Designing PhysicIdea! MOOC: Challenges on teacher education

Abstract

Massive Open Online Courses provides massive scale education supporting the transfer of knowledge and the potential of collaborative and social learning. In addition, can be a cost and resource effective means to complement the traditional methods of professional development of teachers. Teacher Professional Development has become a major policy priority within education systems worldwide. Keeping teachers professionally up-to-date and providing them professional development opportunities on continuing basis is a big challenge. Learning Analytics aims of understanding and optimizing learning through data provided from learner’s action in a digital environment. Teaching strategies that take into account students' previous perceptions are fundamental for science education. Students of all levels daily deal with concepts like light and color and appear alternative ideas about these concepts. This paper discusses the challenges of Teacher Professional Development, reflects upon promises of using Massive Open Online Courses for Teacher Professional Development; details initiatives and experiences of using Massive Open Online Courses for Teacher Professional Development, and suggests actions for promoting the use of Massive Open Online Courses for Teacher Professional Development. Finally, proposes the integration of digital learning environments into a MOOC that offers techniques for the detection of future teachers’ ideas about the concepts of light and color.