Online Instruction Certification

DISTANCE EDUCATION AND CORRESPONDENCE COURSES

Distance education is a formal educational process in which the majority of the instruction (interaction between students and instructors and among students) in a course occurs when students and instructors are not in the same place. Instruction may be synchronous (live) or asynchronous (delayed).  A distance education course may use the internet, or other connectivity such broadband lines, fiber optics, satellite, or wireless communications devices; audio conferencing; or other digital media if used as part of the distance education course or program (SACSCOC, 2020).

Here at Huston-Tillotson University, we hold a high standard to our Distance Education and Correspondence courses.  Faculty who teach in distance and correspondence education programs and courses receive appropriate training.   To ensure sufficient number of instructors qualified to develop, design and teach these courses, those interested in teaching in alternative modalities must earn the 1) APPQMR Certification and the 2) HT Canvas Proficiency Assessment Certification.

Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) Workshop

Quality Matters (QM) is a faculty-centered, peer review process that is designed to certify the quality of online and hybrid courses. This is an introductory workshop designed to introduce participants to the rubric and its application to course design for student success. It is open to any faculty or staff interested in learning how to apply the QM rubric and for those who wish to serve as a peer reviewer on campus.

Workshops are held on campus, remotely and online through the year.  Workshops are two weeks long and asynchronous, but does have due dates for completing the modules. You can read more about the APPQMR Workshops here.

This workshop is offered free of charge to the HT community, courtesy of the Center for Academic Innovation and Transformation

HT Canvas Proficiency Assessment Certification

Mastering basic uses of the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) are essential for faculty instruction.  In order to assess comprehension necessary for the basic use this LMS, the following competencies must be met.  The objective of this assessment is to transform a default course shell by completing each competency stipulated.  An earned score of 82% (14 of the 17 competencies) is required for eligibility to teach online and/or hybrid courses at Huston-Tillotson University.

·         Account Management (avatar image, contact information, notification settings)

·         Course Customization (course image, navigation menu, modules and content management)

·         Course Assessments (assignment, discussion and quiz creation)

·         Communication features (inbox messaging and course announcements)

·         System Tools (calendar, multi-media and Conferences)

 *3rd party LMS certifications are not accepted

To get started, sign into Canvas and complete the Growing with Canvas:  Instructor Training Module located on the Dashboard.  Instructors are also encouraged to attend Canvas SOS! to help learning the LMS.  After training, proceed to register to attempt the Canvas Proficiency Assessment Certification.

Both the APPQMR and Canvas Proficiency Assessment Certifications must be earned at least 2 months prior to teaching assignment.

Faculty and adjunct instructors can register by emailing cait@htu.edu

Questions? Please contact Dr. Jennifer Miles at jpmiles@htu.edu or 512-505-6460