of us learned the hard way: teacher self-efficacy grows through community, practice, and credible support. When districts design PD to build those conditions, teachers are more prepared to teach effectively—whether instruction is in-person, hybrid, or fully online.
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