E-Learning is an Essential Tool for Improving the Public Teacher Corps

There's a real need for new blood in America’s teacher corps. Older educators are retiring and there is not enough new talent joining the profession. And, many young teachers are not equipped with the knowledge required to effectively educate their students.  

In an op-ed on Forbes.com, Hui-Yin Hsu, associate professor and chair of NYIT’s Teacher Education Program, says the solution to these challenges is online teacher certification. “E-learning portals empower people from less traditional career tracks to join the teaching profession, bringing their unique perspective, skills, and backgrounds into the classroom.”

E-learning represents the best way to grow and improve the American teaching corps, according to Hsu, who adding that more universities should offer online teacher training.

There are countless motivated professionals with both the skills and ambition to give back through teaching. However, this talent pool has gone largely untapped. Hsu says the biggest reason is that many professionals face a prohibitively high transition cost: They can't afford to quit their jobs and spend several years in a full-time teaching program. 

That's where e-learning comes in. Online teacher training programs allow working professionals to get certified at their own pace without having to leave their jobs to begin switching careers.

Importantly, when mid-career professionals migrate into education, they bring their knowledge and professional skills with them. “Teachers from non-traditional paths are also more likely to come from diverse demographic backgrounds,” writes Hsu. “Boosting their ranks will make the teaching core more reflective of the student body.”

Read Hui-Yin Hsu’s op-ed in Forbes.com.

This op-ed is part of an NYIT thought-leadership campaign designed to help generate awareness and build reputation for the university on topics of national relevance. Read more op-eds by NYIT experts