Educators’ Perceptions of Online SEL Professional Learning Courses

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank several Michigan Virtual colleagues for their help in conducting this research project: Kristen Crain, Stacey Schuh, Emily Sicilia, and Scott Watkins. We are grateful to all the educators who took time to participate in this study to share their experiences and advice. We hope the following report helps provide strategies to provide educators with effective and meaningful social and emotional learning professional development opportunities.

Introduction and Need for Study

As the world continues to face the trauma and loss experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing the social and emotional needs of educators, students, and communities is a top priority. Reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic emphasized the importance of meeting adult educators’ social and emotional needs, too. Research has found that SEL curricula help students and communities grow; however, more research is needed on educators’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the SEL training they pursue on their own or through their schools or districts.

As noted in Michigan Virtual’s 2021 research study on meeting the social and emotional needs of Michigan educators, social and emotional learning (SEL) is defined as “the ability to manage emotions, feel and show empathy for others, and establish caring, supportive relationships” (Timke & DeBruler, 2021). In addition to supporting students’ growth, SEL is a skill and important concern for adults who work with students. In order to achieve a welcoming and supportive learning community for students and staff, schools need to strive to build “a work environment in which staff feel supported, empowered, able to collaborate effectively and build relational trust, and also able to develop their social and emotional skills” (Social Emotional Learning Activities,  n.d.). One way to achieve such an environment is to offer educators professional learning opportunities to understand SEL and how it can be applied to their everyday work and life.

Questions remain, though, about the impact SEL professional learning has on educators, especially if such training is offered online. Do educators feel that they have grown professionally? Do they feel like their social and emotional needs are addressed when they help their students advance their SEL skills? Do they find SEL training and supports helpful in becoming more effective educators? Do educators find pursuing SEL professional learning through an online platform to be effective?

This study starts to answer these questions by shedding light on the perceived effectiveness of online SEL training for educators. It also examines educators’ impressions of how online SEL training impacts their job satisfaction, performance, and service to their students. If online SEL training is not seen as effective, it is hoped that adaptations can be made to such training to help educators feel more fulfilled in meeting their social and emotional needs while helping students meet theirs. Therefore, several research questions grounded this study:

1. What do educators think about the effectiveness of the SEL training they have completed?
2. What do educators think about their own SEL competencies after completing SEL training?
3. What do educators see as effective SEL training? What do they see as ineffective SEL training? What adaptations should be made to SEL training to make it more effective?

Methodology 

To answer this study’s research questions, the Qualtrics’ online survey software was used to collect data from educators who completed at least one online social and emotional professional learning course with Michigan Virtual in 2021. Michigan Virtual was chosen as the organization for this study because it offers a variety of online social and emotional learning courses for educators within and beyond the state of Michigan. Table 7 in the Appendix provides an overview of the 10 SEL professional learning courses that participants in this study could have taken in 2021.

In addition to asking for general details about participants’ roles within a school, this study’s survey included a variety of open-ended and closed questions asking educators to reflect on the following topics:

• Why they took their course(s)
• What they found effective in their course(s)
• What they learned about social-emotional learning
• How much and what they applied to their work
• How much they feel they can help students, their colleagues, and themselves achieve social-emotional learning skills

Out of the 6,544 total educators who took at least one social and emotional professional learning course in 2021 through Michigan Virtual, 702 completed this study’s survey. Although this report does not intend to generalize to all educators having taken online social-emotional learning courses, it does provide a close look at a significant number of educators’ perspectives on their SEL professional learning online.

To provide insights into what makes online social-emotional professional learning most effective for educators, the report is structured into five main parts. The first section provides general details about the educators who took this study’s survey. The second section provides educators’ general impressions of their SEL professional learning courses. The third section discusses the three large themes that emerged across open-ended survey responses. The fourth section provides practical implications. The fifth section concludes with thoughts about future support for teachers’ social-emotional learning.

Educators Participating in Study

Among the 702 educators who completed the survey for this study, a majority were teachers (67.24%). A majority of educators serving elementary school students also took the survey (33.76%). Close to 55% signed up for their courses on their own because social-emotional learning topics interested them. About 40% enrolled in their courses because their school or district required them to do so. 

Tables 1 and 2 provide an overview of the roles of educators who participated in the study.

Teachers also represented the highest number of educators to take more than one online SEL professional learning course in 2021. Table 3 provides a breakdown of the number of educators who took more than one SEL course with Michigan Virtual in 2021.

The top courses taken by this study’s participants included Michigan Virtual’s introductory course Social-Emotional Learning: Introduction to SEL (41.78%), followed by Take Care of Yourself: A Course in Well-Being and Self-Care (16.45%), Social-Emotional Learning: Trauma-Informed Support (10.10%), and Social-Emotional Learning: Integrating SEL into Culturally Responsive Classrooms (8.58%). Table 7 in the Appendix provides a summary of what these courses cover.

Educators’ Perceptions of Online SEL Professional Learning Effectiveness

The survey included a series of questions asking educators to reflect on the perceived effectiveness of the online SEL professional learning courses they took with Michigan Virtual. The top six elements that educators reported that they liked about their SEL course(s) included learning how to help students advance their social and emotional learning competencies (68.23%), self-paced format (62.25%), the course(s) being online (55.13%), learning ways to make my classroom more equitable and inclusive (46.58%), and learning SEL terminology and theories (36.04%). 

About three-quarters of educators found that they applied much or a great deal of what they learned through their SEL courses to their work. About 24% felt that they applied little. Only about 1.5% felt that they didn’t apply any of their professional learning to their work. About two-thirds of the participants reported not seeking additional SEL resources after they completed their SEL professional learning course(s).

Among respondents indicating that they applied a great deal or much of what they learned from their courses, about 60% said they did so because they felt motivated to do so because SEL is very important to them and they wanted to help others in their school and community. About half of these respondents also indicated that the training content was very applicable to their work and that their school values and cares about SEL, so they wanted to contribute new learning to those initiatives.nted to contribute to new learning to those initiatives.

As for those respondents who said that they applied little or none from their SEL courses, about 40% said that they were already doing what the training recommended, so they didn’t learn anything new. One-third said that they have too many things to do, so it is difficult to do anything new in their job. 

When asked to self-report on a variety of statements, around 80% of participants agreed or strongly agreed that their SEL course(s) contributed to more confidence, engagement, fulfillment, and effectiveness in their jobs. Around 90% of educators reported that they agreed or strongly agreed with statements that their courses contributed to their ability to help students minimize stress and anxiety, identify a full range of emotions, be more cooperative, build empathy, be more self-aware, be comfortable asking for help, and pursue their own self-care. On a variety of statements related to their own SEL skills, about 85% of educators, on average, agreed or strongly agreed with statements that their SEL courses helped them with their own SEL needs and skills. 

One of the most notable findings is that educators reported agreeing slightly more with being able to support and serve students compared to being able to help themselves after their course(s). Such a finding is not surprising given educators’ primary objective to want to help their students before themselves. However, if educators do not feel that they can take care of their own social and emotional needs, there are major concerns, especially in the long term, for educators to feel satisfied, fulfilled, and supported in their jobs. As noted in a Michigan Virtual 2021 report showing significant teacher burnout when teachers shared their self-assessments of their social-emotional needs. Moreover, there are worries about the impact of educators’ challenges in meeting their social-emotional needs on teacher recruitment and retention, as explored with depth in a recent Michigan Virtual blog series on this topic.

Tables 4–6 provide a summary of educators’ self-assessments of their SEL skills and abilities after taking their online SEL professional learning courses with Michigan Virtual in 2021.

Educators Perceptions of Online SEL Professional Learning 

In evaluating educators’ responses to open-ended responses, three major themes emerged about educators’ perceptions of their online SEL professional learning. First, educators revealed that they appreciated the flexibility of completing their professional learning course(s) on their own schedule through an online platform. However, given the social and reflective nature of the topic of SEL, some educators felt that asynchronous SEL training should be supplemented by a synchronous component (either in-person or live online). Second, many educators appreciated learning the basics about SEL, but many wanted more specific content that would be useful for their specific role and function within a school. Third, educators enjoyed learning about the theories behind SEL, but many indicated the need to translate theory into practice and actionable steps they could take in their specific roles. Each of these themes will be discussed in turn before the report’s implications and conclusion sections provide recommendations for professional learning coordinators and educators based on advice received from this study’s participants through their open-ended responses.

Theme 1: Educators Like Flexibility of Asynchronous Online Options But Want Live, Interactive Components, Too

Two of the top three elements that educators liked about their SEL professional learning were that their courses were in a self-paced format and online, which two educators summarized succinctly: “I’m glad to have access to quality courses like this. It feels like I am attending grad school all over again, but in the safety and convenience of my home. Plus, I can learn at my own pace!” and “They are very easy to take, I can do them at school, when I have time, or at home.” It is not surprising then that a significant number of participants wrote that they appreciated the flexibility that came with being able to complete their professional development coursework online and on their own time. 

However, there were mixed feelings about the effectiveness of having SEL professional learning facilitated exclusively in an asynchronous manner online. A strong view was made by one educator: “Online training in SEL is an oxymoron. There are no good uses of SEL training through an online program.” Although this participant did not elaborate on what would make an online SEL professional learning experience better, it is noteworthy because some educators may not find an asynchronous format amenable to building core SEL skills, such as the ability to communicate and express oneself clearly and with empathy. Another respondent provides some additional insights into this concern by indicating that interactive discussion would be helpful to taking their online SEL training to the next level (emphasis original): “I WANT INTERACTIVITY: Learning the history and the importance of social emotional learning was very valuable. While we were given some examples/scenarios to read through, I think it would be nice to have an open forum for teacher/admin to discuss concerns we are seeing now (due to Covid) to help our students.” 

Although the self-paced format was appreciated, some educators felt that the courses were too long and could be shortened to make them more manageable to avoid fatigue that comes with online learning. In particular, two participants noted the limits of basing asynchronous courses solely on reading: “I felt it needed more than just reading. It was difficult to stay on task with just reading slides and articles.” and “With the course I recently completed, I would prefer videos and a reader of the material to go along with my self-paced reading abilities; this would help keep me engaged with the learning content better…”

Others indicated that they wanted resources or tools that would allow them to take their online SEL learning offline, such as having handouts or other checklists that are easy to refer to later: “I wish any of the classes offered printable lists with all of the websites they suggest. There are too many to write down and I often can’t find them later.” and “I think the SEL training was good, I would like a paper copy of a lot of this material to review over time.”

Theme 2: Educators Want Lessons Tailored to Educators’ Specific Roles

Educators wanted to learn more about how SEL implementation could somehow be integrated into lessons that were already going to be done in their classroom, as two respondents noted: “[I want to learn] ways to incorporate [SEL] into middle school core class WITHOUT giving up time from instruction” and “[I want to learn] things that can be tied into content. It is hard to find the time for students to rate their feelings and emotions when we are asked to teach bell-to-bell. Maybe if there was an add-on curriculum to what we have to teach (i.e. In history, how can we relate to these people and events?).”

Some teachers wanted to learn how to apply and implement SEL lessons in very specific subjects, such as physical education, music, or mathematics, or at particular grade levels or with specific student populations, such as cognitively impaired students. Other teachers were interested in how to teach SEL and apply SEL principles in their teaching online: “[It would help to learn] techniques on how to apply SEL in an online environment wherein students have all different start and end dates, rather than face-to-face synchronous learning.” Other teachers wanted very specific skills that could help them work with students with specific needs and approaches, which could help broader school programs: “[I want to see] continued connection to Trauma Informed or Belonging, Inclusion concepts. Marrying these concepts together brings opportunities across a wider array of school initiatives and school staff.”

One teacher’s lengthy response brought up what many other educators voiced about their hope and desire to learn how to support and empower students in ways that is possible based on teachers like them (emphasis added): “Most of the information in the course was information I already knew. The course reinforced much of the previously learned/understood knowledge and activities, but didn’t really offer much new.  I would really value SEL training that went a bit deeper to help students with resilience, and confidence. Training that helped teachers, like me, to help students let go of overwhelming, helpless, and negative thoughts. Training that helped teachers, like me, help students not be less occupied with the idea of perfection vs failure and allow themselves to be human- that mistakes and ‘failures’ often learn to deeper understanding and knowledge. Help teachers, like me, to identify our own biases regarding kids that we just don’t like, for whatever our reasons are, and see these children as people who need us to see their value.” In short, educators, especially teachers, are looking for online SEL professional learning opportunities that meet them and their students where they are.

Theme 3: Educators Want Lessons They Can Act Upon and Apply Immediately

A significant number of educators felt appreciative of the opportunities to learn about theories about SEL, but they wanted lessons they can act upon and apply immediately in their roles. For example, one educator noted that they wanted specific ways to apply their learning to the classroom: “I was very disappointed that there were no ideas or plans to help me bring this into my classroom.” Another teacher felt the most useful actionable knowledge is what they could learn from their colleagues: “I always prefer concrete examples that other schools are doing.  I don’t want to have to re-invent the wheel.” 

In addition to wanting tangible actions they could take, many respondents worried about adding more responsibilities related to SEL to an already full plate. In particular, one participant wanted to know more about how they could enact their lessons in practical ways without being additionally burdensome: “[I want to learn] more ways to apply in everyday classroom without taking more time away from curriculum.” When asked what other knowledge they wished they learned through their courses, two teachers took this concern about work overload further by noting the need for administrators to recognize that implementing SEL requires added responsibilities requiring more time, energy, and resources: “[I want to learn] how to get administrators to provide the necessary time and resources to address SEL needs.” and “[I want to learn about] bringing this knowledge to administrators who can implement strategies from the top down.” Therefore, teachers feel a need for everyone to take SEL professional learning courses to better assess how effective SEL practices can be pursued in their schools.

Implications

Based on the results of this study’s survey of educators’ perceptions of the effectiveness of their online professional SEL courses, several practical implications emerge to help educators take advantage of and maximize the flexibility of online formats to pursue and apply SEL professional learning opportunities.

Provide Educators Tailored Pathways to Learning SEL Topics 

One of the significant findings of this study is that educators want to take their professional learning beyond the basics of social-emotional learning. They want to learn more about what applies to their specific roles within a school. They also want to learn more about how they can put this relevant SEL professional learning into action. One key implication for SEL professional learning is to give educators tailored pathways to learning SEL topics. This may require the creation of pre-enrollment self-assessment tools that will allow educators to examine their SEL interests and target learning opportunities that are most relevant and useful to them in their work.

Combine Asynchronous and Synchronous Learning Opportunities

Although asynchronous online professional learning opportunities bring the benefits of self-pacing and on-demand availability, this format may not work well for everyone. It would be helpful to combine asynchronous with synchronous learning opportunities. Live sessions do not necessarily need to be held in person. However, efforts should be made to make any live sessions interactive and participatory.

Find Ways to Help Educators Build Communities of Support

One frequent remark among participants was that learning about SEL was another necessity for educators in an already overloaded schedule. In designing and implementing SEL professional learning classes and programs, it is necessary to make learning opportunities shorter and more targeted. It is also important to provide educators with opportunities to work together to address common challenges that they face. Focusing on the “self” as being responsible in social-emotional learning can create undue hardships on educators who may already struggle to do everything they need to get done to do their jobs. As noted in a recent Michigan Virtual blog post about helping teachers with the challenges of finding time to do their work, careful attention is needed to distinguish wider systemic problems that cannot be solved or addressed by an individual alone (Timke, 2022, Jan. 31). As one teacher wrote, “The need for SEL these days is due to pandemic teaching and the increased expectations of our jobs. It shouldn’t be my job to learn how to deal with unrealistic expectations of systemic issues that are causing teacher burnout.” By giving educators tailored, flexible, and interactive opportunities to learn about SEL, they will likely feel more supported and a part of a community of practice that is compassionate, understanding, and supportive.

Conclusion

Social-emotional learning continues to be one of the most important professional learning topics for educators. Online formats are essential to making it effective, convenient, and flexible. In order to help educators maximize their learning online, SEL professional learning opportunities need to be relevant to what educators want and need to learn, tailored to educators’ roles within schools and communities, and actionable. Courses should also consider educators’ desire to learn from their colleagues through interactive tools and learning opportunities. By replicating the power of essential SEL skills—clear and empathetic communication and collaboration—through online professional learning tools, it is hoped that educators can find meaningful and enjoyable ways to share effective SEL practices, help their students, and, most importantly, meet their own social-emotional needs as they contribute to their communities. 

References & Resources

Our students need more than academics. (n.d.). Michigan Virtual University. https://michiganvirtual.org/sel/#pd 

Social Emotional Learning Activities for Adults | CASEL – Casel Schoolguide. (n.d.). Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. https://schoolguide.casel.org/focus-area-2/overview/

Tag: Teacher Recruitment & Retention. (n.d.) Michigan Virtual University. https://michiganvirtual.org/blog/tag/teacher-recruitment-and-retention/ 

Timke, E. (2022, Jan. 31). Time for Teachers: Importance of Distinguishing Systemic from Individual Barriers and Solutions. https://michiganvirtual.org/blog/time-for-teachers-systemic-vs-individual/ 

Timke, E. & DeBruler, K. (2021). “It’s just too much”: Meeting the social and emotional needs of Michigan educators. Michigan Virtual University. https://michiganvirtual.org/research/publications/meeting-educators-sel-needs

Appendix

Important note to readers: The courses listed in this table may not be reflective of the professional learning courses provided by Michigan Virtual at the time you are reading this report. This table is provided to document the courses that were provided in 2021 to better contextualize the findings of this report in the future.

*This course is part of a recommended social and emotional learning series.