In Honduras, nearly 25,000 schools have been closed since 2020. This has represented a challenge for a country where only 16.6% of the population has internet access at home. Only 12.8% of the population access this service from a computer, while 87.2% do so from a cell phone. Also, about 70% of Honduran teachers expressed the need to strengthen their digital knowledge and skills to teach in online learning environments.
To tackle these challenges, ISTE (the International Society for Technology in Education) partnered with IDB to distribute a free online professional development program to a group of educators from the Ministry of Education in Honduras. These educators are part of the National Program for Digital Educational Transformation (PNTED) in four provinces of the country (Cortés, Francisco Morazán, Intibucá and Lempira) and decided to take the program voluntarily.
Impact / Outcome Nearly 88 teachers from Honduras joined thousands of fellow educators worldwide to participate in ISTE’s Online Teaching Academy in 2021. Participants were able to access: Four two-hour courses, one on each of the foundational topics above, that include interactive activities and real-world examples; Five webinars through which expert speakers from ISTE’s community model and deliver practical and explicit strategies for teaching online and; Rich discussion communities to build upon each other’s lessons learned share resources, and seek advice.
Of those who completed the program:92% felt more knowledgeable than before on these topics; 96% would recommend this course to their colleagues and other educators and; 96% believe that this course has had a positive impact on their practice.
Funding sources Public/Private
Key Metrics Increase teachers involvement in free online professional development program
