Presentation: 2025 ND EPSCoR Annual conference 

October 21, 2025, NDSU Memorial Union, Fargo, North Dakota

NSF DRK-12 Investigating the Impacts of Online Teacher Professional Learning on Science and Engineering Instruction in Rural Elementary Schools

Due to geographic location, rural schools often struggle to provide content-specific professional learning (PL). Smaller professional networks among teachers in these settings may also limit exposure to new ideas and make it more difficult to enact new instructional approaches. We are exploring how targeted instructional supports that take rural teachers’ contexts into consideration can be sustained through the implementation of cost-effective modest supports. Our research examines the immediate impacts of PL, sustainability of PL outcomes when coupled with modest supports, specific impacts on teachers' engineering instruction, and student learning impacts. We have two full years of data. Each year started with an intervention involving online PL during the summer to introduce teachers to the NGSS and provide them with a foothold for three-dimensional teaching. This PL was designed for rural teachers using online platforms and resources. During the following school year, supports were offered to scaffold teachers’ professional growth, provide steady encouragement, and foster community. Approximately 150 teachers across four states were recruited and participated in 1-year online program between July 2024 and June 2025. Modest supports were provided to participants during the year, including online professional learning community (PLC) sessions and dedicated electronic supports (e.g., Google Site, shared resources, etc.). These sessions have been tailored to support teachers in these rural settings. For 2025-2026, we are continuing to collect data as teachers are enacting science and engineering learning experiences in their classrooms. Our poster will overview data sources and findings about the immediate and delayed impacts of the intervention to date.