Facilitators of Success for Teacher Professional Development in Literacy Teaching Using a Micro-Credential Model of Delivery

Abstract

Teachers play a critical role in supporting the early literacy development of students; however, keeping up with evidence-based practice while performing a busy teaching role can be challenging. Micro-credentials are one potential route for keeping teachers up to date with the best practices for literacy teaching due to their ability to provide targeted and flexible professional development opportunities. The current study used a mixed-methods design to evaluate two micro-credential courses being offered through the Better Start Literacy Approach. The Better Start Literacy Approach (BSLA) is an evidence-based, structured literacy approach, targeted at 5–7-year-old children in New Zealand. An online survey was used to collect qualitative and quantitative data from 263 teachers and literacy specialists regarding their experience of completing the BSLA micro-credential training. Overall, respondents reported positive experiences, describing how the micro-credential changed their teaching practice, built their knowledge of effective literacy instruction and led to measurable progress in students’ literacy skills. Several design features were highlighted as useful, including the ability to revisit videos and resources multiple times, the organization into modules and the ‘24/7’ nature of access. Findings from the current research demonstrate the importance of utilizing key course design decisions to ensure accessibility and the potential for the positive impact of micro-credentials in the education sector.

1. Introduction

In today’s rapidly evolving education landscape, the role of teachers in enhancing students’ literacy skills has become more crucial than ever. Strong foundational literacy and oral language skills are related to better life outcomes across a range of metrics [1]. These include a decreased risk of participation in the justice system [2], greater health and well-being [3], better employment outcomes and higher incomes [4]. There has been a focus internationally on a shift to a structured approach to literacy teaching becoming embedded in schools [5,6]. While this approach aligns with best practice guidelines for teaching literacy, there is a challenge in how to upskill the existing teaching field in these best practices. Micro-credentials are one potential route for the large-scale upskilling of teachers with best practices for literacy teaching due to their ability to provide targeted and flexible professional development opportunities. However, to date, little research has been conducted to explore this method of ‘teaching the teachers’.

Literature Review

Micro-credentials are relatively new to the higher-education market, but they are being used widely across a range of sectors. A micro-credential can be described as a package of learning to meet a specific need that is smaller than conventional qualifications [7]. They are designed to be developed and offered with a faster turnaround than traditional qualifications and may improve access to higher education through the reduced cost of enrolment in such courses [8]. Micro-credentials have also been viewed as interchangeable with ‘digital’, ‘open’ or ‘virtual’ badges that can be collected on completion of online learning modules such as those offered through major Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platforms like edX. The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) amended its regulatory framework in 2018 to formally recognize micro-credentials, becoming one of the first countries in the world to introduce micro-credentials as part of a regulated education and training system [9]. Within New Zealand, micro-credentials are centrally administered by the NZQA and are listed on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework. They are defined as small, stand-alone qualifications with clearly defined learning outcomes, designed to recognize learners’ existing skills, experience or knowledge at the same time and meeting industry demand [7]. In June 2022, 249 micro-credentials were listed on the approved register with the NZQA [9]. In New Zealand, universities can develop and approve their own micro-credentials; however, they require review and approval by the NZQA to be listed on the NZQA micro-credentials register.

While popular in sectors such as business, finance and technology for their ability to provide rapid upskilling in a target skill or knowledge area, less uptake has been seen in the education sector. In 2022, Education was the second lowest sector utilizing micro-credentials in New Zealand (with a total of five education-based micro-credentials listed), with the Natural and Physical Sciences sectors listed as the lowest. The Engineering and Related Technologies sector was the highest-use sector of micro-credentials, with 58 micro-credentials listed [9]. Exploring the use of micro-credentials for teachers is a worthwhile pursuit given that the ongoing professional development is a requirement for most teachers. For example, in New Zealand, the Professional Growth Cycle states that every teacher will ‘engage in professional learning using Ngā Paerewa|Standards to advance their understanding of the relationship between their professional practice and outcomes for learners’ [10]. This also requires them to create opportunities for observation and feedback. The United Kingdom ‘Standard for teachers’ professional development’ [11] comprises five parts, which include statements that teachers’ professional development should ‘have a clear focus on improving and evaluating pupil outcomes’, ‘should be underpinned by robust evidence and expertise’, and ‘should be sustained over time’. America has state-by-state requirements for teachers’ professional development. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) [12] reports that PLD is compulsory for teachers in all levels of education in 30 out of 35 surveyed countries. While these standards and guidelines endeavor to ensure a high-quality teaching workforce to advance educational outcomes for students, professional development in the education sector can be challenging and variable.

Effective teacher professional development should enhance teacher practice and positively impact student outcomes. A meta-analysis of 35 high-quality studies has shown a clear connection between teacher professional development, instructional methods, and student performance [13]. The study identified seven key features of successful teacher professional learning and development (PLD). These characteristics involve an emphasis on content, integration of active learning, fostering collaboration, emphasizing best practices, offering coaching and support, and providing feedback and opportunities for reflection. It also has a duration long enough to allow teachers time to take on the learning and implement it into their practice. A 2020 report from the Education Policy Institute, looking at the results of 52 randomized controlled trials evaluating teacher development programs suggested that quality continuing professional development can be a cost-effective intervention for improving student outcomes and positively impact teacher retention, particularly for early-career teachers [14].

Bartz and Kritsonis [15] discussed how traditional methods of teacher professional development are often inadequate, proposing a more individualized approach to PLD via a micro-credential model. Large-group, day-long workshops utilizing a direct instruction model often fail to address the heterogeneity of the teaching workforce. Within classroom instruction, teachers are encouraged to differentiate their teaching for differing learner needs, yet this approach is often not adopted in this style of teacher PLD. Online PLD practices, such as micro-credentials, might emphasize not only knowledge but also pedagogical transformation in schools, potentially empowering teachers to enrich students’ learning [16].

Teachers describe the ‘ideal’ professional development experience as including interactive strategies for learning, a focus on practice-based content; being relevant to their context, including flexibility in its delivery model; and sustained over time, providing enough opportunity for learning to be truly embedded and practice to be changed [17]. Furthermore, learning should be embedded in everyday classroom practice and consider the wider context of schools and communities to be truly impactful in the long term. Micro-credentials provide upskilling in relevant curriculum areas that can be completed in flexible ways. They also provide teachers with formal recognition of their learning and therefore require an assessment element to ensure that teachers have gained expected knowledge as a result of the PLD. Micro-credentials differ in nature, as they are evaluated as a PLD offering. Unlike traditional PLD workshops, where teachers may be expected to engage in a certain number of hours of learning (e.g., attend a 1-day workshop, or complete three after-school sessions on a topic), micro-credentials are based on the demonstration of competency or skill in a particular area. They require evaluation and ‘sign-off’ for this competency as part of the accreditation process. This approach keeps the content of the course appropriately focused, and it also ensures quality assurance of teachers who have completed the training, leading to a greater perceived value of those teachers with that qualification.

Research indicates that teachers may lack sufficient foundational knowledge to effectively teach literacy to young learners due to inadequate pre-service education or professional learning development (PLD) opportunities [18]. Teacher proficiency in essential literacy content, such as phonological and morphological awareness, varies [19,20,21], but targeted PLD can enhance it [22]. For instance, Gillon et al. [23] observed positive changes in teachers’ knowledge, skills, and pedagogy after participating in a literacy-focused micro-credential program. A survey conducted before and after the program revealed improvements in specific linguistic knowledge and self-reported teaching ability across various literacy areas among 592 participating teachers and literacy specialists. However, the study did not explore the specific training components contributing to these outcomes.

In another study, Borland et al. [24] investigated the impact of micro-credentials on primary teachers’ understanding of instructional math practices. They randomly assigned 573 teachers to complete micro-credential courses on either ‘teaching word problems’ or ‘teaching fractions’. A mixed-methods analysis, including semi-structured interviews with a subset of participants (n = 65), showed that micro-credentials effectively enhanced teachers’ knowledge and skills in the targeted content area. A thematic analysis of interview data highlighted factors such as structured pacing, engagement and practical application of learning as conducive to the success of micro-credential-based PLD.

Micro-credentials offer a viable and positive means of upskilling the teaching profession; however, little research has been conducted in this area. The current literature on the use of micro-credentials in the education sector is piecemeal. It includes pre-service teachers [25,26] and higher education [27,28] in the context of rural communities [29], or it is descriptive, exploratory or case study in design [30,31,32,33]. Very little attention has been given to exploring teacher perspectives on the use of micro-credentials as a method of online professional learning and development in a large-scale implementation model. Current research provides promising findings for the use of micro-credentialling with teachers as an alternative to more traditional methods of PLD, but further research is required to ensure that micro-credential offerings are fit for purpose for teachers’ professional development. There is a lack of empirical research into the effectiveness of micro-credentials as an acceptable and useful method of upskilling teachers and changing practice, as well crucial elements of course design to ensure successful implementation. There is a particular gap in knowledge regarding the effectiveness of micro-credentials for literacy teaching practices. The current research aims to explore the application of micro-credentials in the education sector by examining the challenges and facilitators of success for teachers engaging in a literacy-focused micro-credential in New Zealand.

This article aims to address two key research questions:

• What teaching tools used in an online micro-credential course for teachers were facilitative of learning? Namely, the learning platform and online teaching sessions used in the course.
• What are the challenges and facilitators of success to implementing an online teacher micro-credential at a national level?

2. Materials and Methods

This research utilized a mixed-methods approach. An online survey was conducted to gain qualitative and quantitative information on teachers and literacy specialists’ experience of completing the micro-credential training.

2.1. Context for the Current Study

The context for the current study is based on two micro-credential courses being offered through the Better Start Literacy Approach [34,35] in New Zealand. The BSLA is an evidence-based, structured literacy approach that is targeted at 5–7-year-old children in New Zealand. It incorporates systematic and explicit teaching of phoneme–grapheme correspondences following a scope and sequence; phoneme awareness skills; reading and writing skills; and oral language and listening comprehension skills, within daily literacy lessons. The Better Start Literacy Approach professional learning and development (PLD) comprises a 15-point online micro-credential course. It is fully funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Education—schools apply for funding, and teachers are able to enroll in the micro-credential course and complete the online learning at their own pace, within the context of their unique classroom. This study sits within a wider body of research that has proven the effectiveness of this micro-credential course in advancing teachers’ foundational linguistic knowledge [23] and children’s early literacy development [34,35,36]. The current study turns its attention to the acceptability of the micro-credential course by teachers and literacy specialists as a large-sale implementation of online PLD.

The BSLA has proven effectiveness in uplifting children’s early literacy success in controlled research trials [34,35,36] and also at a nationwide implementation level [36]. It uses multi-system tiers of the support framework to employ evidence-based classroom literacy instruction at both Tier 1 (whole class, universal) and Tier 2 (small group, targeted) levels. It has led to the development of an innovative approach to assessment, including harnessing AI for automatic transcription of children’s language samples [37]. Children engaging in the teaching approach are experiencing significant growth in their early letter-sound knowledge, phoneme awareness skills, reading, writing and oral language.

2.2. Micro-Credential Course Design

The BSLA professional learning and development comprises two separate micro-credential courses: one for literacy specialists, and one for classroom teachers of 5–7-year-old children. Literacy specialists are teachers or speech language therapists with specific responsibilities for supporting children’s oral language and or literacy development. They often have more advanced qualifications in areas relevant to children’s language development. The literacy specialists facilitate teachers’ implementation of the BSLA including supporting assessment of students, supporting teachers with assessment data interpretation to identify starting points for teaching, providing demonstration lessons based on the provided lesson plans, observe teaching lessons and providing feedback, and working with school leadership around systems-level change in literacy assessment and teaching practice.

The micro-credential course takes teachers approximately six months to complete. The first cohort of teachers and literacy specialists enrolled in these micro-credentials in January 2021. A six-monthly cohort entry of teachers and literacy specialists into the micro-credentials is implemented to provide sustainability of the literacy approach implementation within the school context. To date, 809 teachers and 4662 teachers have been trained via the micro-credential. See

Table 1. Overview of micro-credential course participants across cohorts.

	Cohort	Number Enrolled	Number Completed	Completion Rate
Literacy specialists	1—January 2021	103	98	95%
	2—July 2021	117	84	86%
	3—January 2022	118	105	96%
	4—July 2022	79	65	91%
	5—January 2023	179	160	98%
	6—July 2023	101	96	95%
	7—January 2024	112	-	-
	Total	809	512	94% (average)
Teachers	1—January 2021	341	278	87%
	2—July 2021	528	307	77%
	3—January 2022	812	685	93%
	4—July 2022	515	415	91%
	5—January 2023	1125	991	96%
	6—July 2023	516	502	97%
	7—January 2024	825	-	-
	Total	4662	2676	91% (average)

for enrolment and completion details by cohort.

2.3. Course Teaching Tools

The course used two main teaching tools, an online university learning platform referred to as Learn and live weekly Zoom teaching sessions.

2.3.1. Online Learning Platform (Learn)

Learn is based in Moodle and uses a custom-designed learning framework developed for the host university. All course content is housed on the individual Learn site for each micro-credential. The course consists of a wide range of learning materials and resources, which are readily available to course participants for the duration of their course. Once teachers and participants complete the course, they retain access to the course content materials and all the teaching and assessment materials required for BSLA teaching through an online Resource Hub and assessment website.

The micro-credential courses are presented in four learning modules, with each designed to cover a different element of the teaching approach. Module 1 provides an overview and theoretical framework; Module 2 focuses on student literacy assessment; Module 3 focuses on Tier 1 classroom teaching and includes teachers being able to access to a large range of teaching video demonstrations; and Module 4 focuses on Tier 2 small-group teaching. The teacher and literacy specialist course differ only by one section, which focuses specifically on the role of the literacy specialist in coaching and mentoring teachers in BSLA implementation.

Teachers and literacy specialists are scaffolded through course content by the requirement to complete small assessment pieces to progress through the modules. For example, after completing Module 1, focused on theoretical frameworks, participants complete a short quiz on foundational linguistics knowledge before focused on assessment of students’ literacy skills is accessible.

2.3.2. Zoom Online Teaching

The second teaching platform utilized in the micro-credential is weekly online teaching via Zoom. Due to the nature of the course delivery, these online sessions are the only opportunity for participants to engage live with the teaching team. These sessions run for 60 min, weekly, for the first 10 weeks of the course. The sessions can be attended live or watched as a recording, as best suits the individual participants. Sessions are a mix of teaching content and question-and-answer opportunities for attendees.

The Zoom sessions are specifically designed to scaffold teachers through the course content, with a focus on practical aspects of implementation. The Zooms act as a complement to the online learning content and provide live demonstrations and in-the-moment troubleshooting of aspects of the course that teachers require further support with. The sessions are always run in a strengths-based and culturally responsive way [38], including karakia (traditional Māori incantation) at the start and end of each session; the embedding of te reo Māori (New Zealand’s indigenous language) throughout the lesson; and a focus on what was going well and solutions for problem-solving challenges.

2.4. Participants

All previous graduates of the literacy specialist and teacher micro-credential were invited to complete a survey on their experience with the micro-credential training via an email invitation and a message in the online forum of the courses they had access to as part of the training. The survey participants comprised 85 literacy specialists and 178 teachers. All participants provided informed consent prior to completing the online survey, which was approved by the University of Canterbury Human Ethics Committee.

Survey participants came from across all 16 regions of New Zealand, with the largest proportion of respondents from Auckland (18.6%), Canterbury (17.1%) and Waikato (10.6%).

As a group, the literacy specialists had higher tertiary qualifications than the teachers [χ²(3) = 29.7, p < 0.001]. Within the literacy specialists, 29.4% reported a Master’s degree as their highest qualification, with 37.6% reporting a Bachelor’s degree and the remaining 35.3% reporting a certificate or other qualification. Among the teachers, 9.1% held a Master’s degree as their highest qualification, with 69.9% reporting a Bachelor’s degree and 21.0% reporting a certificate or other qualification. Literacy specialists also reported a significantly greater number of years since gaining their undergraduate qualification [χ²(5) = 13.16, p = 0.02], with 65.9% gaining their undergraduate qualification more than 20 years ago compared to 48.3% of teachers.

The access to professional learning and development relating to literacy in the last 3 years was varied amongst respondents. When examining responses to this open-ended question, most respondents (58%) gave an answer coded as general, which included PLD, workshops, talking to colleagues, reading articles, attending conferences or in-school PLD sessions. The second most common response (27%) was professional development through this micro-credential, indicating many had only engaged with literacy training via the BSLA. Further responses included other providers (5%); social media (5%); formal study, e.g., Master’s or postgraduate certificate in literacy (4%); or none (1%).

There was substantial variability in the total number of years that participants had been teaching: new entrant, year-1, or year-2 students, with the majority of respondents having 6–10 years of experience (see Figure 1).

2.5. Measures

A researcher-developed survey consisting of four sections and 20 questions was used to collect data from teachers and literacy specialists who had completed their Better Start Literacy Approach micro-credential. Invitation to complete the survey was advertised via email and through a message in the forum of the online learning sites teachers and literacy specialists had access to. Qualtrics was used to collect survey responses via an anonymous email link.

The survey collected demographic data such as qualifications, years of experience with teaching 5–7-year-old children and the main way they have accessed continuing education about literacy in the past 3 years. It then asked a series of questions about participants’ perspectives of the online learning platform and the Zoom teaching sessions. The first survey questions aimed to explore participants’ engagement with the online learning content. Respondents were asked three questions related to their engagement with and the usefulness of the Learn site. The second set of survey questions aimed to explore participants’ engagement with the Zoom sessions and establish which aspects of the Zooms they found most useful to support their learning. They were also given the opportunity to provide any further comments in an open-text response. Finally, the survey asked a series of open-text questions related to participants’ overall experience with completing the micro-credential. A full copy of the survey can be found in Appendix A.

2.6. Data Analysis

2.6.1. Quantitative Questions

For the nominal response questions, participants were asked to rank elements of the course teaching tools in order of usefulness to support learning. We first examined the number-1 rankings to determine overall which types of content were most commonly ranked as most useful. Next, we created a total score across all rankings by assigning points to each rank. A ranking of 1 was given 6 points, a ranking of 2 was 5 points and so on.

2.6.2. Qualitative Responses

To analyze the open-text responses, a codebook thematic analysis approach, specifically the framework analysis [39], was utilized. Qualitative responses were first reviewed to provide familiarity with the dataset, from which a set of overarching categories were identified. Within these categories, codes were established based on common themes present in the data through initial familiarization. The last author then undertook in-depth coding of the full dataset, with discussion between the first and last author occurring to refine, adjust and describe the codes. Once the full set of codes was established, coding was completed using NVivo software (Version 20.6), through the assignment of relevant sections of data to the appropriate code.

Two codebooks were developed, relating to the two different open-text questions within the survey. The first two codebooks (see

Table 2. Analytical codebook for qualitative data relating to online course design.

Organizing Category	Code	Description
Positive	Navigation/ organization	The organization of Learn was supportive of learning
	Time commitment	The time commitment to familiarize with the site was worth it
	Resources	The resources were adequate and supplemented learning.
	Availability	Able to access resources when needed.
	Technical/user support	Support available if any user problems.
	Layout	The Learn website layout is user friendly.
	Content	Content enhances learning/support.
	Miscellaneous	Other positive comments not captured by main codes.
Negative	Navigation/ organization	The organization of Learn hindered learning.
	Time commitment	The time taken to access information is too slow.
	Resources	Further resources would have enhanced learning.
	Availability	Unable to access resources when needed.
	Technical/user support	Support not readily available if any user problems.
	Layout	The Learn website layout is not user friendly.
	Content	Content did not enhance learning/support.
	Course design	The course design did not fully support learning.
	Miscellaneous	Other negative comments not captured by main codes.

and

Table 3. Analytical codebook for qualitative data relating to online teaching sessions.

Organizing Category	Code	Description
Positive	Presenters	The presenters were well organized, informative and engaging.
	Accessibility	The sessions were easily available.
	Content	The information shared was useful and promoted learning and support.
	Format	The sessions were well organized.
	Timing	The timing of the sessions within the course structure was appropriate to learning needs.
	Design	The teaching sessions were well structured.
	Supportive learning	The teaching sessions were supportive of learning.
	Miscellaneous	Other positive comments not related to main codes.
Negative	Accessibility	Sessions were not easily available.
	Content	The information shared was not useful and did not promote learning and support.
	Format	The sessions were not well organized.
	Timing	The timing of the sessions within the course structure was not appropriate to learning needs.
	Design	The teaching sessions were not well structured.
	Supportive learning	The teaching sessions were not supportive of learning.
	Miscellaneous	Other negative comments not related to main codes.

) describes the codes used to capture open-text responses to ‘Please add any further comments about the Learn site OR Zoom sessions’. Descriptions of each code and representative comments from the responses are also included. The second codebook (see

Table 4. Analytical codebook for qualitative data relating to overall course thoughts, including challenges and benefits.

Organizing Category	Code	Description
Positive Experiences	Delivery	The delivery of the course content, including videos, Zooms and online teaching content.
	Structure	The flow and pacing of the information.
	Content	Information presented in the content, including demonstration videos and reading.
	Training	Overarching course and PLD. Included:Pedagogical strengthening: understanding the why’s and how’s of teaching literacy.Research based approach: understanding the research behind it, best practice and trusting it because of ongoing research.Student success: the training has led to visible student achievement.
	Resources	The material resources provided as part of the training, including lesson plans and other teaching resources.
	Accessibility	Being able to apply, use, find, understand and attend the various components of the micro-credential.
	Assessment	The literacy assessments for the students.
	Standardization	Streamlined data and concept.
	Support	Help from facilitators, educators and tech.
Negative Experiences	Workload (course and teaching)	The overwhelming amount of things to do in a limited amount of time. This included workload directly related to the course (e.g., attending Zooms and completing assignments) and teaching workload (e.g., fitting the course teaching content into the daily classroom schedule).
	Inadequacy	The lack of information, resources or data, or teachers’ feeling that it is not serving their students well.
	Inaccessibility	Being unable to apply, use, find, understand and attend the various components of the micro-credential.
	Lack of Support	Not being able to access help from facilitators, teaching team or wider school support, such as senior leadership.
	Organization	Issues with the way the course, information, resources or delivery was set up.
	Inconvenience	Having to put extra effort into one or more components of the course.
	Delivery	Problems with online delivery.
	Assessment administration	Problems with how long it took to administer assessments to children, understand and gather data, work with spreadsheets, assessments being unwieldy for children.
Suggestions/ Improvements	Extra Resources	Additional resources to help people understand the teaching approach better.
	Communicate expectations	Provide clear information about the setup of the teaching approach, the effort required to complete the micro-credential and the transparency about the workload.
	Notify changes	With the website continuously updating, create a mechanism for notifying teachers of any changes made.
	Resource availability	Provide resources beyond week 10 or a place where teachers can buy them since making them is time-consuming.
	Resource modification	Change some resources to better suit schools.
	Course modification	Increase the course length/modify course materials, content, delivery and structure.
	Simplify website	Learn and the assessment website are clunky with a lot of information badly organized.
	Practical approach	A more hands-on approach with teaching in classrooms involved in the early stages.

) describes the organizing categories and codes for the three final open-text questions: ‘What were your overall thoughts about the microcredential training?’; ‘What do you feel were the most challenging aspects of the microcredential training?’; and ‘What do you feel were the most beneficial aspects of the microcredential training?’. Descriptions and representative quotes are also provided.

Three different codebooks were developed for the open-text questions due to their differing foci—data captured in Table 2 and Table 3 relate to specific aspects of course design and teaching tools in research question 1, whereas data captured in Table 4 relate to the broader micro-credential experience in research question 2.

3. Results

3.1. Teaching Tools Facilitative of Learning

To address the first research question related to understanding what teaching tools used within the course were facilitative of learning, the survey invited teachers to respond to several questions.

Participants were first asked to rate their experience of completing online learning via the Learn site from very positive to very negative. The vast majority of respondents (89.0%) rated their experience as either very or somewhat positive (see Figure 2).

A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated no significant differences between teachers and literacy specialists in their ratings [F(1261) = 2.34, p = 0.13].

Table 5. ANOVA results for online learning experiences by educator type.

	Model Fit
	Sum of Squares	df	Mean Square	F-Statistic	p-Value
Educator Type	1.43	1	1.43	2.34	0.13
	Descriptive Statistics
	N	Mean	SD	95% Lower CI	95% Upper CI
Literacy specialists	85	1.61	0.73	1.46	1.77
Teachers	178	1.77	0.81	1.65	1.89

provides the ANOVA table for this analysis.

Participants were next asked to rank the types of content on the Learn site in terms of its usefulness to support learning. The teaching exemplar video demonstrations which were most frequently ranked as the most useful (41.4% of participants), followed by the teaching resources (such as lesson plans, game activities, early readers and other resources required for the implementation of the teaching) (32.3% of participants).

Using the previously described ranking system, the usefulness of the Learn content was ranked as follows:

• Teaching exemplar videos (1330 points);
• Teaching resources (1228 points);
• Videos that taught theoretical content (1037 points);
• Explanatory documents (891 points);
• Online quizzes (549 points);
• Journal research articles and other readings (488 points).

Survey respondents also used a similar ranking system to report on the usefulness of Learn course design features. The feature that was most frequently ranked as the most useful was the ability to revisit videos and resources multiple times (45.2%), followed by the organization of teaching content into modules (25.5%). When we assigned points based on all rankings as above, the usefulness rankings of the features were as follows:

• The ability to revisit videos and resources multiple times (1096 points);
• The organization of teaching content into modules (971 points);
• The ‘24/7’ nature of access to content (904 points);
• The ability to track progress through the course (665 points);
• Other (309 points).

Within the sample of qualitative data related to the Learn site, there were a total of 152 references. The raw references data for child codes were converted into percentages to depict their proportionate occurrences for each code, being identified as either positive or negative. The distribution of these references can be seen in

Table 6. Distribution of references and codes related to Learn site.

Code	Positive	Negative
Navigation/Organization	61.77%	57.14%
Time commitment	2.94%	7.14%
Course design	0%	5.95%
Resources	17.65%	2.38%
Teacher support	1.47%	0%
Availability	7.35%	7.14%
Technical/user support	1.47%	8.33%
Content	1.47%	7.14%
Layout	1.47%	2.38%
Miscellaneous	4.41%	2.38%

.

When examining the qualitative responses relating to the Learn site, there were mixed views towards the site being positive (44.74% of comments) and negative (55.26% of comments). There was a clear predominant theme of the navigation/organization of the site for both positive and negative comments, divided almost equally. While some respondents felt the site was easy to navigate and use and appreciated the wealth of information it provided, others found the site difficult to navigate and were overwhelmed with the amount of content it housed: ‘Well organized and easy to navigate. Easy to use and find what you need. It wasn’t always easy to find what I was looking for within the site and within the different modules’. Some noted that once they committed the time to becoming familiar with the Learn site, they found it easy to navigate and a very useful tool: ‘I found the Learn site relatively easy to navigate, especially if I spent about 30 min each day. Visiting little and often increased my ability to quickly find what I was looking for’.

The course has been progressively altered and improved from cohort to cohort, as the team takes on feedback from participants and makes updates to content and course delivery. Some respondents noted the improvements since the first cohort, and how this was appreciated: ‘It is much more user-friendly than it was at the beginning—the improvements have been really helpful in making it more intuitive’.

The survey also explored whether the online teaching sessions conducted via Zoom were facilitative of learning for micro-credential participants. First, participants were asked about the most common way they engaged with Zooms while completing their micro-credential. More than half of participants tended to watch the Zoom recordings. Literacy specialists were more likely than teachers to utilize a combination of the live and recorded options, with teachers showing a preference for viewing the recordings. There were nine participants who reported not engaging with the Zoom sessions in any way, and these were predominantly teachers.

The majority of respondents (78.9%) indicated that they mostly watched the Zooms alone, while an approximately equal number of respondents reported that they either mostly watched the Zooms with their colleagues (10.4%) or watched the Zooms alone and with colleagues in fairly equal amounts (10.8%).

When asked to rate the Zoom sessions in regard to supporting their learning from very positive to very negative, most participants (89.6%) responded with either very or somewhat positive. Note that this question was only asked of respondents who indicated they had engaged with the Zoom sessions. Literacy specialists rated the Zoom sessions significantly more positively than teachers [F(1250) = 18.40, p < 0.001].

The same ranking system was used for ranking the usefulness of the different aspects of the Zooms for supporting learning. The aspect most frequently ranked as the most useful was being able to view the Zoom recording later (48.4%), followed by the order the content was presented in across the weeks (38.0%). When assigning points to all rankings, the order of usefulness was as follows:

• The order the content was presented in across the weeks (1925 points);
• Being able to view the Zoom recording later (1908 points);
• Having related sections on Learn highlighted (1536 points);
• Connecting with the UC teaching team (1443 points);
• Hearing other teachers’ questions (1228 points);
• The ability to ask questions in a live forum (1156 points);
• Hearing other teachers’ successes (889 points);
• Special guest sessions (881 points);
• Other (284 points).

Within the sample of qualitative data related to the Zoom teaching sessions, there were a total of 91 references. The raw references data for child codes were converted into percentages to depict their proportionate occurrences for each code, being identified as either positive or negative. The distribution of these references can be seen in

Table 7. Distribution of references and codes related to Zoom teaching sessions.

Code	Positive	Negative
Presenters	19.64%	0.00%
Accessibility	23.21%	3.03%
Content	19.64%	26.67%
Format	3.45%	33.33%
Timing	12.50%	3.33%
Design	3.57%	16.67%
Supportive of learning	16.07%	3.33%
Miscellaneous	1.72%	13.33%

.

When examining the qualitative responses, the majority (65.12%) was positive. The greatest proportion of codes related to accessibility of the Zooms. Respondents valued the ability to revisit the content to check for clarity, as well as the flexibility to watch the recordings at a time that suited their schedule: ‘It was great being able to revisit Zooms to check or clarify information’. The presenters’ skills and style of presenting were well-regarded: ‘[Presenter name], your presentation style and skills were fantastic. [All the presenters] were so impressive’. The Zoom content was also noted to be useful and promoted learning: ‘They were the basis of my learning’.

Negative responses (equating to 34.88% of total responses) related predominantly to the Zoom format and content. While many respondents found the content and format of the Zooms to be positive and supportive of their learning, others found the content was presented too slowly and did not value hearing other attendees’ questions and comments: ‘There were many times where the zooms were pointless because we had already completed what the zoom was focusing on’. Some respondents preferred to watch the recordings for this reason, so they could skip the parts that they did not find useful or relevant: ‘When time was precious which is often for us as teachers, we just wanted to get to the content rather than the introductory part so watch online afterwards was better’.

3.2. Challenges and Facilitators of Success

Participants were also asked, ‘How likely are you to complete further training via a micro-credential model?’. The majority of participants (71.2%) was either ‘very’ or ‘somewhat likely’ to complete further micro-credential training.

Finally, participants were asked ‘How likely are you to recommend the Better Start Literacy Approach micro-credential to other colleagues?’. The majority of respondents (70.8%) was ‘very likely’ to recommend the microcredential to a colleague. There was no significant difference between the ratings of literacy specialists and teachers [F(1251) = 2.05, p = 0.15].

We then examined the open-text responses to three questions exploring overall thoughts on the course and benefits and challenges of completing the course. Across the sample, there were a total of 1595 references coded to the three main categories of questions (benefits, challenges and overall thoughts). The raw references data for child codes were converted into percentages to depict their proportionate occurrences within the three main questions. The distribution of these references can be seen in

Table 8. Distribution of references and codes for three overarching themes.

Organizing Category	Code	Benefits	Challenges	Overall Thoughts
Positive Experiences	Delivery	5.73%	-	8.0%
	Structure	15.1%	-	18.2%
	Content	12.5%	-	11.8%
	Training	26.0%	-	17.5%
	Resources	15.8%	12.5%	15.8%
	Accessibility	7.7%	12.5%	10.3%
	Standardization	1.6%		0.4%
	Support	8.8%	62.5%	9.9%
	Assessment	3.2%	12.5%	2.9%
	Other	2.8%		-
Negative Experiences	Workload	20%	36.7%	12.4%
	Inadequacy		5.1%	2.6%
	Inaccessibility	40.0%	5.9%	4.8%
	Lack of support	-	5.9%	2.2%
	Organization	-	18.9%	5.6%
	Inconvenience	20.0%	3.9%	2.9%
	Delivery	-	2.2%	0.5%
	Assessment administration	-	15.3%	3.1%
	Other	-	7.0%	0.5%
Improvements	Extra resources	-	-	2.8%
	Communicate expectations	-	-	27.8%
	Notify changes	14.3%	-	11.1%
	Resource availability	14.3%	-	11.1%
	Resource modification	-	23.1%	8.3%
	Course modification	57.1%	76.9%	19.4%
	Simplify website	-	-	5.5%
	Practical approach	-	-	5.5%
	Other	14.3%	-	5.5%

.

The dataset for the qualitative responses to the final three questions was substantial and rich. Many respondents took the survey opportunity to discuss or provide feedback on elements of the course that were beyond the micro-credential delivery itself, including topics such as literacy assessments for students, fitting the literacy teaching into their school timetable or feeling unsupported by senior leadership in their school whilst overhauling their literacy program. While all responses were coded, the thematic discussion will pull out aspects directly related to the delivery of the micro-credential course.

Positive experiences: Overall, respondents felt very positive about their experience completing the micro-credential training. The main theme related to this was the overall training experience provided. Participants felt the course created an opportunity for pedagogical strengthening that they had not experienced in their previous training, either at the undergraduate level, or on-the-job PLD: ‘Being upskilled in phonemes and graphemes and feeling so much for confident to actually teach how to read!’ They felt it gave them a solid insight into the ‘why’s’ and ‘how’s’ of teaching literacy. They appreciated knowing the training was developed from a strong evidence-based, and this created a sense of trust towards the providers: ‘The whole approach leaves nothing to chance and provides teachers with a workable, clear, grounded in research and evidence-based framework that is making a difference for our tamariki [children]’. Finally, they were able to see a direct relationship between the training and their students’ achievement in literacy, which further strengthened their positive experience: ‘The amazing results in tamariki [children’s] learning, including how they become confident readers with transferable skillsets across literacy domain including better speech, better spelling, alongside so much more independence as learners’.

Negative experiences: Respondents found some aspects of the training to be more negative than others. These experiences were largely related to workload, support and access to or inadequacy of resources. Many felt that the workload was overwhelming to complete the training within the other expectations of their role as a full-time classroom teacher: ‘I think finding the energy and time to attend Zooms online and then stay engaged was tricky for me personally after a full day in class’. While this statement was often balanced with acknowledgement that the hard work was worth it in the end, it was still a significant theme from the data. Challenges with access to and organization of resources were also prevalent, with respondents describing these as inadequate to support teaching or difficult to navigate from an organizational perspective.

Improvements: As previously mentioned, while completing the survey, many respondents took the opportunity to give suggestions for feedback on the course and content delivery as a whole. The strongest theme from this code was related to communication of expectations to complete the course, prior to beginning: ‘I think you need to warn kaiako [teachers] of the time commitment—I was under the impression it was only a few days’ worth of work as we were told that was the time we were allocated as CRT to complete it’. Others also provided suggestions for ways they thought the course could be modified to be more accessible, including providing face-to-face workshops and presenting the course materials in different ways: ‘I think for certain aspects of the microcredential people would benefit from a face-to-face workshop to work through it’.

4. Discussion

The research presented in this article explored the challenges and facilitators of success for literacy specialists and teachers completing an online micro-credential focused on an early literacy teaching approach, namely the Better Start Literacy Approach. The results presented a number of interesting and relevant takeaways for those interested in designing and implementing the use of micro-credentials for large-scale teacher PLD.

The study utilized a mixed-methods approach, exploring both qualitative and quantitative responses to an online survey. Several key findings from the data will be discussed below.

4.1. Completion of the Micro-Credential Was a Positive Experience and Supported Teaching Practice

Responses from the survey showed an overall positive experience to completing the course. The majority of survey respondents rated their likeliness to complete further micro-credential training as either somewhat or very likely, and a similar proportion of them were very likely to recommend the course to a colleague. These largely positive responses indicate that literacy specialists and teachers saw value in completing the Better Start Literacy Approach training and would engage in the learning of a similar style again. These positive sentiments were echoed in the qualitative analysis, with respondents describing how the course changed their teaching practice, built their knowledge of effective literacy instruction and led to measurable progress in students’ literacy skills. These are outcomes supported by the existing literature across a range of curriculum areas exploring the effect of teacher PLD, demonstrating the positive impact on teachers’ knowledge and skills [40] and classroom practice. The positive impact of teacher PLD on student achievement is nuanced and mediated by a number of factors [40,41,42].

The existing literature in this field has also demonstrated an overall positive feeling towards the use of micro-credentials for both pre-service and in-service teachers, as well as educators studying for higher tertiary-level qualifications [24,26,43,44].

Gillon, et al. [23] demonstrated the positive impact on teachers’ knowledge, skills and confidence in teaching literacy as a result of completing a micro-credential, with particularly strong growth in pedagogy, indicating the application of enhanced linguistic knowledge to literacy assessment and teaching. With evidence that teachers are leaving university and entering the workforce underprepared for effective literacy instruction [19,20,21], the need for alternative means of upskilling is imperative. This research suggests an implementable method of teacher PLD through a micro-credential model that is acceptable to teachers, implements best practices for teacher PLD design and leads to quantifiable change in both teacher knowledge and student success [23,36].

4.2. An Online Learning Platform Provided a Flexible Means of Accessing the Content

The online learning platform utilized in this course was viewed positively by the majority of respondents. A range of resources are housed on the online learning platform and the survey aimed to better understand the usefulness of these resources. A ranking system was used, and responses showed that resources related to practical implementation were the highest ranked by respondents, with teaching exemplar videos and teaching resources scoring the highest. Respondents were also more likely to rank video resources higher than written resources, with teaching exemplar videos and videos that taught theoretical content ranking higher than explanatory documents and journal articles or other readings. This suggests that participants of the course have a heavy focus on practice and are less likely to prioritize engagement with theoretical content. A course of this nature, while post-graduate in nature, is designed to enhance and change teacher practice, and as such, less focus is given by participants on the ‘why’, with a bias towards the ‘how’. Andragogical theory, the study of adult learning, is centered on five core assumptions of adult learners. These include the idea adult learners come with a rich and varied background knowledge to apply to the current learning and that they are problem-centered; that is, they are most engaged by learning that can result in the immediate application of knowledge [45]. These assumptions were supported by the data from the current study, which showed a preference for practice-based resources such as teaching videos and resources, rather than those which focused on theory and align to best practices for adult professional development [17].

Qualitative responses were mixed towards the online learning platform. Some mentioned the overwhelm at working through and navigating the content, and that this was a barrier to their course completion. In contrast, others described the learning curve to learn how to navigate the platform effectively, but that, once this was overcome, the content was rich and facilitative of their successful implementation of the teaching. These conflicting comments speak to the diverse nature of those who may engage in such large-scale learning. McChesney and Aldridge [46] describe structural and acceptance barriers that may inhibit teachers’ ability to impact positive change as a result of engagement with PLD. Structural barriers include those that affect teachers’ ability to access the PLD, such as the physical location of the school (e.g., rural), and the capacity of teachers to engage with learning due to being too tired or busy. McChesney and Aldridge [46] data described teachers in rural schools feeling less able to access quality PLD compared to their peers in rural schools. When looking more broadly at the impact of micro-credentials in rural communities, Tinsley, et al. [29] reported positive impacts on ‘opportunity for skill development, job promotion, salary increase, credential attainment and/or enrollment in additional educational programming’ (p. 10). The online nature of this micro-credential, which enables access from anywhere, as also flexibility to choose when and how to engage with the content, aims to reduce disparities between access to quality PLD for those in rural communities, who may be less likely to access more traditional methods of PLD delivery.

Research has shown that teachers view PLD as more impactful when they display higher levels of self-efficacy and job satisfaction [47]. The efficacy of PLD programs for educators depends on several factors. These include schools allocating adequate resources to support PLD initiatives and the extent to which teachers can dedicate sufficient time to actively participate in these opportunities [48,49]. Contextual fit is also important, with teachers more likely to ‘accept’ and implement PLD when they can see the ‘fit’ for their student, school and wider cultural context [46]. Furthermore, individual teacher factors such as dedication to their profession [50], teacher agency [46] and how accomplished the teacher is [51] play a pivotal role in shaping the benefits derived from PLD. It may be that some of the sample of teachers who completed the micro-credential described in this study were impacted by these and other factors, thus explaining the, at times, contradictory data taken from the qualitative comments.

There were several design features of the online course that were highlighted as useful for participants. Participants valued the ability to revisit videos and resources multiple times as the most positive design feature of the course. This speaks to the asynchronous, self-paced nature of the course, where participants are completing it while they work full-time, and the ability to be able to revisit important and relevant elements as they progress through the learning is very valuable. Participants also valued the organization of the course into focused modules and the ‘24/7’ nature of access to the content. Again, these elements highlight important design aspects when designing courses for busy professionals who follow a non-traditional student model. Having a course that is easy to navigate through clear organization is important to making content easily accessible in the moment. Sun and Chen [52] reviewed 47 studies looking at effective practice for online education. Their synthesis of the research included the importance of online course design, instructions and supports, and consideration of pedagogical practice for effective online learning. Online course design included a variety of options in the online course content (e.g., videos, written content, and audio files); clear, strategic instructions that support students’ pathway through the course; and high-quality, well-informed instructors. Pedagogical practice included the use of organization of both the course content and the instructor, and flexibility with access and completion. It is also important that best practices for learning design, such as Universal Design for Learning principles; culturally responsive design; and considerations of different modes and learning approaches are taken into consideration when designing an online micro-credential course [53]. Elements of these principles for effective online learning are seen in the current research and highlighted as both strengths and opportunities for improvement in the data presented.

One of the main challenges of the online learning platform was its considerable amount of content and challenges with accessing and locating appropriate materials. This has been considerably improved as cohorts have progressed through the course but may still act as a barrier for some teachers. While some respondents were able to move through this barrier with regular access to improve familiarity, this is an important consideration for course design. Micro-credentials, by their nature, are designed to be small pieces of learning and often completed by those already in the workforce [7]—accessibility and careful development of content is crucial to ensure that participants have a positive experience with the course and can locate what they need when they need it.

4.3. Online Teaching Sessions Are a Key Element of an Online Course

Given the distance nature of micro-credential course delivery, having opportunities to connect with the teaching team are critical to its success. The online teaching sessions, delivered via Zoom in this instance, were a facilitator of success for this course. The vast majority of respondents rated the Zooms as somewhat or very positive, indicating the value of this teaching tool to support the online model of delivery. Participants appreciated the flexibility to be able to access the Zoom recordings as suited their schedules, with over half (primarily teachers) preferring to access the recording. It was rare for Zooms to be commented on negatively in the qualitative data too, with many respondents highlighting how useful they found the sessions to support their teaching and how much they enjoyed the teaching team and delivery of content.

Courses such as micro-credentials, designed to target working individuals, rather than students, need to carefully consider their use of teaching tools such as Zoom to support course content. They provide a two-fold benefit: firstly, by scaffolding through online teaching content to support the asynchronous learning; and, secondly, to create links with the teaching team and foster a sense of community and motivation. While some course participants may be completing the course in large teaching groups, others are more isolated and benefit from an online community of practice which can be fostered through live Zoom teaching sessions.

Access to quality PLD can be a barrier for rural schools in hard-to-reach communities [54,55]. The use of an online course such as a micro-credential provides equitable access to high quality, evidence-based content in a delivery method accessible to all, provided a stable internet connection is accessible. The international COVD-19 pandemic saw a rapid uptake of both online teaching and learning across a range of fields, as well as improved accessibility to internet, and as such, working and learning online is considered ‘mainstream’. While online learning can come with both opportunities and challenges [56,57,58], PLD providers can harness this shift to the online space and think beyond traditional delivery models of PLD to ensure equity for all. The scaling of PLD provisions using micro-credentials is able to address the challenges of access and equity to quality PLD for all teachers.

4.4. Challenges of Completion Are Varied

When analyzing the challenges of completing the micro-credential course for teachers and literacy specialists, a wide range of topics was evident. Workload was the biggest challenge for respondents, with many commenting on the demands of completing the course requirements around their work commitments and teaching schedule. Organization, which encompassed issues with the way the course, information, resources or delivery was set up, was also a common topic. These both speak to the importance of allowing teachers time within their schedule to fully engage with PLD opportunities to enact the learning fully. Adapting or overhauling teacher practice takes time and energy, and it is imperative that teachers are given adequate space to do so. Respondents often mentioned the importance of having leadership support to engage with the learning—both through the provision of time via teacher release to work through course content and also through the release of expectation to engage in any other comprehensive PLD while the course was being completed. This is supported by other literature, which describes teachers’ desires to have sufficient time to undertake the work required of them and then implement and embed classroom practices from one PLD opportunity before moving on to another [59]. Supportive leadership plays an important role in facilitating changes in instructional practice and teacher effectiveness [60,61]. Teachers frequently lack the time and resources necessary to pursue or effectively participate in professional learning and development opportunities, often due to heavy workloads or lack of support from senior leadership within the school [48,62]. Thus, supportive leadership should be considered crucial to the success of the completion of such a course.

4.5. Implications for Practice

This study forms part of a larger body of research which has explored the impact of a micro-credential course focused on early literacy teaching. The research body has shown positive impacts on teacher knowledge, skills and confidence with literacy teaching [23] and positive growth in children’s early literacy and oral language skills [36]. Findings from the current research suggest a number of useful implications for the use of micro-credentials in the education sector, with a particular focus on teachers and literacy specialists. Firstly, when providing professional learning and development of this nature, flexible delivery is critical. This was evident through the positive survey data related to the online Zoom recordings and Learn course being accessible and able to be revisited 24/7. The thematic analysis of qualitative responses also reflected this sentiment.

Secondly, having a clear link to practice is necessary. Engagement with the various aspects of the micro-credential featured in the current study indicated elements focused on practice were of greater value and interest than those focused on theory. Course design is also important—having courses completed in clearly defined, ‘bite-sized’ chunks helps to reduce teacher overwhelm, as well as ensure a clear link between course content and practice.

Finally, both school leadership and course developers need to be mindful of the time commitment expected of already-busy teachers to complete the course requirements. Schools embarking on comprehensive PLD practices such as a micro-credential should be considerate of other expectations placed on teachers at the same time and consider opportunities for classroom release time to fully engage in the learning. A review of the evidence of the impact of teacher PLD on student achievement showed that comprehensive PLD needed to be 14 h at minimum to show a positive and significant effect on student achievement, but an average of 49 h in duration can have a substantial impact on the achievement of students (by approximately 21 percentile points) [41]. This suggests that, for PLD, to have the desired effect—increasing student achievement through improved teacher practice—space must be provided for teachers to engage with the required content properly and fully. With that said, course developers also need to be mindful of keeping course content tightly related to the objectives of the course and achievable in the context in which the course is delivered—teachers working fulltime and completing the course content and requirements in additional to their primary focus of classroom teaching.

4.6. Limitations

This survey presents some of the first data available on the use of a micro-credential for enhancing teacher practice in early literacy teaching. The data presented do come with some limitations. The sample size is relatively small and does include respondents from the first cohort of the course, after which many upgrades and changes were made. As such, the responses may not be representative of the wider group experience. Surveys also do not allow follow-up questions to explore in more depth responses to some questions. Furthermore, the focus of the course was limited to literacy, rather than more generalized professional development. With that said, aspects of good practice for micro-credential course design should apply across curriculum areas.

5. Conclusions

Micro-credentials in the education sector, designed for upskilling teachers with specific skills and knowledge, are an underutilized but valid and effective format for comprehensive, effective professional learning and development. The research discussed in this article described the challenges and facilitators experienced by participants of an online micro-credential program, focusing on early literacy teaching approaches. Through a mixed-methods approach, encompassing both qualitative and quantitative analyses, several key findings were described.

One notable finding is the overwhelmingly positive experience reported by participants upon completing the micro-credential program. Survey responses indicated high levels of satisfaction, with a majority expressing a willingness to pursue further micro-credential training and recommending the course to colleagues. These sentiments were corroborated by qualitative data, with participants attributing positive changes in their teaching practices and enhanced literacy instruction skills to the program. These outcomes resonate with the existing literature highlighting the transformative effects of teacher professional development (PLD) on both teacher knowledge and classroom practice.

The data also highlighted the potential of online learning platforms in providing flexible and accessible avenues for professional development. Participants valued the practical resources available on the platform, particularly video content, emphasizing a preference for practice-oriented materials over theoretical discourse. However, some challenges were noted associated with the online learning platform, including content overload and navigation difficulties. While improvements have been made to address these challenges as the course has developed, the need for well thought-out course design and content curation is critical to ensure a positive learning experience for participants.

The data also emphasized the important role of online teaching sessions, such as Zoom meetings, in facilitating engagement and fostering a sense of community among participants. These sessions not only scaffold learning but also serve as essential opportunities for interaction with the teaching team, particularly for individuals in remote or isolated settings.

In conclusion, this research provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of micro-credential programs in enhancing teacher practice and student outcomes. By addressing challenges and leveraging facilitators identified in this study, educators and policymakers can optimize the design and implementation of professional development initiatives to meet the evolving needs of educators and improve educational outcomes for all students.