Online professional development programmes have a long tradition in adult education. However, in early childhood education, such programmes are only just beginning to be developed. Before online professional development courses can be made inclusive, accessible and widely available to early childhood educators, they must meet a few basic requirements. The present study provides insights into essential aspects that need to be considered when setting up online professional development programmes, a field which is still in its infancy in Austria. The results of a representative survey (n = 317) demonstrated that early childhood educators' digital competencies are highly variable and cannot be taken for granted. The survey results also stress the need to provide educators with functional digital devices appropriate to their work environment. Early childhood educators' interest in online professional development programmes is very high, in recognition of the advantages afforded by flexible participation options independent of users' time constraints or location. The development of attractive, compelling and accessible online professional development courses can contribute to current professionalisation efforts in the field of early childhood education.

中文翻译：

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奥地利幼儿教育工作者参与在线专业发展计划的挑战和障碍

在线专业发展计划在成人教育中有着悠久的传统。然而，在幼儿教育中，此类项目才刚刚开始发展。在为幼儿教育工作者提供包容性、可访问性和广泛使用的在线专业发展课程之前，它们必须满足一些基本要求。本研究提供了对设置在线专业发展计划时需要考虑的基本方面的见解，该领域在奥地利仍处于起步阶段。代表性调查的结果 ( n = 317) 表明幼儿教育工作者的数字能力变化很大，不能想当然。调查结果还强调需要为教育工作者提供适合其工作环境的功能性数字设备。幼儿教育工作者对在线专业发展计划的兴趣非常高，因为他们认识到不受用户时间限制或地点限制的灵活参与选项所提供的优势。开发有吸引力、引人入胜且易于访问的在线专业发展课程可以为当前幼儿教育领域的专业化努力做出贡献。