Abstract:

School principals are a professional group that has been given the instruction to ensure that organization and operation of schools meet requirements of quality, equity and social justice. There is a prevalent consensus on the significance of their work in promoting processes for improving educational institutions. For this reason, in recent years, the training they receive has become a preferred object of study for those who study schooling.
Training has undoubtedly been a major impact way to acquire and develop school managing competencies. In previous studies [1] [2] we have explained how, through the use of specific methodological strategies and online training devices, students can receive substantial help to develop skills for school direction, apart from learning the conceptual content considered in the academic program.
In order to make progress in e-learning based training for school principals, it is essential to develop models and teaching methods, in which performance of teachers (tutor teachers) who give students day to day tasks support and guidance, become an example of competencies exercise that could be developed by a school director in practice [3] [4].
The main purpose of this paper is to describe the process and to present some results of a study related to school directors’ training using an e-learning tool of the Master's Degree in The Management of Teaching Centers at the University of Barcelona (online edition). It makes an analysis on how to promote skills of managing educational institutions through specific methodological proposals, and principles guiding the work of mentoring.

References:
[1] SILVA, P., ANTÚNEZ, S., GONZÁLEZ, J.J. (2012). Development of professional competencies for school leadership through online training. In International Technology Education and Development Conference (INTED) 2012. Valencia.
[2] BATES, A. W., SANGRÀ, A. (2013). La gestión de la tecnología en la educación superior. Estrategias para transformar la enseñanza y el aprendizaje. Barcelona: Octaedro/ICE UB
[3] CABERO, J. y GISBERT, M. (2005). La formación en Internet. Sevilla: Eduforma.
[4] MCFARLANE, D. (2011). The leadership roles of distance administrators’ in Increasing educational value and quality perceptions. In Journal of distance learning administration. Vol 14, Num 1. State University of West Georgia.

Keywords:

e-learning, principals, skills development.