Apply for the Online Learning Faculty Certification
Want to Teach Online?
Excellent! We are always excited to welcome new faculty members!What is the Online Learning Faculty Certification?
The Online Learning Department provides professional development for faculty interested in teaching online or hybrid courses at Mt. Hood Community College. The certification is offered once per term, is a 10 week course, similar to a hybrid class. This means course development is online however weekly meetings are required. Faculty will be assigned an Instructional Designer (ID) who will help design and build their course using MHCC’s base universal design structure. ID’s will help customize it to subject matter and teaching style. Online and hybrid course development is done using the College supported learning management system, Blackboard Learn. During the certification process faculty will learn about course design, best practices in course development, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Regular Substantive Interaction (RSI), Quality Matters (QM), accessibility and other accreditation standards, and classroom management. Online course development requires a significant time commitment and can take upwards of 100 + hours collectively between the ID and the faculty member. The actual amount of time will be different for each instructor depending on online course experience, technical skill level, and subject matter.Examples:
- A faculty member has never taught online, is developing a new course, does not have materials they can adapt from a face-to-face course however they have decent technical skills.
- A faculty member has never taught online, is developing a new course, has material they can adapt from a face-to-face course but has have poor technical skills.
- A faculty member has taught online at other institutions but is developing a different course for MHCC. Has decent technical skills however may or may not use a different LMS.
- A faculty member already offers online courses at another institution and has been asked to build the same courses at MHCC. Has decent technical skill however may or may not use a different LMS.
Requirements:
- Faculty must be able to dedicate time to develop their course in one term.
- Faculty must register for the course: OLX10 (registration will be handled by OL staff)
- Attend required weekly meetings with your Instructional Designer. Days and times will be determined between the instructor and Instructional Designer at the initial consultation the first week of the term.
- Courses MUST be student ready at end of the 10 weeks
What does “student ready” mean?
It means a foundational course is complete, including:- Syllabus and course schedule are available and well defined
- All lessons are built
- Course and lesson objectives and outcomes are clear
- Clear evidence of instructor-student and student-student interaction
- Clear evidence of engaging activities
- Online Learning realizes it takes more work to create high stakes activities than it does to create other work. Courses can have finishing touches done before term begins and even as the course is active.
Ready to get started?
First step is to talk to your Dean and agree on a class and term it will be offered. Next you will need to fill out an application to participate in the required Online Learning Faculty Certification the term before the course is offered. You or your Dean can request this by sending an e-mail to [email protected]. Once submitted, you will be notified whether your application was accepted or declined before the term begins.Planning and Preparation
Overview
If you are beginning your journey toward online learning and teaching, this is the place to start! These resources will help you consider best practices as you work with your Instructional Designer to plan and implement effective online instruction. Along the way, you will learn how Blackboard tools and other technologies can be used to actively engage students.- Design or modify instructional materials in the Blackboard Learning Management System (LMS) using a variety of instructional methods, media, and activities
- Develop instructional materials that meet ADA standards
- Configure and manage Blackboard to effectively interact with online students
- Effectively manage and support online learner-centered education
Essential Software
The best browsers for working in Blackboard are Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. If you do not have both of these, please download Chrome and/or Firefox.
It is also important to keep your operating system (such as Windows) updated so that JAVA and other necessary software are running the latest versions.
Fundamental Technology Skills
Proficiency in the following technology skills will make your experience with your online course easier and more rewarding. Don't hesitate to ask for assistance if you'd like to brush up on any of these skills.- Copy and paste information between documents and browsers
- Navigate between multiple windows, browser tabs, and applications
- Install and configure browser settings and plug-ins.
- Use web-friendly file naming conventions.
- Understand web-friendly file formats; know when to use them
- Implement effective file and folder organization.
- Zip, attach, upload and link files
- Download, unzip, and save files
- Understand how to navigate network vs. local computer drives
- Create, edit, and format html files. Use style sheets for ADA compliance.
- Understand file types such as .htm, .ppt .pdf, .docx, .rtf, .jpeg, .png
Optimal Workspace
When working on a class, you may find yourself alternating between browser windows or other applications. A few ways to make your user experience more efficient include- working with a large monitor (instead of on a tablet or small notebook computer)
- employing tabbed browsing (in which you have multiple tabs open in a single browser and switch between them as needed)
- setting up a dual-monitor work station, if possible (keeping resource materials open on one monitor and using the other as your active working space makes the whole process more successful)
What to Expect in Online Learning Faculty Certification
If you are thinking about enrolling in Online Learning Faculty Certification, you may have some questions about what it takes to build an online course. This page address some of these concerns.
It is important to hold a realistic expectation of the time commitment required to build a quality online course. This post from Online Learning Insights explores the issue.
Some points to keep in mind are that online courses require heavy "front-loading." The entire course will be developed before the start of the term. Most faculty should expect to spend over 100 hours to develop a quality online course. The good news is that the Online Learning team is here to support you throughout the process!
We understand. All of the instructional designers in Online Learning have taught as adjunct faculty for a number of institutions. You work hard and put in a lot of hours.
And now we're saying that building an online course will be a lot of work. We get it. But keep in mind that there are a number of advantages to building a quality online course. First, the course will be available to you in future terms. Also, once it is developed, editing and revising become easier each time you teach. Another windfall benefit is that a well-designed online course often translates into stronger on-site or f2f courses. And finally, a quality online course can be less work through the term for the faculty.
Yes, a lot of time, energy, and planning go into making a quality online course. But the payoff comes when you teach it term after term.
If you are already teaching the course face to face, you may be able to use much of your content in an online course. However, it's important to recognize that an online course is inherently different, and should include activities and content that are effectively delivered in the online environment.
For example, if you show presentations in class and intend to upload those files to your online class, what is different? In class, a teacher is using a presentation as a visual aid for her own lecture. In the online class, only the visual aid is uploaded. There is no lecture or teacher. Presentations are different online and call for supplemental context.
Likewise, other course elements may need to be adapted to the online environment.
Great! You have a head start.
But building an online course is more involved than uploading your documents. Even those documents will need to be checked to confirm they are all ADA Section 508 compliant for accessibility.
And many of those documents might work better as HTML pages instead of Word files, PDFs, or whatever. Usability (including the student's ability to easily open course content on a variety of devices) is a strong consideration in online courses. Online Learning will help you optimize your course content for online delivery.
If the course you developed and taught has the same outcomes and you own the content, we can probably draw heavily from your previous work.
Online Learning is here to help you have the smoothest experience possible. We also want our students to have the best educational experience possible. We will work with you to adapt existing materials or develop new materials as needed.
It depends. Let's talk.
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