The mission of MVU is to “advance K-12 learning through digital learning, research, innovation, policy, and partnerships.” With this mission in mind, MVU launched the iEducator (iEd) program in 2015, bringing together higher education, local school districts, and MVU, to propel forward not only digital education but face-to-face education as well. At its core, the iEd program is a two-year digital teaching assignment with MVU. Beyond that, the iEd program involves ongoing professional learning, mentoring, and digital instruction experiences.
The iED Effectiveness report, part three in a series, analyzes the effectiveness of the iEds in their first year and part of their second year of teaching online for the Michigan Virtual School. Of the 13 iEds, only two had previous experience teaching online (for one and two years, respectively). Two of the iEds reported some experience teaching in blended settings, and nine reported no previous experience teaching online. Further, the nine iEds with no previous online teaching experience almost unanimously stated that they never considered online teaching as a possible career option prior to hearing about MVS and the iEd program. This group of teachers were novice online teachers going into their first year of the iEd experience.
