The CTL offers instruction for faculty and other instructors who are new to teaching online. Those who have previously taught online at NMU may choose to take the four-week "Teaching Online @ NMU" course, but with the right experience, have the option of taking the "Teaching Online @ NMU Overview," self-paced tutorial instead. See the Online Teaching Qualifications Policy for details.

Both options focus on the delivery, not designing, of online courses.  Though there is no formal prerequisite for the course, we'll assume as you go through the course that you either already have experience with online course design or are teaching in a program such as Criminal Justice's Loss Prevention program, where the department has supplied you with a standardized online course.

If you would like to learn more about course design, resources and workshops are available through the Center for Teaching and Learning. 

NMU's CTL and Global Campus have implemented Quality Matters (QM) standards, which focus on course design.  The Online Course Review process is outlined at the Global Campus site and is an excellent resource to be used when design online courses.  

Course design and course delivery are closely related, so though we will focus mainly on delivery, we will relate back to QM and design issues throughout the course.

Instructor-Led Course

"Teaching Online @ NMU” is a four-week, instructor-facilitated course designed to prepare Northern Michigan University faculty to teach online courses. It introduces techniques and tools for leading online courses at NMU, as well as related policies, processes, and resources.  

The course is offered at least once a semester.  Register for the semester BEFORE you are teaching online so that you may complete the course before starting your own course.  The course is completely online, offered in an asynchronous manner with a few arranged meeting times with your liaison or instructor.

Self-Paced Tutorial

“Teaching Online @ NMU Overview” is a self-paced tutorial designed to give NMU's experienced online instructors a refresher on the basics of teaching online courses.  It reviews techniques and tools for leading online courses at NMU, as well as related policies, processes, and resources.  

Successful completion of this tutorial may fulfill the distance qualification requirement for faculty and other instructors who have previously taught online at NMU or who have been granted approval for alternate completion. Those who have not previously taught online must instead complete the four week "Teaching Online @ NMU" instructor-led course.

Please self-enroll in the self-paced tutorial.

NMU also offers an Online Course Preparation Tutorial for Students.  The tutorial covers the following 6 topics: 

  1. EduCat Navigation and Overview
  2. Being a Successful Online Student
  3. Communication in Online Courses
  4. EduCat: Quizzes and Exams
  5. EduCat: Assignments
  6. EduCat: Grades

Each of these topics are designed to provide students with the information, tools, and resources they will need to navigate the NMU online learning environment.