Quality education requires quality training internationally and nationally.Professional development of staff for student learning is thus essential in a fast-changing, complex,globalisedknowledge environment. This paper explores howone open-distance learning (ODL) university in South Africa plansprofessionaldevelopment for the training of undergraduate teachers to improve teachingpractices, leading to students learning more.Usinga qualitative research paradigmand a phenomenological design, data were collected from six purposely selected,fourth-year undergraduate student teachers and analysed according to Giorgi’sphenomenological methods. The results confirm previous studies, fortheparticipantsfeltthatit wasimportantto establishcommunitiesof practicewithintheirindividualsubjectareas,to enable themto sharetheirexperiencesandmaintaintheirpassionforteaching.This study recommends thatthe IT supportpersonnel in the Department of Basic Education, provides learning materialsneededbyschools and assist in the training of teachers forquality training.