Exploring Future Teachers’ Awareness, Competence, Confidence, and Attitudes Regarding Teaching Online - Incorporating Blended/Online Experience into the Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Course for Graduate Students

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Muffet

Dalhousie University’s Certificate in University Teaching and Learning includes a 12-week course, Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, redesigned to reflect the growing need for online and blended teaching. The study uses pre- and post-facilitation questionnaires to measure graduate students’ awareness, competence, confidence, and attitudes about online and blended learning. Results show increased awareness, competence, and confidence and recognition of online value, while face-to-face teaching and student learning preferences remain unchanged.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Exploring Future Teachers’ Awareness, Competence, Confidence, and Attitudes Regarding Teaching Online

How the Project Began

Method and Pre/Post Facilitation Questionnaires

CSSHE SCÉES Canadian Journal of Higher Education Revue canadienne d’enseignement supérieur Volume 45, No. 3, 2015, pages 1-14 Exploring Future Teachers’Awareness, Competence, Confidence, and Attitudes Regarding Teaching Online: Incorporating Blended/Online Experience into the Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Course for Graduate Students Suzanne Le-May Sheffield, Jill Marie McSweeney, and Aaron Panych Dalhousie University Abstract Dalhousie University’s Centre for Learning and Teaching offers a Certificate in University Teaching and Learning, which includes a 12-week course entitled Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. This course provides the certificate’s theory component and has evolved to reflect the changing needs of future educators. One significant change is the development of a blended course model that incorporates graded online facilitation, prompted by the recognition that teaching assistants and faculty are increasingly required to teach online or blended (i.e., combining face-to-face and online) courses. This study invited graduate students enrolled in the course to participate in pre- and post-facilitation questionnaires that assessed their awareness, competence, confidence, and attitudes towards online and blended learning. Students recognized the value of the online component for future teaching expertise and experienced increased awareness, competence, and confidence regarding teaching online. However, preference for face-to-face teaching and student learning did not change. CJHE / RCES Volume 45, No. 3, 2015 Future Teachers and Online Teaching / S. L.-M. Sheffield, J. M. McSweeney, & A. Panych 2 Résumé Le Centre for Learning and Teaching de l’Université Dalhousie offre uncertificat en pédagogie de l’enseignement universitaire, lequel comprend un cours de douze semainesintitulé « Teaching and Learning in Higher Education » . Au fil du temps, ce cours théorique a évolué pour s’adapter aux besoins des futurs pédagogues. En outre, parce que les assistants à l’enseignement et les membres de la faculté sont sollicités de plus en plus fréquemment pour donner des cours en ligne ou hybrides (combinant l’enseignement en classeet à distance), on a intégré un modèle de cours hybride facilitant la correction de travaux. C’est ainsi qu’on a invité des étudiants des cycles supérieurs à remplir un questionnaire avant de suivre le cours et après l’avoir suivi. Ce questionnaire évaluait leurs connaissances, compétences et attitudes par rapport à l’enseignement en ligne et hybride. Les étudiants ont reconnul’importance del’enseignement en lignedans leur formation. Ilsontdémontré une plus grande connaissance des approches d’enseignement et ont rapporté avoir une meilleure confiance en eux relativement à l’enseignement en ligne. Néanmoins, leur préférence pour l’enseignement en classe n’a pas changé . How the Project Began In 2012, a guest speaker in the Teaching and Learning in Higher Education course (CNLT 5000) left the graduate students with an important message: Whether they liked it or not, teaching online was unlikely to be an option or an add-on to their teaching careers, as it had been for his career. All of them, at one point or another, would be required to teach online. This was a pivotal moment for me (Suzanne) . As the instructor for the course, I recognized that I was doing students a disservice by not incorporating technology as a more integral component of the course, especially as some of the students in the class were already working in the online environment as teaching assistants. I realized it was no longer enough to just provide a Technology Week within the framework of the course; rather, it needed to be a fully integrated component. While colleagues suggested to me that such a goal could/should be a separate course, I reflected that those who would take a course about teaching online would be the already converted. CNLT 5000 was an excellent opportunity to int

FAQs

What change prompted the blended course model in the Teaching and Learning in Higher Education course?

The course evolved to incorporate blended learning because teaching assistants and faculty were increasingly required to teach online or blended courses.

How did the study measure students’ growth in online teaching?

Graduate students completed pre- and post-facilitation questionnaires assessing their awareness, competence, confidence, and attitudes regarding online and blended learning.

What impact did the online component have on participants’ confidence and attitudes?

Students reported increased awareness, competence, and confidence about teaching online and recognized the value of the online component for future expertise.

Did students’ preference for face-to-face teaching change after the course?

No. Preference for face-to-face teaching and student learning did not change despite gains related to online teaching.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Muffet