Post-Master's Certificate in Online Teaching in Higher Education

Unique and distinctive skills are required to engage and teach adult learners. Education professionals will explore adult learning and developmental theory and the wide range of research that supports it, including andragogy and transformation, phase and stage developmental theories, and effects of gender and culture on adult learning. Educators will also be provided with the opportunity to reflect on the relationship of course material with their own experiences as adult learners. Education professionals complete a variety of realistic assignments through which they practice communicating and presenting complex concepts, critique the work of major theorists, apply adult learning and development theories to educational practice, and construct their own positions on adult learning as scholar-practitioners.  

Educators explore the theories, paradigms, trends, and issues in the field of eLearning. Research on eLearning is critiqued and analyzed as an ecosystem, including an examination of K–12, higher education, corporate, and personal learning communities. Current social and geopolitical trends and their impact on eLearning are analyzed. Delivery methods, human presence, and sustainability of eLearning design are investigated. Through this course, educators are provided with design and development experience through the creation of multimedia presentations in an eLearning environment.

In this simulation course, learners have an opportunity to practice the art of online teaching hands-on and to develop an online instructional presence that encourages positive student outcomes. In this unique practical experience, learners develop and reinforce the skills needed to succeed as an online instructor. Scholar-practitioners hone their online teaching skills by engaging in realistic classroom scenarios with guidance and feedback from experienced online faculty members and in collaboration with their peers. With careful oversight, mentoring, and coaching, learners practice and analyze online facilitation activities, including interacting though discussion boards, assessing student work, and posting announcements.

Higher education is undergoing a radical paradigm shift with the rapid growth of online degree, program, and course offerings. Educators are provided with the foundational skills necessary to successfully facilitate learning in an online environment in this course. They have the opportunity to acquire the essential pedagogical competencies to provide targeted instruction and accurately assess student work in a virtual setting. Through the exploration of simulated classroom interactions and creative problem-solving scenarios, educators experience how online learning leverages technology to enhance knowledge and skill development. Upon successful completion of this course, educators can demonstrate professional skills to meet the growing demand for facilitators of online learning and the potential to positively influence a global population of learners.

Higher education is undergoing a radical paradigm shift with the rapid growth of online degree, program, and course offerings. Educators are provided with the foundational skills necessary to successfully facilitate learning in an online environment in this course. They have the opportunity to acquire the essential pedagogical competencies to provide targeted instruction and accurately assess student work in a virtual setting. Through the exploration of simulated classroom interactions and creative problem-solving scenarios, educators experience how online learning leverages technology to enhance knowledge and skill development. Upon successful completion of this course, educators can demonstrate professional skills to meet the growing demand for facilitators of online learning and the potential to positively influence a global population of learners.