Never before has the importance of effective online professional development been more prominent than it has during the COVID-19 times with the significant transition to working and teaching online. Effective professional development (PD) is critical in supporting in-service teachers to continue developing professionally, expanding their knowledge, skills, and abilities, and enhancing self-efficacy. The elements of effective face-to-face PD have been researched extensively, but those for online PD remain elusive. This paper reports on the perspectives of in-service teachers who were surveyed on their preferences, practices, and perceptions of effective online PD. The elements of effective online PD were identified: flexibility, human connection, content, savings, and technology. These elements are presented in the context of teachers’ behaviours and preferences, which allows a deeper understanding of how to design and develop effective online PD. These findings support the future development of a framework for effective online PD for in-service teachers.

Given the vast number of learning and teaching tools available to assist in the online delivery of courses, academics and educators have found it difficult to identify which tools students find the most useful for learning. This paper discusses the development of a new tool conceptualised and developed by the authors of this concise paper, which is designed to elicit immediate student feedback about online learning content and activities. Results from a small pilot study examining the potential of the tool to measure and improve student engagement in a second-year criminology elective delivered online are also presented. Providing opportunities for students to give immediate feedback is vital to improving the quality of learning and teaching. Educators can (re)connect with students studying online, improve their understanding of the needs of online learners, and tailor learning content and activities throughout the semester leading to improved student satisfaction, student-teacher relationships, and learner outcomes.

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