Lead Teacher Perspectives of Virtual CASE Institute Professional Development

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) lead teachers (LTs) who facilitated a CASE virtual professional development (PD) institute during the summer of 2021. The central research question that guided the study was how effective were virtual CASE PD institutes from the LT perspective? This research employed a single case study design where the CASE virtual PD institutes held during summer 2021 served as the case. Participants included 23 CASE LTs who participated in focus group interviews and feedback via Flipgrid technology. Secondary data sources included a document analysis of the CASE LTs and Hosts Facebook group. Four themes emerged from data analysis: maintaining the integrity of CASE, face-to-face preference for virtual delivery, hurdles unique to virtual PD, and organizational structure for future virtual PD. Recommendations for practice include streamlining processes associated with virtual PD including building community and engagement strategies, alignment with the CASE model and philosophy, additional training for LTs on technology use and delivery methods for virtual platforms, and clearer division of responsibilities for CASE staff, LTs, and hosts. Recommendations for future research include a qualitative exploration into the experiences of participants and follow-up studies to gauge participant implementation of CASE curriculum after attending virtual PD.