Innovation in the educational technology course for preservice student teachers in East China Normal University

Modern Educational Technology is a common course in many normal universities in China. The Modern Educational Technology Center (METC) of East China Normal University (ECNU) decided to improve the course for pre-service teachers at the end of 2010. The enhanced course has some additional features, such as emphasising knowledge and skills transfer, adopting a 4C/ID model to improve the course content, focusing on common technologies as well as cutting-edge technologies, and creating a supportive learning environment by using an online platform. The METC piloted this course in the first semester of 2011. Feedback was collected from a tentative survey, the student teachers' evaluation of teaching, and their online reflections. The result indicated that the participants became more confident in designing micro e-learning courses and more interested in the field of educational technology after they completed this course. This paper describes the conceptual framework of the course, its new features, and the evaluation results.