Become a VCCS Certified Online Instructor

Here's an announcement from Joan Trabandt (our Coordinator of Instructional Design and Development). I hope you will give it serious consideration as a useful professional development activity for the summer, whether you are new to distance learning or quite experienced. Please also feel free to share this announcement with campus colleagues who might be interested in teaching for ELI in the future and would like to use the course as an initial training and preparatory experience.

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Have you wondered how to improve your skills for teaching online? A six-week VCCS-sponsored online course is being offered this summer (May 27-July 8) in which you can participate as a student, collaborating with other teaching faculty from across the VCCS. In the course, you will:

• learn techniques for managing your online teaching time
• practice facilitating discussion forums effectively
• discuss strategies to enhance the instructor's social presence in online courses
• be introduced to several technologies which increase student participation
• experience 1-2 synchronous (virtual) sessions, helping you assess their value in an online course
• participate in online learning yourself, helping you better understand your students' experiences in your course

This pilot offering of the Teaching Online Project (TOP) course is available free (including free textbook) to any NOVA faculty member, full-time or adjunct, who has experience using Blackboard. At least five hours a week is expected in order to do the required readings, participate in the discussion forums, complete the e-portfolio assignment, and participate in the synchronous, virtual meetings. Upon satisfactory completion of the course, many VCCS colleges will recognize you as a VCCS Certified Online Instructor.

For more information or to sign up for the course, contact Joan at jtrabandt@nvcc.edu or (703) 323-3513. The deadline to sign up is Friday, May 9.