During the 2006-07 academic year, the Online
Instructor Certification Program was launched as a pilot project
designed to formally recognize faculty members' varying levels of
skill, knowledge, and experience in the delivery of web-mediated instruction.
Five levels of certification were established and are
described below.
The Program is for faculty members who wish to
demonstrate and, through a peer review process, receive
certification of specific skills, knowledge, and experience that
they possess relative to online teaching and learning; it is not a training program that faculty follow to obtain
certification. That being said, however, faculty members'
skills, knowledge, and experience can grow through their
participation in the many workshops, learning communities, and
other development activities provided by, for example, the
Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning.
This step-wise
approach provides a starting point for those considering engaging in
any level of online tool use, as well as an increasing recognition
for the attainment of greater knowledge and skill in preparation for
the three distinct modes of online instructional delivery:
web-enhanced, blended, or fully online.
Applications will be accepted at
any time during the academic year and will be reviewed on a
continuous basis. The Review Committee will be comprised of
members of the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning and at
least two faculty members. A typical review requires one month,
although the length of time may vary with the number,
completeness, and nature (i.e., level being sought) of
applications received. Certification will be awarded upon the
successful review of the application, and notification of the
applicant. A formal recognition of applicants' certification
will also occur annually at the Faculty Awards Banquet in
mid-April. If the application submission date does not allow
sufficient time to complete the review to meet Banquet
invitation and program deadlines for the current year, those
successful applicants will be formally recognized at the next
Awards Banquet.
Verification of applicants' skills, knowledge,
and experience for each level can be assessed through a combination of
deliverable products, portfolio, and web course evaluations. A
checklist for Levels 1-4 will assist faculty members
in documenting their progress toward the appropriate levels of
recognition.
Finally,
Professional Development Incentive awards are currently given to
successful applicants, beginning at Level 2 certification.
