The SOTEL research cluster has developed a model of Professional Development that facilitates a network of communities of practice supported by connectivist MOOCs or cMOOCs, where sustained collaborative engagement with innovative teaching practice is recognised via CMALT (Certified Member of the Association for Learning Technologies) accreditation. CMALT has a similar standards-based framework to the Higher Education Academy (HEA) but emphasises the use and critique of learning technology. Recent evidence illustrates the potential of cMOOCs for more effective PD. The SoTEL research cluster has developed a series of cMOOCs that leverage national and international collaboration and innovative teaching expertise, providing a pathway for participants’ CMALT portfolios as evidence of new modes of practice and enhanced student outcomes.
