Advanced Online Teaching Experience

Faculty-Initiated Participation
Faculty voluntarily elect to engage in the Advanced Online Teaching Experience as part of ongoing professional development and an opportunity to earn an Advanced Online Teaching Experience badge and certificate. 

Faculty may elect their participation in the program to also align with: 

• Annual goals for full-time faculty 
• Service credit for full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty 
• Up to six service credits, one service credit per module (in Brightspace), with a total of six modules (proposed and awaiting service credit committee approval)
• ADAPT program for adjuncts 
• One SEU credit per module (in Brightspace) with a total of six modules (awaiting Adjunct Services ADAPT program approval)

Faculty Select a Course
Each year, a faculty member selects one or more online (asynchronous or synchronous) courses (CRN or Sandbox site) as the artifact for reflection. (For example, a faculty member might select ENG-1010 one year and ENG-2010 the next.) Faculty are encouraged but not required to review multiple courses.

Initial Faculty/Dean Engagement and Goal Setting
Faculty begin the process with an initial conversation with their dean to: 

• Discuss goals for participation in the Advanced Online Teaching Experience 
• Identify the course artifact(s)  
• Align expectations (including service credit, goals, and ADAPT, if applicable and selected)  

The faculty/dean conversation may be conducted in person, virtually or via optional video submission/reflection with the faculty and the dean.

After logging into the Brightspace Learning Management System, use the Discover menu in self-enroll to the Advanced Online Teaching Experience course site. Faculty will have a student role within the course.

• Access and download the Advanced Online Course Quality Rubric in the Brightspace course.
• Explore helpful examples and effective practices of each standard throughout the course modules.
• Use the Brightspace site to better understand each rubric standard and how to apply it to a specific course.
• Schedule an appointment with a member of our Instructional Design and Learning Excellence team to collaborate and receive support.

Faculty will use the Advanced Online Course Quality Rubric as a structured framework to self-review and self-rate their course, as well as:

• Apply guidance from the Brightspace course site as needed
• Identify strengths within each rubric category
• Identify areas for improvement within each rubric category
• Self-rate each standard as:
  • Developing (D)
  • Meets (M)
  • Exceeds (E)

For any category self-rated Developing, faculty will:

• Create an action plan for course improvement
• Use aligned resources within the rubric/Brightspace course site to improve the course 
• Include self-identified course improvement actions in their annual goals (optional)

The process encourages faculty to review their course, identify strengths and opportunities for growth, use available resources to improve the course, and share progress and action items with the dean. This approach gives faculty adequate lead time to reflect, make improvements and present updates. It fosters faculty ownership, commitment and self-sufficiency, creating a supportive pathway for professional growth at all levels, from novice to experienced instructors.

Access Aligned Resources
Each rubric category will be linked to training modules within the Brightspace course site, which will include guides and external and college-developed resources, ensuring faculty have practical, just-in-time support and tools to strengthen their courses in alignment with the standards.

Optional Peer Support and Engagement
At any point of the Advanced Online Teaching Experience, faculty may seek feedback from: 

• Faculty Peers
• Faculty Development Coordinators and Staff
• The Instructional Design team
• Academic Technology Ambassadors
• Students 

After completing the Advanced Online Teaching Experience Brightspace course and applying the course quality rubric, faculty will revise their courses based on the rubric standards. They then assess whether their course "meets" or "exceeds" the six rubric standards. In addition, faculty provide a narrative describing the enhancements and changes they made to their course. The reflections are embedded in each of the six modules, and the final reflection is part of the final assignment in the Brightspace course.

The completed rubric and reflection are:

• Uploaded to the designated assignment in the Advanced Online Teaching Experience Brightspace course site
• Submitted for dean review via a workflow form

Brightspace will serve as the central system of record, enabling submission tracking, documentation storage, badging and certificates when applicable. 

Dean Review and Conversation
Upon receiving the workflow form, faculty must engage in a substantive post-review conversation with their respective associate dean to discuss reflection outcomes, provide feedback and support continued growth. This conversation may take place through written feedback, a live discussion or optional video commentary.

After completing all the required engagement steps, including both the pre- and post-review faculty/dean conversations:

• The dean will sign off on the workflow form
• Faculty will then download the signed form as a PDF and upload it to the designated Brightspace course assignment

Milestone Badges
The Advanced Online Teaching Experience course includes six modules. After completing each module, faculty receive a milestone badge in Brightspace (up to six total).

Distinguished Advanced Online Teaching Badge and Certificate
Faculty who complete all of the program requirements earn the Distinguished Advanced Online Teaching badge and certificate.

Requirements for the Distinguished Advanced Online Teaching Badge and Certificate
To earn the badge and certificate, faculty must:

• Complete the rubric and reflection
• Achieve self-ratings of "meets" or "exceeds" in all six content areas
• Submit all the required materials in Brightspace
• Complete the dean engagement process and submit the finalized form into the Brightspace course 

Issuance and Use of Badges

• Badges are issued through Brightspace and linked to faculty profiles
• Faculty may display badges in:
  • Email signatures
  • Course syllabi
  • Professional profiles
  • College websites

For Full-Time Faculty
Service credit: Full-time faculty can earn up to six service credits for completion of the Advanced Online Teaching Experience program. One service credit = completion of one module in Brightspace, with a total of six modules. (Proposed and awaiting service credit committee approval.)

For Adjuncts
ADAPT program: Adjuncts can earn up to six stipend-eligible units (SEUs) for completion of the full Advanced Online Teaching Experience program. One SEU = completion of one module in Brightspace, with a total of six modules. (Awaiting Adjunct Services ADAPT program approval.)

Compensation Notes:

• While faculty may elect to review more than one course, a maximum of six service credits or SEUs can be earned each academic year for completion of the Advanced Online Teaching Experience.
• To earn the six service credits or SEUs, faculty must complete all requirements outlined in the document for the Distinguished Advanced Online Teaching Badge/Certificate.
• Additional Service Credit Opportunity: Faculty can also participate in the Advanced Online Teaching Experience focus group feedback sessions for a total of one service credit or one SEU per session.

Renewal Cycle
Given the fast pace at which online teaching tools, pedagogy and technology change, faculty will need to update their Advanced Online Teaching Experience badge every two years with the refreshed program content, rubric and resources.

• The badge is valid for two years.
• Faculty must renew every two years by:  
  • Completing the updated rubric and reflection
  • Engaging with refreshed program content

Faculty will receive:

• Advance notification of expiration
• Renewal guidance

Important Notes

• This program is developmental, not evaluative, and does not replace annual, periodic or three-year review processes.
• Faculty may include program artifacts in annual reviews; however, the rubric is not used by deans as an evaluative tool.
• The Distinguished Advanced Online Teaching Experience badge is valid for two years. Renewal requires re-enrollment and completion of the program.
• Participation is open to full-time faculty, lecturers and adjunct faculty.
• One course per two-year cycle is required for badge/certificate completion.
• Program scalability will be monitored and supported through tools, forms and asynchronous options.
• An associate vice president, Academic Professional Development, Instructional Design, Online Learning, the director of Instructional Design and Learning Excellence, and the director of Faculty Development will generate Brightspace completion reports to support badging and recognition. The records will be maintained with regular updates, stored documentation, and advance notification of expirations and renewal requirements.