Innovative universities use Edthena's VC3 platform to drive reflective practice and deliver high-impact feedback for teacher candidates.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 28, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- For 15 years, the University of Michigan and the University of Washington have partnered with Edthena to make video coaching an embedded part of their teacher preparation programs. Both institutions utilize Edthena's VC3 platform to support teacher candidates in developing their instructional practice through structured reflection, high-impact feedback, and more meaningful professional learning.
With VC3, teacher candidates quickly and easily upload videos of their classroom instruction. They then share those videos with peers and coaches, and receive timestamped comments categorized as questions, suggestions, strengths, and notes. Using the platform, teacher candidates and their coaches participate in collaborative professional learning cycles on an ongoing basis.
"At the University of Washington, our teacher candidates are working educators across the state, and VC3 enables us to stay closely connected to their classroom practice," said Megan Kelley-Petersen, Ph.D., teaching professor and U-ACT program director at the University of Washington's College of Education. "The platform's user-friendly design allows instructors and coaches to view classroom teaching as they support teacher candidates with their ongoing reflection and critical thinking. Our candidates learn to ask important questions about their own practice and continuously improve their teaching to better support their students."
At the University of Michigan, VC3 has transformed how teacher candidates receive feedback on their instructional practice. Prior to adopting video coaching, coaches relied on lesson plans, student work samples, and audio recordings to provide feedback, however these samples did not provide a full picture of what teacher candidates and their students were doing in the classroom.
"Before video coaching with Edthena's VC3, many important aspects of teaching were simply not visible, and feedback cycles were often time-consuming and cumbersome," said Tim Boerst, Ph.D., professor of clinical practice in education at the University of Michigan's Marsal Family School of Education. "Edthena changed that by making instructional practice more accessible and, importantly, the feedback we are able to deliver timelier and more meaningful."
Beyond individual teacher candidate reflection, VC3 has helped coaches at the University of Michigan use video to better collaborate as they analyze instruction, align expectations, and create multiple pathways for feedback.
"VC3 facilitates multiple layers of work that enhance the overall quality of teacher development and are essential to educating future teachers," said Boerst. "In addition to supporting personal reflection and rich feedback, it is helping us engage our mentor teachers and field instructors in well-grounded conversations about what high-quality teaching and learning looks like in today's classrooms."
Today, schools, districts, and teacher education programs from more than 20 states and multiple countries are using VC3 to make video observation an integral part of teacher induction, teacher mentoring, professional learning communities (PLCs), and peer observation.
"We're proud to support programs across the world that are deeply committed to helping educators improve teaching through reflection, collaboration, and meaningful feedback," said Adam Geller, CEO of Edthena. "The University of Michigan and the University of Washington were early adopters of this innovative work and continue to show what's possible with video coaching."
To learn more about Edthena and its VC3 video coaching platform, visit www.edthena.com.
About Edthena
Edthena provides innovative technologies to support educator professional learning by streamlining feedback to teachers. The company offers the AI Coach platform, an artificial intelligence-driven solution to guide teachers through coaching cycles, named a TIME Best Invention of 2025; VC3, the classroom observation and collaboration platform for video coaching; and Observation Copilot, a tool allowing principals to instantly turn classroom notes into framework-aligned teacher feedback. Edthena is the recipient of numerous awards, including District Administration Top Product Award, Tech & Learning Award of Excellence, and SIIA CODiE Award. For more information, visit www.edthena.com. For more news about Edthena, visit www.edthena.com/blog/.
Media Contact
Christine Lynch, Edthena, 1 4109759638, [email protected], www.edthena.com
SOURCE Edthena
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