Most pre-service and in-service teacher trainings are provided in person, although some are a hybrid of in-person and online. More recently, online professional development opportunities specific to teaching CSE have become available.
Online professional development can be a cost-effective way of training teachers, both pre-service and throughout their careers, in particular when it comes to content updates around CSE. Some online programming can be done easily and cost-effectively, such as webinars, although webinars alone are insufficient for preparing pre- or in-service teachers. They are recommended for use in providing content, policy and programmatic updates.
Designing distance learning can be extremely expensive, and so it is best to recommend communities avail themselves of what is currently available online.
Perhaps the most in-depth and affordable online course to date is the Comprehensive Sexuality and Reproductive Health Education for Educators*, developed by UNESCO and UNFPA for teachers in Eastern and Southern Africa. Much of the content can be used by educators in other countries, replacing the regional-specific data and contexts as needed.
Answer, a US-based national sexuality education organization based at Rutgers University, hosts nine online workshops* that provide continuing education for professionals on the following topics:
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Sexuality ABCs
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STD Basics
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LGBTQ Issues in Schools
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Boys and Sex Ed
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Sexual Anatomy and Response
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Pregnant and Parenting Teens
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Relationship Skills for Teens
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Puberty and Adolescent Development
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Personal Safety
Essential Access Health, a US-based NGO, offers an online workshop, “Providing Age-Appropriate Sexual Health Education*,” which covers how out-of-school and school-based educators, teachers, and parents can provide comprehensive, medically accurate sex education from birth through adulthood.
*A registration fee is associated with these courses.