The Intersection of Online and Face-to-Face Teaching: Implications for Virtual School Teacher Practice and Professional Development

This mixed-method study reports perspectives of virtual school teachers on the impact of online teaching on their face-to-face practice. Data from a large-scale survey of teachers in the North Carolina Virtual Public School (n = 214), focus groups (n = 7), and interviews (n = 5) demonstrate multiple intersections between online and face-to-face teaching. Seventy-seven percent of teachers agreed that teaching online impacted their face-to-face practice. Teachers discussed changes in instructional practices, communication modes, roles of teachers and students, and shifts in purpose and profession. Findings of this study have relevance for teacher education programs and in-service professional development for teachers who will be needed to bridge K-12 online and face-to-face modalities.