E-learning scholars have long predicted the conversion of conventional education to online learning spaces. That conversion has now happened. Regardless of what occurs in a post-pandemic era, teaching and learning will never be the same. Where does that leave teacher educators (TEs) who grapple with how to best prepare future teachers for the new era? The aim of our research was to determine the impact of supporting a small group of Chilean TEs in re-designing their online instructional approaches by aligning them with contemporary learning theories and goals. In the Chilean context, prior to the pandemic, e-learning was still on the periphery, and transitions from teacher-directed approaches had only just begun. In this 10-month qualitative inquiry, we focused on the TEs experiences online as they adopted sociocultural-based, 21^st century instructional designs, and implemented strategies intended to promote agency and engagement in their students. The TEs long-held teacher-centric identities and approaches sometimes interfered in this trajectory. Yet, their heightened critical awareness of the ineffectiveness of traditional teaching paradigms in online settings combined with their grounded efforts and perseverance, resulted in positive evidence of ‘real’change to their designs, practices and identities – changes many have been seeking in educational systems for some time.