New ADA and FERPA Webcast

Run time: 1 hour 8 minutes

Join us in an informal discussion between two education professionals about ADA and FERPA. A Conversation about ADA and FERPA introduces the rights and responsibilities of those who are directly impacted by both these federal laws within the context of the college and university setting. Students, faculty, administrators and staff will benefit.

Only $150 for a 24-hour access period of your choice. No viewer limitations! View as often as you want!

Run time: 1 hour 8 minutes

Interested? Register Now!

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Career and Techology Courses Available to CTE Educators!

The Institute for Instructional Excellence’s Center for Teaching Excellence has received Arizona State Department of Education ADE-CTE (Arizona Department of Education-Career & Technical Education) approval for five of its technology courses. This means that instructors in both K12 or Higher Ed can receive State Certified CTE professional development units through the Center.

Courses include Web Conferencing (10 PDUs), Introduction to Learning Management Systems (30 PDUs), Developing Online Learning Objects (15 PDUs) and Trends in Electronic Research (20 PDUs).  Learn more by checking out the descriptions in our course listings!

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Acarta Partnership

C4TE has signed a contract to be SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) with Acarta, a new online learning organization focused on Academics. Acarta is a new branch of My Cloud Learning, a professional development provider. You’ll find 18 of our courses available through their systems this month, and many more in the future.  Take the classes through us or through Acarta, you’ll get the same great quality educational experience!

Personal Development classes to be offered first include:

Creating a Fudge-it Proof Budget, Achieving Dreams through Goals, The Art of Effective Decision Making, and Successful Stress Management

Writing classes include:

Creating a Character Sketch, Developing Realistic Dialogue, Writing on the Web for Fun & Profit, and Essay Writing

Academic Development classes include:

Survey of Adult Learning Strategies, Web Conferencing Tools and Protocols, Analyzing Class Structure for Blended and Hybrid Delivery, Americans with Disabilities Act, Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, and Employee Rights

Professional Development classes include:

Entrepreneurialism, Impressionable Interviewing, Creating a Professional Bio, and Writing a Teaching Philosophy Statement

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Start our your quest to be a successful online teacher by researching the school(s) you wish to teach for. Although some colleges will hire faculty with Bachelor degrees, most will require at minimum a Masters Degree. Some will even require a PhD. Others will require a minimum of two years work experience in your discipline BEYOND the Masters Degree.

Go through the required training. Once you have applied to the school(s) of your choice and are accepted, you will likely be required to attend a training session. Some schools have online training classes set up that new faculty are required to complete prior to being approved to teach. Other schools will require that you teach your first course with a mentor. Both of these options are good things, even if you have been teaching for many years. Do not let the requirement of training dissuade you from your dream of teaching online. You can always learn something new. Some schools will pay you for the training, others do not. If there is no pay for the training, consider it to be time well spent learning a new skill!

Be ‘Present’ in the classroom. Once you have completed the training and have your own online class to teach, create a plan for your involvement in the course. One of the things that makes students quit online classes is the lack of interaction with the teacher, so plan on being ‘present’ in class as much as possible. A good rule of thumb is to post the times you plan on being online so the students know when they are likely to get fairly quick response to their questions. Regardless of your planned online ‘office hours,’ let the students know that you will do your best to respond to any of their inquiries within 24 hours. In a face-to-face class, the students see the teacher once or twice a week – online they actually have much MORE contact with the teacher, which makes teaching online even more interactive than teaching face-to-face.

Prepare your course materials. It is important to have your course materials ready to go BEFORE class starts. Do not create the course on the fly, you will get frustrated and so will your students. Create the entire course before going online so you can just copy and paste it into the Learning Management System (LMS) and have it ready to go when the students come to class. You can schedule different parts of your course content to ‘release’ at specific times and dates throughout the course so the student is not bombarded with the entire course at once.

Set aside your online time. You will need to plan on being online a minimum of five out of seven days each week, for a minimum of one hour a day. This does not have to be all at one time, however. That one hour can be 15 minutes in the morning to see if any emergency queries came in overnight, maybe another 15 minutes at lunch time and possibly 30 minutes after dinner. The important thing is to be there, even if it is just to acknowledge a comment and let the student know you will be back with more information later. Set aside specific times each day to interact in the class.

Set up a dynamic discussion board. The heart of an online class is the discussion board. Ask open ended questions, participate in the discussion on a regular basis and assure the students’ participation by offering  points for substantive posts. Let the students help each other in the discussion board – they will share information readily and learn from each other – this is a characteristic of adult learners and one we should take advantage of.

Provide substantive feedback. Students will feel somewhat alone, especially at first, in an online course. It is important to not only let them know you are in the class, but to provide timely, substantive feedback on their work. Not just any written assignments, but also on their posts in the discussion board. It is not enough to say, “Nice work.” Tell them WHY, and if it needs improvement, tell them HOW. The bottom line is be there for them and help them learn, just as in any classroom environment.

Teaching online can be exciting, interactive, and fun for everyone concerned, it just takes a bit of work and a change of mind set!

Starting with the curriculum for the class, review the objectives and standards. Determine what it is you want the students to learn (the objectives) and how you will measure that learning (the standards). Following are some examples of assessments that will provide feedback to both the instructor and the student on the learning that is achieved or still needs to be achieved.

Pre- and Post-Assessment This technique will provide the instructor with information on what needs to be emphasized in the class. A good way to do a pre-and post-assessment is to turn each of the objectives into a statement starting with the phrase, “At this time I am able to…” then give the student three choices: A) All the time, B) Some of the time, and C) Not at all. Let the student know that there is no right or wrong answer and they should be as honest as possible. Administer the pre-assessment before the course starts. During the course, focus on the objectives the students said they were unable to accomplish. At the end of the course, administer the post-assessment (the exact same one as the pre-). Compare the results to see how effective the learning was.

Group Review Start this assessment at the beginning of a class session during the semester. Break the students up into groups and have them spend five minutes brainstorming the most important points they learned in the previous session. Have each group write their lists of points on flip charts or the whiteboard. Then rotate the groups so everyone can see what the others wrote. Give each group five minutes of discussion time at each ‘station’ to discuss the items on the lists that were not on their original lists. This will get them talking about the previous lesson and help them recall the points of interest.

One Minute Paper This is an effective way of quickly finding out if the students are learning what you want them to learn. After a learning unit (could be a lecture, a hands-on session, whatever) is completed, have the students write for one minute – telling you the most important thing they learned in the previous unit. Collect the papers and read them quickly during the next break. If the students did not ‘get’ what you hoped they would, when they come back you can address the issue to make sure they understand.

Open book, notes, student test Although this is a test, it is my favorite way to give a test. First of all, make sure the questions are thought provoking enough to create discussion. Pass out the test, announce to the class that they are free to use their notes, their books, and to discuss the questions with their classmates. The only restriction they have is they cannot ask the teacher anything. Then sit back and watch learning take place. At first they will not want to discuss the test with their classmates as this will seem too much like cheating. Once the discussion starts, however, they will open up and share opinions, information, and ideas. It generally takes longer to take a test this way, and the final results are not as important as the process they go through to reach the final results. I use this method in my critical thinking classes with great success.

There are many other ways to assess learning. A book, Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs), A Handbook for College Teachers, by Thomas Angelo and Patricia Cross, is an excellent resource for ideas of assessments and how to administer them. You can find fifty of these assessments at this link: Classroom Assessment Techniques.

Tips:

• Students will be wary of non-graded assessments at first, but once they see how helpful they are, they will like them.
• You can also create assessments that are graded so students can have a tangible result of their efforts.

The key to finding the resources is in the search. When you first open iTunes, make certain you’re accessing the iTunes Store. You’ll see a search box in the upper right corner. If looking for math resources, Type “education, math, free” without quotes. Be sure to include the words “education” and “free,” and always separate your search terms with a comma.

Students without devices can find podcasts here in both the iTunes U category and the Podcasts category. These are casts that they can watch or listen to on their computer, or they can download to their mobile devices. Simply click on the “see all” link next to the category heading.

Those with iPhones iPads, or iTouches can also find cool learning applications that can be downloaded to their devices. There is no shortage of free educational applications (apps) available in iTunes. Students can learn languages, astronomy, math, and history, read the US Constitution or tour the Louvre museum. All for free. Yes, FREE! I, for one, love that word!

Next to the iPhone Apps or iPad Apps headings, click on “see all.” This will give a list of every app fitting your search criteria. There are thousands of free applications for the iPhone/iTouch. A quick search for math apps for the iPhone/iTouch delivered over 375 apps, including ones for Roman numerals, quadratic equations, factors, logic, and trigonometry. The apps include games, flash cards and exercises. All for free! And that’s just for math!

I have yet to find a way to sort the results, so the narrower your search criteria, the better. For example, “trig” is better than “math.” Have fun while you explore the thousands of resources in iTunes!

Distance in time and/or space between the learner and the facilitator

Two words that are essential to understand in the distance learning world are:

Synchronous = Same Time. This applies to chats, webinars, phone and other same-time communications methods.

Asynchronous = not same time. This applies to email, Learning Management Systems (LMS), and other “when you get to it” communication methods.

The most common form of distance learning is “online learning.” In this format, learners access learning materials, written or recorded lectures, and perform activities through a web-based system. Most LMS features are asynchronous, so they appeal to the learner who works, has children, or has commitments during the standard work day.

Other forms of distance learning include web conferencing and video conferencing, which are synchronous. The benefit of this environment is the ability to ask and answer questions immediately, to explain complex concepts, and to get immediate feedback.

Other types of distance learning include correspondence, email, CDs and podcasting. Current strides are being taken to teach strictly through social networking, and the term, “mobile learning” is becoming a catch-phrase. Yes, the world is changing but it’s important to understand that the foundation of any interactive learning environment is communication. As long as there is communication, in any form, teaching is possible and learning will take place!

Some possible responses to side conversations include:

• Don’t embarrass talkers.
• Ask their opinion on topic being discussed.
• Ask talkers if they would like to share their ideas.
• Casually move toward those talking.
• Make eye contact with them.
• Standing near the talkers, ask a near-by participant a question so that the new discussion is near the talkers.
• As a last resort, stop and wait.

There are other behavior problems that might arise in the classroom, including those of the incredibly shy student or the overbearing opposite: the student who dominates the discussion. Sometimes students will try to sabotage the instructor by heckling or arguing, even making personal attacks.

Some ways to manage your classroom so this kind of behavior does not occur include not holding the students in an iron grip, but allowing them a certain latitude, being sure to stop any unproductive behavior as soon as you detect it. Let the students know that you respect their status as adult learners without giving up control of the classroom. It is a fine line to walk, but one that will ensure a quality learning experience for all your students. Another tactic is to always come to class with a positive attitude. If you are feeling good about yourself and the class, your students will pick up on that and appreciate it. Be ready to own up to your own failings if you happen to make a mistake. The students will also appreciate that. When a student asks a question you do not know the answer to, do not make something up. Instead, tell the student you do not have the answer, but will find out. And then, follow up! Find the answer and get back to the student. You will be remembered for that.

If you would like more information on the subject of disruptive behavior in the classroom, the Institute for Instructional Excellence is running a class in September:

• CTE205B: Evaluating Student Behavior

Course Description: One challenging participant can disrupt the flow of a class and impact the learning for all other learners. Learn positive techniques to prevent boredom and other factors that trigger negative behaviors. Also learn creative ways to manage issues when they do present themselves.

The class starts September 20 and is 24/7 online through September 24. Check the REGISTER HERE link under September Specials at the top of the right hand column to sign up for the class.

Pedagogy, in a simple phrase, is teacher-centered instruction. The instructor is the source of knowledge and delivers that knowledge to the learner. Andragogy, conversely, is learner-centered instruction. Andragogy brings into the learning process the idea that the teacher is not all-knowing; rather, the teacher is also a learner who provides resources and facilitates the learning experience. The learner is the owner of the learning process. According to Knowles, adult learners have the following characteristics:

Self-Concept
As a person matures, he or she moves from dependency to self-directness.

Experience
Adults draw upon their experiences to aid their learning.

Readiness
The learning readiness of adults is closely related to the assumption of new social roles.

Orientation
As a person learns new knowledge, he or she wants to apply it immediately in problem solving.

Motivation
As a person matures, he or she receives their motivation to learn from internal factors.

With these characteristics in mind, the Center for Teaching Excellence holds the philosophy that our adult learners are self-directed and self-motivated, experienced, eager to learn and desire relevant content. Our instruction is designed to maximize the use of these characteristics. We focus on relevance, quality, engagement, discussion and peer learning. We avoid constraints such as seat hours, repetition and unnecessary check-ins because we assume our learners are capable of self-management.

Has American ingenuity turned into structural perpetuity? Has our educational system, in an effort to teach knowledge, contributed to the stifling of creativity? Are we molding generations of intelligent conformists?

Sir Ken Robinson, a champion of re-engineering education system to encourage creativity, stressed in a recent TED presentation (http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution.html), the idea that education should not be reformed because reformation would simply improve a broken model. Rather, it needs to be transformed through a revolution intended to break the linearity of our thinking. “Life is not linear, it’s organic. We create our lives symbiotically as we explore our talents in relation to the circumstances they help to create for us.”

Let’s break molds, rediscover creativity, and recognize the uniqueness in each person. Teach facts, of course, but also teach exploration, expression and extrapolation. Stop spoon feeding, and start waving carrots that encourage higher order thinking. Ingenuity can be our future!

Some of the questions that need to be answered in the statement are the what, why, and how questions about your teaching experience. Be sure to mention assessment and how you evaluate your  own effectiveness in the classroom, whether online or in person. The statement should be kept to one or two pages, but consider what kind of institution you are applying to. A liberal arts program may be more receptive to a longer, more reflective statement, while a research institute will appreciate statements that are concise and to the point.

You might consider a more journalistic approach to the information you include in your statement. By this I mean, start out with relevant information and facts that include the things that set you apart as a teacher, or observations from others about your skills in the classroom. The first paragraph or two of the statement need to be strong enough that the steering committee or other reviewer will want to read the entire statement to find out more about you. Make sure your statement includes how you can fit into the culture of the institution and what you can bring to the table in terms of student retention. Your teaching philosophy statement is more than a cover letter for the resume or vita, it is a mini interview where you show the hiring committee what it is about you and your teaching philosophy that needs to be utilized in that institution.

Other sources for writing a teaching philosophy statement can be found at the Center on Research on Learning and Teaching at the University of Michigan. Do you have a teaching philosophy statement? Would you be willing to share it here?

In order to ensure this method of content delivery is successful, it is essential that all parties can hear each other clearly and see the presentation as it is being delivered. Good headsets are preferred, however speakers and microphones built into the computer will also work if the sound will not disturb others in the office. Sometimes the audio connection can take place over the telephone as well. I have used three different programs for synchronous delivery of content: WebEx, GoToMeeting, and Adobe Connect. There are many more, each with a different focus or special effect.

This type of content presentation is often called a Webinar – a seminar on the Web. A Webcast, on the other hand generally refers to a recorded version of a Webinar, one that can be accessed at any time. Webinars can be any length and can have audience participation or not. The Center for Teaching Excellence offers what we call our 20/10 Webinar – 20 minutes of content for 10 dollars. These sessions are live, and there is an opportunity at the end for questions. The Webinars are recorded and sent out later to all participants as a Webcast. The six-hour courses I teach are not recorded and there is interaction throughout the day in the form of questions and discussion among the participants and the instructor.

A typical Webinar will focus on one concept or idea, giving the participants and the instructor an opportunity to look into that concept or idea in depth. The longer Webinars I teach are entire training courses with objectives, activities, and assessments. Shorter Webinars are generally packed with information with little interaction between the presenters and the audience. Questions are posed through the chat function of the program and are often answered after the session ends. Participants are sent emails with the answers to the questions that were posed during the session along with links to the recorded session for review after the fact.

Real time delivery of content can be done online and face-to-face. The advantage of having the session online is, of course, that many people from different areas of the country or even the world can attend. The session can also be easily recorded, giving participants an opportunity to review the information once the session is over, something that does not usually happen in a face-to-face session.

More progressive instructors in the traditional environment incorporate learner discussions, group activities, and engaging interaction as well. These instructors use progressive ideas to engage students, making the learning process enjoyable, dynamic, attractive and desirable.

Distance delivery can be old school or progressive, just as delivery in a brick and mortar environment can, according to the desire of the instructor. The primary differences between the two are the methods of communication. Physical media (paper) is replaced with electronic media (documents). Audible words are replaced with electronic text, recorded audio, or words sent and received through devices. Seat hours cannot be counted in an asynchronous online environment, but rigor can. To develop a good distance program, the designer needs to be aware of how quality presents itself in the selected environment.

Delivery methods do NOT determine quality. Quality in instruction in any environment is dependent on the skills of the instructor, the appropriate use of media, and the engagement of the learner. Quality learning is dependent on the motivation of the learner.
At the Institute of Instructional Excellence we have highly skilled instructors and evaluate all media for best application in the learning environment. You can be assured that if we have our name on it, you’ll be receiving a quality learning experience!

Is distance learning Greek to you?
Looking ahead from the era of cave dwellers to the more modern time of the Greek teachers and philosophers, circa 360 B.C, we discover that the learned people of the time expressed concern about the new fangled learning modality called the ‘written word.’ Socrates himself was disturbed about the idea and feared that the mind would no longer be exercised. Evidently the teachers were not happy about their words being written down and then read by someone in a different location or time – how would they know that any learning was actually taking place?

Is “traditional education” sacred?
As travelers through time, we can now take yet another leap all the way to around 60 A.D. An apostle by the name of Paul began to educate followers of the Christian faith through the letters or epistles he wrote and sent out to the people in the distant villages and nomadic camps. These letters were instructional documents telling the people of the Messiah – and the people read them and learned in a different location and at a different time than their teacher, Paul.

Does distance correspond to learning?
Once again traveling through the time and distance of history, we arrive at the 1700s and 1800s, when there was a lot of activity under the umbrella of Distance Learning. Correspondence courses were offered on both sides of the pond – the first notable ones were courses designed to teach a new method of taking notes called “The New Shorthand.” These courses were offered in Britain and the United States to thousands of students through the mail. Schools, colleges, and organizations were founded based on the idea of students learning subjects, not at the foot of the scholars, but through the mail, through reading, and through corresponding with their teachers at different times.

Shocking changes take place!
With the advent of the information age in the 20th and 21st Century, Distance Learning has taken on a whole new persona. During the last century we saw an amazing expansion of electronic media, which were easily adapted to the needs of distance education students and teachers. For example, did you know that, in the 1920s, well over one hundred radio stations were launched at universities to assist in the learning process? With the introduction of television, college courses offered via distance delivery increased at an even greater speed.

The Reality of Distance Learning
The Information Age, as the 21st century has been dubbed by some, is ripe with opportunity for distance learning modalities. Computers have changed the face of what is a very old, very traditional kind of learning – that of learning at different times and/or in different locations. Online learning can be described as simply as students corresponding with their instructors through e-mail, or as complex as entire classrooms of students interacting through bulletin boards, asynchronous discussions, and the use of multimedia tools. There is software that allows the instructor to track student progress through the course, Web-based programming that will allow students and instructors to check into class anywhere, anytime.

Finally, we need to look at another phenomenon of human beings: that need to belong to a community, socializing, getting to know each other. This can be challenging in an online classroom, where students are separated by time and location, as well as a number of other factors like life experience. Community building is very important to the success of a student in an adult learning environment. Because adult learners are naturally sociable, we, as administrators and instructors in the online educational environ, need to provide students with the means to interact on a level other than in the classroom.

Enter Web 2.0
Today’s online tools offer many opportunities to socialize with others both within the learning environment and outside of it. Instant communication, mobile devices, social media, blogs, wikis, tweets and feeds offer fast, quick and varied communication. Learning can take place anytime, anywhere, and now, anyway!

The Institute for Instructional Excellence
The Institute for Instructional Excellence considers this community to be foundational in their programs. Every opportunity is given for peer learning and social support. This Institution incorporates a variety of media tools that include Web 2.0 and more “traditional” distance learning resources to provide the best of the best to our learners.

Learn more today!

The U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor thinks that the accrediting organizations should define specifically what a credit hour is in the measurement of education based on seat hours. Based on their recommendation, the HLC, however, recognizes the challenges of doing so, particularly in light of online education. The HLC is setting a general guideline of “one one hour of classroom instruction and two hours of student work outside the classroom over 15 weeks for a semester,” with some flexibility. Flexibility? I should hope so!

Why are legislators trying to define the measurement of quality education as a warm body sitting in a chair? Why aren’t they talking about rigor and learning? I would like to hear their attempt at translating this to the online environment. Anybody who’s been involved in online learning recognizes the fact that some students may take three hours to do what other students do in one hour. Time in a virtual environment is a non-issue. One of the benefits of distance learning is that it is highlighting the flaw in the archaic perspective that sitting in a chair equals quality education. We are finally refocusing our lenses to see that quality education can be measured by the competencies and knowledge gained by the student, regardless of the time spent in a seat or doing homework.

While there is merit in defining the term, “credit hour,” it should not be associated with time on task. Perhaps we should remove the word “hour” and simply call it a “credit.” Perhaps the legislatures should do some homework and move out of 1960s thinking and into a mindset that permits the measurement of quality in the form of outcomes and competencies, rather than time.

What are your thoughts about the measurement of credit hours and standard measurements of rigor and quality?

The middle years are more challenging for many reasons. Past learning is foundational, work experiences are minimal, and relational experiences are, well, all over the place. the physiological change taking place is a powerful force that overwhelms the cognitive functions and drives motivation in directions that aren’t necessarily conducive to learning. The move towards independence and the desire to be treated as an adult, with the respect due an adult, contradicts the learner’s not-so-respectful behavior and often immature decision-making skills.

An instructor teaching student of this age group would be wise to add to their repertoire of learning theories, knowledge of the student development theories. Student Development is not often related to academics, but the impact of maturation on learners of this age should not be overlooked.

A web search for “Student Development Theory” brings up a number of good resources to begin learning about William Perry’s Scheme of Intellectual and Ethical Development, Arthur Chickering’s Identity Development , and John Holland’s Theory of Vocational Personalities and Environments.

Want to learn more? Our course, Instructional Models includes learning module that address this as well, including “Theorists and the Theories,” “Student Development Theories,” and “Applying Theory to Practice.” Check it out!

Keeping up with your online classes can be challenging, especially if you have large classes or more than one class to monitor. The ideal size for an online class is around 15 in order to facilitate robust discussion and interaction, however smaller groups can also be very successful, depending on how the discussion is structured. I would not recommend more than 20 in an online class, and that may be too many.  There is a great discussion on the perfect size for an online class at this blog: Online Class Size.

The use of humor is a good way to keep them coming back, but humor is not always easy to do in an online environment. Here is an example of how students injected humor into the chat forum on one of my online classes:

Student 1: Is it just me that is having bad memory flashbacks to high school when it comes to verbs? I think I skipped school when we were studying these!
Student 2: What seems to be the trouble? I am decent with verbs so maybe I can help…
Student 3: C’mon you guys!. Verbs are the people who live in Verbasia. They are a small nomadic type people who broke away from the European continent and started their own country. Sheesh, I thought everyone knew that. My mom’s aunt’s second cousin from my step uncle’s father in law’s side of the family lived next door to a Verb in the Midwest somewhere. Good cooks I hear.
Student 4: LOL! I am laughing so hard! Thank you! That made my night. WOW! I love it.
Student 5: LMAO, you are so creative, you should be pursuing a career in comedy. Thanks for my morning smile.
Student 6: And the class clown trumps us again! lol HILARIOUS!

An important note on the above exchange is it took place asynchronously, yet six different students were fully engaged in the discussion. This conversation took place in the chat room portion of the discussion forum, not in the content forums. Having a chat room is an important part of building community. It is a place for students to connect on a different level than they do in the content forums.

There are a number of training opportunities available to teachers in the summer, many of which require the teachers to travel somewhere, sit in a classroom, and spend time away from their other, more leisurely summer time activities. Online training solves those problems because online training can be done from anywhere, anytime! Check with your local community college if you need academic credit for your professional development, or check with your Department of Education to find out what the requirements are. The Center for Teaching Excellence has a whole catalog of online training courses available, each one five days long (Monday-Friday) and each one offers .5 CEUs. There are even two certificates available and all the courses are currently going through the approval process with the Arizona Department of Education for CTE (Career and Technical Education) credit. Approval is expected to be granted by June 30. Think about working on your professional development hours this summer, while the livin’ is easy.

Happy Teaching!

One thing I know for sure, Online Learning is not a fad. It is not going to go away, and schools that do not embrace online learning will slowly loose enrollment. This does not mean that all schools need to become strictly online schools because there will always be a place for a traditional classroom. It does mean, however, that schools offering online classes need to acknowledge their online students by offering them the same services the face-to-face students have access to. This means support services like advising, counseling, financial aid, tutoring, etc. All these services can and should be offered online so the online students do not feel as though they are the ‘red-headed step children’ of the school. What do you think? Does your school offer online learning as a ‘second thought’ or does it fully support the online programs?

Welcome to the Center for Teaching Excellence Blogsite.  The Center for Teaching Excellence (C4TE) is part of the Institute for Instructional Excellence, an organization dedicated to quality personal and professional development.

C4TE offers two certificates: The Certificate for Teaching Excellence and the Certificate for Online Teaching Excellence. Each of these certificates are comprised of 10 specially developed courses that present materials related to essential subjects revolving around teaching in a traditional environment or in the online environment.

We’re happy to be here on WordPress, and to have presence on the web to share ideas about quality teaching, regardless of the format. Please join us by listening to our audio casts listed on this blogsite’s pages, and peruse the I4IE website!