Faculty Preparation

Faculty members who wish to teach online should not only possess basic proficiency in computer skills but should also be acquainted with and feel comfortable using more advanced programs and applications. The following technical skills, listed from least to most complex, are examples of what would be needed to teach online and hybrid courses:

Basic Computer Skills

• Keyboarding
• Audio recording (microphone)

Database Management

• Data entry
• Data editing
• Database creation

File Management

• Create & name files
• Understand file storage
• Organize and manage files
• Understand file formats (doc, .docx, rtf, text, JPEG, GIF, PDF, WAV, MPEG etc.)

Wordprocessing

• Create, edit & save documents
• Use formatting techniques (bulleted/numbered lists; page numbers, etc.)
• Insert tables, graphs, and graphics into documents
• Create Table of Contents (TOC) and Indexes

 Presentation Software

• Create, edit & save presentations
• Add multimedia to presentation
• Record audio narration for presentation

Email

• Send & receive email
• Attach documents & pictures
• Participate in email discussion groups/listservs
• Create & manage contact groups
• Create & manage discussion groups

Internet

• Understand & use different browser types
• Know how to do targeted searches
• Understand how to use online databases
• Be familiar with YouTube, Skype, podcasts, blogs, webinars & wikis

Social Networking

• Use Facebook
• Create Facebook group
• Use Twitter

Learning Management System

• Upload content
• Create, design, and edit course modules
• Make content accessible
• Create announcements, discussion forums, blogs, and wikis
• Create assessments, surveys, and polls/use the Grade Center
• Upload multimedia
• Use IM or chat
• Understand & use other learning management system tools
• Use web-conferencing applications for virtual office hours
• Use rubrics and grading tools for individual feedback

The following pedagogical skills are needed to teach online and hybrid courses:

Fundamental Principles

• Utilize learner-centered pedagogy where concepts of interactivity, instructor-led facilitation and feedback are core elements.
• Create learning activities that actively engage students and which encourage top-down cognitive processing skills (such as synthesis and problem-solving tasks).
• Accommodate a variety of learning strategies in both content delivery and learning activities.
• Develop materials and assessments that require active learning.

Management and Interaction

• Follow guidelines for regular effective contact with students in both synchronous and asynchronous modalities.
• Communicate and maintain learning objectives.
• Cultivate and develop learning communities through group activities.
• Create and maintain an atmosphere of trust.
• Clarify clear participation requirements, facilitate and monitor interaction accordingly.
• Integrate practical tasks into learning activities to illustrate practical real-world content applications.
• Lead discussions rooted in inquiry that challenge students to question and develop their own conclusions.
• Provide ongoing personalized feedback and suggestions for improving student performance.
• Make additional resources available for learning.

Technology Integration

• Identify the most appropriate technologies for content and learning outcomes.
• Determine the modalities that are best used for course communication, discussion and assessment.
• Present content that is easily navigable and accessible to all learners.
• Integrate multimedia content that meets the learning needs and technology access of all students as well as accessibility requirements.
• Encourage cooperative learning through group activities that utilize current technology.
• Vet third party tools for accessibility/508 compliance, ease of use and pedagogical appropriateness.

Assessment

• Provide multiple opportunities for ongoing authentic assessment that measure both student understanding of course content and participation.
• Ensure that assessment tools are linked to learning objectives.
• Use a variety of asynchronous assessment techniques in which students are able to demonstrate higher-order critical thinking skills.
• Employ multiple assessment strategies to maintain active student engagement.
• Make use of data from the assessment tools in the LMS to evaluate the validity and reliability of the various assessment instruments.
• Incorporate surveys to receive regular constructive student feedback and integrate it into the course structure.
• Apply best practices to ensure academic integrity and student authentication in the online environment.

Accessibility

• Create or modify all course content so that it is accessible to students with disabilities.
• Design the course layout so that it is easily navigable and readable and has alternate options for students with special needs.
• Ensure that external tools and content provide students with equal opportunities and access to materials and assessments.

New Online or Hybrid Intructor Training

PCC requires the completion of one of following certification courses  in order to teach in an online/hybrid format at the college:

• PCC Online Teaching Certification (OTC) course - free and fully online 8 week course
  
  OR
  
  
• @One's Online Teaching and Design (OTD) course - fully online 12 week course 

The PCC Distance Ed department no longer offers “fee-waiver” codes for any @One courses due to a reduced budget. If you are interested in paying out of pocket and being reimbursed for the cost of the OTD course, or any other @One course, you must do the following to be eligible for reimbursement.  

How to register for PCC’s OTC course:

To find out when the next OTC course will be offered please refer to the Training and Workshops page. We will have one offered every term. If you do not see an OTC course listed on the calendar, please contact pcconline@pasadena.edu for details of when the next one will be available.

The PCC Online Teaching Certification (OTC)

The PCC Online Teaching Certification (OTC) is an 8-week fully online course that explores online learning theory, approaches to online course design, and strategies for supporting student success through Course Design, Interaction, Assessment and Accessibility. This course is for PCC faculty who are completing the college’s DE training requirement to become fully certified to teach online or hybrid courses at PCC.

This course, facilitated by PCC faculty and staff, is equivalent to the @One Online Teaching & Design course that also fulfills PCC’s Distance Education certification requirement.

Outcomes

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Develop a comprehensive course plan for a fully online or hybrid course
• Use the core features of the Canvas learning management system to design an online or hybrid course
• Develop an introductory orientation module
• Develop a learning unit with clear objectives aligned to the course outcomes
• Design accessible course content
• Integrate Open Educational Resources or other material curated from the internet to support student learning
• Design formative and summative assessments to support and measure student learning
• Use a variety of communication tools, both within and external to Canvas, to support student success
• Explain PCC policies and distance learning regulations

Fulfills

This course fulfills PCC’s distance education training requirement. This course can be used for salary advancement under : 12.6.3 Equivalent Credit, section c in the PCC Faculty Contract. Or for FLEX credit but not both. This course is not eligible for Acceptable Study credit units.

Format:
Fully Online

Duration:
8 weeks

Time Commitment:
Approximately 10 hours per week, for a total of 80 hours.

Level of Difficulty:

Intermediate. You need to be very comfortable using most features in Canvas. If you are still learning Canvas, it is strongly recommended that you take @One’s free Introduction to Teaching with Canvas course (either the facilitated or self-paced course) prior to enrolling in this eight-week course.

IMPORTANT: This is a very popular course and we have limited seating. Please only register if you can fully commit to this class during the full length of the course. If not, we recommend waiting till the next term when there will be additional training options available. This course is only open to current PCC faculty. When you register make sure to use your pasadena.edu email. Registering with a non-pasadena.edu will result in being dropped from the course unless your dean has contacted pcconline@pasadena.edu with a request to allow you in the course.

How to register for an @One course:

1. First contact pcconline@pasadena.edu to let us know you would like to  register for an @One course, and which course you are interested in taking. This is required so we can budget for reimbursement and allocate funds accordingly.
2. You MUST register for the course using your pasadena.edu email. Enrollments completed under a different email will not be eligible for reimbursement by PCC. Make sure to keep the proof of purchase email receipt you receive from @One after registering. You will need to provide this to us after course completion when you request reimbursement.
3. If you have limited or no experience teaching in Canvas, @One recommends taking the facilitated version of the Introduction to Teaching with Canvas course prior to the OTD course. The fully online course is free, but you do need to register through @One to reserve a seat in the course. Not sure if you need the Canvas course first? Do a skills check by reviewing the course outcomes, which are  listed on the course information page.

After you successfully complete an @One course:

Once you have successfully completed an @One course and received your digital badge from them, you will need to send an email to pcconline@pasadena.edu that includes:

1. Your full name, pasadena email and department
2. Your proof of purchase (email receipt your received from @One)
3. Your digital badge. Either share a link to your badge or attach the actual .png image of the badge you can download.

We will verify the information and file your reimbursement request thereafter. 

The DE Dept. cannot reimburse the cost of @One’s credit option through Fresno Pacific University (FPU), which can be used towards salary advancement at PCC. If credit units for salary advancement are needed, faculty must pay for all FPU course fees without reimbursement.

The Certificates offered by @One can be taken at your option, but these are not necessary to teach online or hybrid courses at PCC. 

See the full course catalog with course dates and registration links/information: https://onlinenetworkofeducators.org/course-cards

1. Previous Teaching
   If you have taught online at another institution but not PCC, you may be eligible to waive some training requirements. You will need to arrange a meeting with your Division Dean (or coordinator) and the Director of Distance Education to discuss your experience and present a course (or courses) you have taught online. Your course should include all the required elements for an online course from the OEI Course Design Rubric (PDF).
2. Previous Coursework
   If you have taken the equivalent coursework, you may be eligible to waive some or all of the PCC training requirements. Equivalent coursework means courses that cover the same learning outcomes as the required @One course Online Teaching and Design. You will need to provide proof of completion of previous coursework, as well as course descriptions. These can be sent to pcconline@pasadena.edu.
3. Depending on your past experience and training, one or more @One supplemental courses may be required to fill in any knowledge or skills gaps.
   For example: You may have taught DE in a 4-year setting in another state, so it may be recommended that you take Introduction to Online Teaching & Learning, which covers standards, regulations & requirements for distance education instruction at California Community Colleges specifically.