Addressing Teacher and Student Capacity with Technology

For students to succeed in a virtual/hybrid learning environment, it is essential for schools to improve both teacher and student capacity with technology. This involves empowering teachers to create and implement effective instructional strategies that use technology to meet the diverse needs of students. Schools should also ensure that students have the necessary skills and knowledge to use and troubleshoot technology tools and features – all of which impact student learning and agency. This case study describes the data analyzed from three districts that participated in The Learning Accelerator’s (TLA’s) Strategy Lab program, revealing varying levels of support for developing the technology capacity of teachers and students. Although the districts indicated that some teachers and students were proficient with technology skills and knowledge, they also discovered that gaps in technology capacity continued to pose barriers to meaningful learning with technology – particularly in virtual and hybrid environments. As a result of their investigation, each district designed a pilot to address the challenge of teacher and student technology capacity. These projects showcase their commitment to providing the necessary support to ensure student success in the virtual/hybrid classroom.

Between January 2022 and June 2023, 20 district teams participated in TLA’s Strategy Lab: Virtual & Hybrid program. For approximately 18 months, these districts worked as a cohort to address a problem of practice. Although these districts represented a variety of virtual/hybrid programs, regions, and demographics, they aligned around a common goal: designing more effective, engaging, and equitable virtual/hybrid learning experiences for their students. By participating in Strategy Lab, district teams were guided through a multi-step process to identify goals and gaps before determining and designing measurable solutions. This program was based on the Real-Time Redesign (RTR) toolkit, which takes participants through a three-part process (Come Together, Dream Big, and Start Small) to make iterative, equitable, and sustainable improvements.

For students to succeed in a virtual/hybrid learning environment, it is essential for schools to improve both teacher and student capacity with technology. This means empowering teachers to create and implement effective instructional strategies that use technology to meet the diverse needs of students. At the same time, students also must have the necessary skills and knowledge to use and troubleshoot technology tools and features – all of which impact their learning and agency. As TLA learned from the analysis of the research, technology capacity is a key driver of quality virtual or hybrid learning.

Data analyzed from our work with districts participating in Strategy Lab revealed varying levels of support for developing the technology capacity of teachers and students. Although the districts indicated that some teachers and students are proficient with technology skills and knowledge, they also discovered that gaps in technology capacity continue to pose barriers to meaningful learning with technology – particularly in virtual and hybrid learning environments.

High-quality virtual and remote learning not only builds upon the effective features of in-person instruction but also actively addresses, mitigates, and leverages the distinct advantages and challenges presented by technology and out-of-school learning. This approach allows for deep engagement and the fulfillment of students' unique learning needs. TLA’s review of the research, in conjunction with continued partnerships with schools, produced what TLA calls drivers of quality that educators and leaders should consider as they design, implement, and improve virtual and hybrid learning approaches.

Figure 1. Key factors that help drive virtual and remote learning quality.

Virtual and hybrid formats can offer flexibility and personalization for individual student and family needs; however, these learning environments also pose unique (but not insurmountable) design challenges. Effective instruction, a quality driver for virtual and remote learning, requires that virtual and hybrid schools consider how each of the following is strategically embedded within their instructional model:

• Technology as a medium for communication, collaboration, and learning;

• Pedagogy as the guideline to inform instructional decisions; and

• Relationships as the lever to build community and culture.

Because virtual and hybrid learning depends on technology as the medium of communication, instruction, and learning, teachers and students need to be well-versed in how to use it.

1. Teachers must have sufficient technology capacity so that they can develop and facilitate active and engaging learning opportunities.

2. Leaders and teachers then need to establish clear routines and guidelines for students so that they are spending quality time on the actual learning tasks – as opposed to troubleshooting technology issues or figuring out how to access course materials.

3. Schools need to put support structures in place to address any gaps in both student and teacher technology knowledge and skills to ensure a high-quality, effective learning experience. If teachers are not comfortable designing instruction using technology and students cannot access and engage with the content, then learning will simply not occur.

4. Most importantly, the best instructional design will not be effective if student capacity is not addressed in tandem with teacher capacity.

The TLA Research & Measurement team identified technology capacity as a distinct need after analyzing data collected throughout the Strategy Lab process. This involved repeated analysis of district documents, meeting/coaching notes, and digital artifacts such as data repository spreadsheets, self- and team assessments, and collaborative documents, provided by each district to identify emerging topics and themes. The topic of technology capacity first emerged as a potential challenge in our analysis of the teams’ self-assessment – a research-based measurement tool designed to facilitate meaningful conversations about quality and help teams identify potential problems of practice in context.

While examining items from the team assessments that specifically mentioned technology knowledge and skills, training, and ability to use technology for teaching/learning, TLA identified trends related to teacher and student capacity. Participant responses on select items revealed that although approximately 40% of schools consistently implemented measures to support teacher capacity-building, the majority of districts indicated that they were at the beginning stages of addressing teacher capacity needs, particularly as they pertained to leveraging asynchronous and synchronous learning experiences. Another gap appeared in teachers’ ability to leverage multiple modalities to support the varied needs of students. As research and field practice have shown, schools need to close the technology-capacity gap by providing teachers with critical training, support structures, and resources.

Figure 2. Team responses using the Stoplight Protocol from Data Wise to identify the degree to which policies and practices supported teacher technology capacity.

The analysis revealed that some schools consistently addressed student capacity in the area of technology knowledge and skills. However, the data also revealed a number of schools at the beginning stages, with several noting that either they don’t or aren’t sure if they support developing student capacity with technology. As illustrated in the figure below, when asked if students receive technology training, many schools indicated that they were just beginning to address that issue.

Figure 3. Team responses using the Stoplight Protocol from Data Wise to identify the degree to which policies and practices supported student technology capacity.

A deeper analysis of the available data (i.e., districts’ workbooks, coaching notes, interviews, team reflections, individual and team assessments, collaborative activities) from all 20 district teams revealed three schools in which teacher and student capacity emerged as a recurring and predominant theme. Each of these districts identified technology capacity as a problem of practice in different ways and chose to address it through the design of different pilot programs. The table below provides an overview of how each district identified and addressed technology capacity. Detailed case studies then provide additional information and context.

Novi Virtual is a small, virtual school with an enrollment of approximately 200 K-12 students in a suburban district in Novi, Michigan.

Teacher Capacity: Team members noticed that their teachers needed “more training surrounding how to build asynchronous content, including pacing guides, video tutorials, and interactive technology.” They identified a need to help teachers develop new skills to provide flexibility in instructional course design for students.

Student Capacity: Data revealed students needed more guidance on addressing technology issues and better engaging in troubleshooting so that the tools do not become barriers to learning.

Pilot Plan: Address student capacity by testing a flipped virtual model offering students options that best supported their academic needs, and increasing teacher capacity through Modern Classroom Training – a professional development program.

KJ Virtual Academy is a small, hybrid school with an enrollment of around 70 PK-6 students in an urban district in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Teacher Capacity: Team members shared that they needed a designated technology support person, sharing, “When our technology doesn’t work, it is like having a school with no doors or windows for students to get in.” They also recognize that teachers need to know how to design effective virtual instruction.

Student Capacity: Data indicated technology issues posed a barrier to engagement and learning as students did not seem to have the knowledge and skills for troubleshooting issues.

Pilot Plan: Increase student capacity by piloting targeted literacy instruction in small groups and teacher capacity by providing literacy coaching support and creating small groups based on similarly targeted student needs.

Gulfport Virtual Academy is a small, virtual school with an enrollment of 89 K-10 students in a suburban district in Gulfport, Mississippi.

Teacher Capacity: Team members shared that teachers were at the beginning stages of knowing how to leverage both asynchronous and synchronous learning experiences to meet students’ needs. They were concerned about the asynchronous elective teachers and course structure.

Student Capacity: Data revealed the school needed to develop a system or protocol to assist students with technology needs as that stifled engagement.

Pilot Plan: Address student capacity by instituting a weekly synchronous session in the formerly 100% asynchronous elective classes and teacher capacity by providing technology tools and expectations for synchronous learning.

The needs assessments conducted by these three district teams revealed similar root causes to their problems of practice: teacher and student technology capacity. Although these schools shared a similar challenge, they each chose a different way to address the issue:

• Novi Virtual opted to add asynchronous sessions to their formerly 100% synchronous classes and create opportunities for small group instruction.

• KJ Virtual Academy chose to focus entirely on small-group instruction in the virtual classroom and establish expectations for online engagement.

• Gulfport Virtual Academy added a synchronous session to their formerly asynchronous-only classes and created new opportunities for whole-group, virtual instruction.

Importantly, each district chose a solution that was specific to their teachers, their learning context, and their students’ needs.

Because technology serves as the medium for communication, collaboration, and learning in the virtual and hybrid classroom, it is critical that teachers know how to design effective instruction as well as set routines and expectations for students. Equally important, students need to know how to access, use, and troubleshoot their issues around technology.

When dealing with challenges inherent in virtual/hybrid learning spaces, TLA recommends that districts leverage three quality drivers (technology, pedagogy, and relationships) to inform their policies and practices – especially as they relate to teacher and student technology capacity:

• By increasing teacher capacity around how to design and implement engaging and meaningful learning experiences in the virtual/hybrid classroom, students will feel more engaged and motivated to learn.

• By increasing teacher capacity on how to design and implement flexible and personalized learning experiences, students will be able to better engage with the material and their peers.

• By increasing student capacity on how to problem-solve technology issues, they will gain self-efficacy, be able to successfully access the content, and engage with their peers and teachers.

From the organization’s Strategy Lab work, TLA knows the problem of teacher and student capacity can be mitigated through the implementation of quality drivers for effective instruction: technology, pedagogy, and relationships. As TLA learned with the three schools highlighted in this case study:

• Teachers need to know how to design effective instruction for synchronous and asynchronous learning; and

• Students need clear routines and expectations around virtual/hybrid learning.

TLA acknowledges that change is hard – but sustaining data-driven, personalized approaches to teaching and learning requires coherent, system-wide shifts in both strategy and practice. As the three schools featured in this case study demonstrated, there is no single, correct pathway to address a common problem of practice. The “right” solutions are contextual and highly dependent upon available resources.

As concrete action steps, TLA encourages leaders exploring this report to begin addressing the issue of technology capacity by:

1. Building an inclusive team: Bring together a diversity of perspectives, ideas, and experiences.

2. Gathering data to understand the challenge: As a team, examine the quality of your virtual or hybrid learning environment.

3. Identifying and implementing the conditions necessary to support planning, adoption, and scaling of new initiatives: To address technology capacity for teachers and students, districts must ensure reliable technology infrastructure, engaging and user-friendly learning materials and tools, and a sustainable professional learning program for educators.

Strategies for ensuring reliable technology infrastructure:

Strategies for identifying and evaluating user-friendly learning materials and tools:

Strategies for implementing sustainable professional learning:

4. Identifying and implementing promising practices: Teachers need to intentionally select strategies that support the development of student capacity in the virtual and hybrid learning environment, including real-time, flexible, and individualized options.

5. Measuring progress to inform improvement efforts: Designing measurable solutions lies at the heart of the Strategy Lab process. In addition to following Real-Time Redesign – a framework for quickly making improvements that are scalable, iterative, and relevant to district needs – begin by exploring the strategies below.