Developing an Online Job Aid to Help Middle Leaders Design Professional Development Training for School Teachers

Abstract

Middle leaders in educational settings often struggle to design professional development (PD) programs for technology integration due to time constraints and limited specialized knowledge. This study addresses this challenge by proposing an online job aid as a workplace learning mechanism. Guided by instructional design principles, the system provides a structured step-by-step approach to developing PD programs. To guide this study, the following research question was posed: How can an online job aid be designed to support middle leaders in planning and facilitating effective in-school PD programs for ICT integration, while addressing limitations of traditional support tools? A mixed-methods evaluation, comprising a questionnaire survey and interviews, was conducted to assess the job aid’s effectiveness.

Results show that the job aid significantly enhanced middle leaders’ training design capabilities by providing features such as guided design processes, essential information inputs, and access to shared training designs. While outcomes were promising, the study also identified areas for improvement in design flexibility and the user interface. This research offers a practical solution for supporting technology integration in educational professional development and has potential for future AI-enhanced capabilities.