Professional Development for Online Teaching - Center for Teaching and Learning

Introduction

NMU's Online Teaching Qualifications Policy requires instructors of all credit-bearing online courses to have at least a fundamental level of pedagogical and technical preparation to effectively and rigorously deliver online instruction. This "distance qualification" is met by demonstrating proficiency in key competencies of online teaching.  Competencies can be demonstrated through professional development courses and workshops (outlined on this page), an assessment of readiness (that reviews previous professional development and/or teaching artifacts), or a combination of the two.  

Curriculum Overview

NMU's distance teaching curriculum has two levels. Distance qualification requires meeting competencies in both:

• Core Curriculum (Level 1). All online instructors must meet all competencies in the core curriculum, either by completing the courses or through the assessment of readiness.
• Level 2. All instructors must demonstrate some of the competencies in Level 2. Instructors have the flexibility to demonstrate competencies most aligned with their needs and interests. Each PD opportunity in Level 2 has a point value. There are three categories in Level 2.  Instructors must earn 20 points in each category, and a total of 75 points. The CTL will continue to add offerings in each category in order to increase options and flexibility. 

The Online Teaching Fellows initiative will be integrated into the curriculum and re-launched during the 2024-2025 school year.

More information about the curriculum is provided in the collapsible sections at the bottom of this page. 

One-Time Waivers

Instructors must be distance qualified before the online course they are teaching begins. If this is not possible, the instructor's Dean may approve a one-time waiver of the distance qualification requirements. Each instructor is eligible for a waiver only once--if they have received one in a previous semester, they cannot teach online again prior to becoming distance qualified.  

Getting Started

Your CTL liaison can help guide you through the distance qualification process.  The first step in the process is to schedule a meeting with your liaison. Your liaison will create a spreadsheet [view sample spreadsheet] that you can use to track your progress toward distance qualification.