#37: Teacher Engagement in Online Micro‑Credential Professional Development

Micro-credentials promise flexible, competency-based teacher professional development, yet understanding teacher engagement within these platforms remains a challenge. This study explores teacher engagement by analyzing large-scale digital trace data (N=5,271) from eight courses on Israel’s national micro-credential platform. It investigates how engagement can be empirically conceptualized, what are its underlying dimensions, how they predict learning outcomes, and what distinct engagement profiles emerge. Factor analysis revealed three engagement dimensions: forum activity, quiz performance, and learning effort. Regression analysis showed that forum activity was the strongest predictor of course and task completion. Cluster analysis identified three teacher profiles, revealing a misalignment between effort and achievement. These findings provide a data‑driven conceptualization of engagement and inform the design of online professional learning environments.