Professional Development for Teachers | Online Courses
Online courses are a fast, time-effective form of professional development for teachers. Online workshops, webinars, and EdTech training are examples of ways classroom teachers can keep upgrading their skills.
As a busy classroom teacher, I’m mainly interested in convenient online options for professional development. Let’s rate the popular online opportunities for boosting teaching knowledge and skills.
Quick Summary
Fastest options: Online workshops and webinar platforms.
Best for classroom technology: EdTech training from Google, Microsoft, or similar providers.
Best for recognised skills: Micro-credentials or CEU courses.
Best for career growth: Postgraduate education courses.
What is Professional Development for Teachers?
Professional development (PD) is ongoing training that teachers complete after gaining their teaching qualification. It builds classroom knowledge, teaching skills, and professional currency. In K-12 education, teachers in most states also need to complete PD to renew their teaching license.
PD can cover assessment, classroom technology, student support, teaching methods, leadership, and policy changes.
Online Professional Development Courses for Teachers
Busy teachers need professional development that is quick to start, easy to finish, and useful in the classroom. The online course types below are arranged from quickest to most time-intensive.
Educators should talk to their administration about required and optional PD. Most schools provide required professional development, but online learning can add extra skills, recognised training, and more choice.
1. Short online PD workshops
Time efficiency: Very high. Best for teachers who want quick, targeted training without committing to a full course.
Numerous free online professional development workshops are available for teachers. PBS offers courses in planning and preparation, assessment and evaluation, effective instruction, learning environments, and disciplines.
Coursera is another site where you can access teacher training. Most options charge a fee if you want to receive a certificate. Coursera partners with universities to make learning more accessible. Teacher-focused examples include Supporting Children with Difficulties in Reading and Writing, Teaching Character and Creating Positive Classrooms, Basics of Inclusive Design for Online Learning, and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.
2. Webinar-based professional learning
Time efficiency: Very high. Best for teachers who want short sessions, on-demand webinars, and topic-specific PD hours.
Webinar-based professional learning gives teachers access to live and recorded training without enrolling in a long program. Platforms such as edWeb and Share My Lesson offer short PD sessions, subject-based training, and teacher communities built around grade levels, subjects, and classroom needs.
Webinars can be especially useful when you need flexible hours, fresh classroom ideas, or a quick way to learn from other educators working on similar teaching challenges.
3. EdTech certification training
Time efficiency: High. Best for teachers who want classroom technology skills they can use straight away.
Technology is now part of everyday teaching, so educators need to stay up to date with digital classroom tools. Both Google and Microsoft offer online training for teachers.
You can take classes and earn certificates from Google and Microsoft to demonstrate that you understand how to use classroom technology effectively. You can even take your knowledge further by becoming a Google Certified Trainer and working with other schools and educators to improve their EdTech use.
4. Micro-credentials
Time efficiency: Moderate to high. Best for teachers who want recognised skill development in a specific teaching area.
The National Education Association (NEA) offers micro-credential certifications to educators and aspiring educators who want to develop specific competencies. Micro-credentials are earned by completing focused professional learning in a chosen topic.
Micro-credential topics include bully-free schools, using your voice to advocate for students, building effective teams, arts integration, assessment literacy, and technology integration.
5. Online graduate credit and CEU courses
Time efficiency: Moderate. Best for teachers who need continuing education units, graduate-level credit, or salary advancement hours without starting a full degree.
Some online PD providers offer self-paced teacher courses that can count toward continuing education units or graduate-level credit. These options are usually more demanding than a short webinar but less intensive than a postgraduate qualification.
Graduate credit and CEU study can suit teachers who need documented professional learning for licensure, district requirements, or pay-scale movement. Before enrolling, check whether the option is accepted by your school, district, or state education authority.
6. Postgraduate education courses
Time efficiency: Lower in the short term. Best for teachers who want a formal qualification or a pathway into leadership.
Graduate certificates are common amongst educators. Some teachers also decide to earn their master’s degree during their first few years of teaching and others wait a few years before re-enrolling in school.
After you’ve graduated and landed a job at a school, going back to college might sound like the last thing you want to do. Luckily, flexible graduate certificate online courses are available. Earning a postgraduate qualification helps you explore teaching methods more deeply, gain new education knowledge, and grow professionally.
How to Choose the Right Professional Development Course
Ideally, professional development meets your personal goals while also satisfying any PD requirements of your state teacher licensing or registration body, employer, or school district. The right option depends on whether you need practical classroom ideas, recognised credit, technology skills, or a formal qualification.
- Need a classroom idea you can use soon? An online workshop or webinar may be enough.
- Want stronger classroom technology skills? EdTech training from Google, Microsoft, or a similar provider may fit.
- Want evidence of skill development? Micro-credentials can provide a certificate or digital badge.
- Need CEUs or graduate credit? A course that clearly states the credit available is the safer option.
- Want leadership or promotion options? Postgraduate education study may be more useful.
A short workshop may be enough for one classroom strategy. A longer course is more suitable when you want credit, a formal credential, or deeper professional learning.
Benefits of Online Professional Development Courses
Online professional development courses help teachers keep improving without needing to leave the classroom for long periods. Good online PD can refresh teaching methods, introduce current research, and provide ideas that are ready to use with students.
Improve classroom practice
A teaching degree cannot prepare you for every challenge that appears on the job. Professional development gives teachers new strategies for assessment, classroom management, student support, and lesson design.
Keep up with education changes
Education changes through new research, technology, curriculum updates, and policy requirements. Online courses can help teachers understand those changes and apply them in a realistic classroom setting.
Learn from other educators
Online PD can connect teachers with educators outside their own school. Shared examples, recorded sessions, and professional discussion can make online learning more useful than working through ideas alone.
I spent twenty years in the classroom and can count on one hand the number of professional development sessions that were valuable. Most of the presenters spent their time telling us what we should be doing in the classroom while usually reading from their own PowerPoint presentation. As a professional actor, I created a show that illustrates the value of the teaching profession, which has been called by one college professor the “anti PD PD” and compared to a TEDTalk. I am interested in offering it to schools around the country. Any suggestions on how I may accomplish this would be appreciated.
Sounds hilarious and amazing! Id love to watch it!
I would be interested to know more about your program.
I found this article incredibly helpful. It is always discussed how vital professional development is, but not how many avenues there is to gain professional development. I knew of PD workshops and that many educators went back to school for a master’s degree. However, gaining professional development from NEA micro-credentials and certificates from Google or Microsoft were not options I was aware of.