Teacher online professional learning: A systematic literature review

Abstract

Online professional learning has become increasingly vital for teachers' continuous professional learning, especially with the accelerated adoption of remote learning due to the recent global disruptions, the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the effective design and implementation of teacher online professional learning (TOPL) programs present both opportunities and challenges across diverse educational contexts. Addressing the need for a comprehensive and up-to-date synthesis, this study systematically reviewed 82 peer-reviewed articles (2013–2023) from seven databases using the PRISMA framework. Our analysis addressed seven research questions concerning research purposes, study contexts, theoretical frameworks, pedagogical features, learning evaluation, research methodologies, and ongoing challenges in TOPL. The findings reveal growing teacher engagement in online professional learning worldwide, but also highlight significant research gaps—particularly at the tertiary level, in Global South regions, and in fostering cross-country collaboration. Most TOPL initiatives emphasize self-enrollment and individual learning, with recent research trends focusing on strengthening theoretical underpinnings, innovative pedagogical models, feedback mechanisms, and credential recognition. Methodologically, descriptive and inferential statistics, alongside qualitative content analysis, dominate the field. Importantly, this review conceptualizes TOPL as a dynamic ecosystem shaped by interacting factors at multiple levels—including technological, institutional, policy, and individual dimensions—and advocates for exploring TOPL processes at the micro, meso, and macro levels. Illustrating the need to build resilient and equitable TOPL systems capable of adapting to future challenges, this review concludes with actionable recommendations to advance research and practice in teacher online professional learning.