LBCC Online Teaching Certification | Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. 1. What are the Online Teaching Certification Program requirements at LBCC?
  2. Why are faculty being required to have certification?
  3. I have been teaching online for many years, but do not have official certification. Do I have to complete this certification?
  4. I completed the LBCC Teach Online Seminar (TOS) a few years ago. Do I have to complete this certification?
  5. What if I have Online Certification from another Institution?
  6. How do I enroll and log into the Teach Online Seminar (TOS 3.0)?
  7. How much time is needed to complete the Teach Online Seminar (TOS 3.0)?
  8. I began TOS which closed on Aug 8, but did not finish. Do I have to complete new TOS 3.0?
  9. WAIVER: "What is the process for getting a waiver submitted and approved?"

1. "What are the Online Teaching Certification Program requirements at LBCC?"

Initially we had two requirements in our certification program, however we have changed this requirement to only item "a" (listed below) and made the Canvas portion recommended. View below for details:

a. REQUIRED: Online Teaching & Learning Pedagogy Certification ( LBCC Teach Online Seminar 3.0 )

- - - This requirement is met by completing our self-paced LBCC Teach Online Seminar 3.0 (TOS 3.0) or by submitting a waiver with equivalent online pedagogy certification from another College.
    - Note: A new updated version of our Teach Online Seminar (TOS 3.0) was released on Aug 12, 2019 taking place of TOS 2.0 which closed on Aug 8.
    - Enroll in TOS 3.0: https://lbcc.instructure.com/courses/34128/assignments/syllabus

b. RECOMMENDED: Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) Certification ( Growing with Canvas at LBCC )

- - - This training is met by completing our self-pace Canvas Training Course titled "Growing with Canvas at LBCC" or by submitting a waiver with equivalent certification from another College.
    - Note: Initially Canvas Certification was to be mandatory in addition to TOS 3.0, however we have now made Canvas LMS Certification highly recommended but not required for our online teaching certification program. Our LBCC Canvas Self-Pace Course was launched on August 12th, 2019.

- PLEASE NOTE: Online Teaching Certification is focused on pedagogical approaches to DL and is not the same as Canvas LMS training.

2. "Why are faculty being required to have certification?"

There are two main reasons. 1) Compliance and 2) Student Success

1. To be in compliance with Title 5 and ACCJC we need to have documented records of faculty certification. Also to be in compliance with our LBCC faculty contracts.

2. Distance Teaching & Leaning is a unique mode of instruction that needs our continuous attention and ability to adapt various teaching methodologies and strategies to best engage and support our student population and their success.

NOTE: Our TOS 3.0 is in alignment with the CVC-OEI Online Course Design Rubric. Also the quality of work and amount of effort you dedicate to this training and your DL courses will support the success of your students and our overall College success.

3. "I have been teaching online for many years, but do not have official certification. Do I have to complete this certification?"

- Yes, all faculty are required to successfully complete an online teaching & learning pedagogy certification curriculum in order to teach Distance Learning (Hybrid or Online) Courses.

NOTE: We understand that you may be among our best DL faculty and have been teaching DL for many years, yet we need to have official records of certification to meet the requirements noted in question #2 above.

4. "I completed the LBCC Teach Online Seminar (TOS) a few years ago. Do I have to complete this certification?"

- Those who completed our TOS since 2014 on Moodle or Canvas do not have to retake the training.
- If you did training at LBCC prior to 2014 on eZone, you have to take our current TOS 3.0.

5. "What if I have Online Certification from another Institution?"

- Instructors that have been certified to teach online at another institution may complete the appropriate online waiver form which will provide us (OLET) with records of your certification.
- Certification waivers must be submitted online using our Online Teaching Certification Waiver Form (online submission). We will not accept waivers via email and will only consider those submitted using our online waiver form.
- For more details about the waiver process please view question #9 below.

PLEASE NOTE:

- - LBCC needs to have records of training certification, therefore if you have recently been certified, but cannot provide an official certificate of completion then you will need to complete our TOS 3.0 so that we can attain official documentation of certification.
  - Online Teaching Certification is focused on pedagogical approaches to DL and is not the same as Canvas LMS training.

6. "How do I enroll and log into the Teach Online Seminar (TOS 3.0)?"

- ENROLL: You self-enroll through our Canvas LMS platform by following these steps:

Step 1: Log into your Canvas account at https://lbcc.instructure.com

Step 2: Select “Resources” from the navigation list on the left

Step 3: Click on the “LBCC Online Teaching Certification” option. This will open the enrollment page and syllabus of our Teach Online Seminar 3.0.

Step 4: Click on the button “Enroll in TOS 3.0 LBCC Teach Online Seminar” and follow the steps for completing the online form.

- LOGIN: You access the TOS by logging into Canvas LMS. Once you have self-enrolled you will then have instant access to the course. The course will appear on your dashboard list of Canvas classes. You can also find a link to the course in Canvas by selecting the left dark gray navigation “Resources” >> “LBCC Online Teaching Certification”

7. "How much time is needed to complete the Teach Online Seminar (TOS 3.0)?"

There are 4 self-pace modules in TOS 3.0. Each Module has units which consist of deliverables (i.e. assignments) that faculty will complete. Overall there are 10 deliverables that need to be completed. After submission of the deliverables, our Online Learning Faculty Coordinator will review each submission and provide feedback as needed.

Note: Our TOS 3.0 is in alignment with the CVC-OEI Online Course Design Rubric. Also the quality of work and amount of effort you dedicate to this training and your DL courses will support the success of your students and our overall College success.

8. "I began TOS which closed on Aug 8, but did not finish. Do I have to complete new TOS 3.0?”

A few faculty began our Teach Online Seminar (TOS 2.0) which ended on Aug 8th, but did not finish before the deadline. Those faculty who had not completed all assignments in TOS 2.0 by August 8, will now have to enroll in the new TOS 3.0. The initial deadline to complete TOS was in May 2019 and we had already extended the deadline to Aug 8th. Also, TOS was outdated and in need of an update, therefore the new TOS 3.0 is a much better training which will best support our faculty and students.

9. WAIVER: "What is the process for getting a waiver submitted and approved?"

If you have been certified to teach online at another institution you may complete our online waiver form which will provide us (OLET) with records of your certification. LBCC needs to have records of official certification, therefore if you have recently been certified, but cannot provide an official certificate of completion then you will need to complete our TOS 3.0.

Please follow the steps below for waiver consideration and review.

STEP 1: Complete and submit the Online Teaching Certification Waiver Form and provide all necessary documentation. This form will be received by OLET.

- - - - Please note: you will need to upload copies of official certifications you have completed. This is required for approval.
      - Also note Canvas LMS certification is not the same as Online Teaching Pedagogy Certification.

STEP 2: Inform your Department Head that you have submitted the online waiver form.

STEP 3: The OLET Online Learning Department will review you waiver submission.

- - - - Please note: if copies of official certifications are not submitted, OLET will not approve your waiver.
      - If approved, your name will be added to our certified faculty spreadsheet which your Department Head has access to.

STEP 4: After the OLET Online Learning Department review and approval, OLET will notify you and your Department Head of the approval.

NOTE: We will not accept waivers via email and will only consider those submitted using our online waiver form.