The document summarizes an in-house online teaching certification program for full-time and adjunct faculty at College of Sequoias. The program is taught entirely online over the course of a semester. It covers fundamentals of online teaching including regulations, technologies, communication, and learning theories. The curriculum also addresses legal and ethical issues like copyright, privacy, and accessibility. Participants found the materials and assessments, including building an online course, to be valuable for improving their online teaching skills and knowledge. Based on positive feedback, the coordinator plans to continue offering the certification program in future semesters.

1. In-House Online Teaching Certification Program
at College of Sequoias: Using Educational
Technology to Engage Full-Time and Adjunct
Faculty in Learning about Teaching
Deborah L. Nolan, Ph.D.
Distance Education and Faculty Enrichment Coordinator,
College of the Sequoias

2. What You Will Learn in this Session
• How the program works (e.g., who gets to take the class,
how certification is awarded)
• The curriculum
• What participants learned in the program

3. How the Program Works
• The Master Agreements
• Full-time
• Adjunct
• The DE Committee
• Wrote the curriculum
• The Distance Education Coordinator
• Teaches the program
• Blackboard (totally online)
• Who gets to take the class
• Open to all full-time and adjunct faculty who have not yet been certified
• How certification is awarded
• Successful completion
• Human Resources notified
One cohort of 20 finished in the summer 2011 session. A cohort of 15
is in the last weeks of the program as we speak.

4. The Curriculum
• Introduction
• History of online teaching at COS
• Definitions, the national picture, resources
• Module I - Fundamentals
• Regulations and Accreditation
• Technical Skills
• Communicating online
• Learning
• Module II - Legal and ethical considerations
• Copyright
• Privacy, safety, and confidentiality
• Academic integrity
• The Digital Divide
• Accessibility of instructional materials

5. The Curriculum (continued)
• Module III – Technology
• Web-based tools
• Blackboard
• Module IV – Practicum
• Build and evaluate a practicum course

6. Engagement and Assessment
• Test of knowledge of legal and ethical issues
• Web-based tool review (blog posting)
• Technology skills self-assessment
• Blackboard
• Exploration of instructor presence
• Application of knowledge about learning styles, theories,
and suggested teaching practices
• Philosophy of Online Teaching

7. In their own words
• The materials of the class were very relevant to the
participants: theories of teaching and learning,
technological resources, accessibility considerations,
learning styles, learner-centered methodology of teaching,
just to name a few.
• The assessment measures, including the practicum
(where we had to build our courses according to the
guidelines and criteria we learned from the class) and
writing the different sections of our philosophy of teaching
papers were, in my opinion, very valuable to all
instructors.
• I was given the opportunity to explore and review the wide
range of technological resources in teaching and
education that are currently available.

8. In their own words (continued)
• Probably the information that's useful to me (besides just
the technical ability to maneuver around Bb) involves the
need to design and utilize course materials so that
students with a variety of learning abilities can benefit
from the online environment.
• The most useful information that I gained from Module II
activities was a clearer understanding of the copyright
laws and a good working definition of public domain.
• I collaborated with professionals who seriously love
teaching and students.

9. In their own words (continued)
• The practical application . . . about implementing
academic integrity from the institution level down to the
curriculum/instruction level was beneficial.
• Learning how to establish and maintain contact in a
variety of ways
• A great personal achievement and good preparation for
teaching an online class.
• I feel this is the best, most useful class I have taken
regarding education in the online medium.
• I enjoyed the class. It was a lot of work, but in the end, it
helped me to become a better online teacher.

10. The future
• I will offer another program in the spring semester.
• Another program is planned for the summer (no summer
school again this year).
• I can offer it to one instructor at a time if need be.

11. Contact Me
• Deborah L. Nolan, Ph.D.
• College of the Sequoias
• deborahn@cos.edu