Question for Susanna (and others) re: CSU Certificate

Susanna,

Your positive comments on the CSU Certificate in Online Teaching and Learning have got me thinking. I’m flirting with the idea of taking the upcoming 4-course session (January to early March). I’ll be picking the brain of the contact person at CSU, but it would also be great to have your input.

What did you like? Did it strike a good balance between theory and practical tech issues?

How much time did it chew up in an average week, either per course or for the two courses you may also have done at a time?

Do you have any sense if the certificate had ongoing persuasive value in getting online teaching gigs, as opposed to just getting you that first key position?

Thanks for any thoughts you have time to share.

 

The first two courses deal with the theory while the remaining two deal more with the technical issues. I liked that the classes were small (this may have changed now I don't know) this allowed for a great sense of camaraderie among the classmates; I didn't like that the classes were only four weeks in length.

I took one course at a time and spent approx. 15-20 hours per week (including weekends) on each course.

This question isn't as easily answered because various factors contribute to the "persuasive value" of this certificate. In my case, I went on to complete the Masters in education with an emphasis in online teaching and learning. I did not go for my first gig until I had the Masters under my belt so the certificate served less of a persuasive factor. I should also note that the courses in the Masters were 10 weeks in length; a far better format.

So, you see, I am not sure how this certificate flies on its own.

 

All institutions require that new online faculty take their online faculty training regardless of experience or any "certificate" in online teaching. I have close to ten years of experience in online teaching and instructional design and I teach online faculty training at two institutions. And I still have to take faculty training when I first start teaching at a new institution.

I have the CSU certificate (and MSED). I took the courses in ten weeks. I took 6701 and 6703 in the same five weeks and then I took 6702 and 6704 in the same five weeks. Done in ten. That's not "allowed" but I just registered and no one was the wiser. It's not like they check or anything. No one knew I was doubling up on the courses.

I spent a total of about 10 hours each week for the ten weeks. But going into it, I had several years of online teaching and instructional design experience. I would not suggest anyone do this without extensive prior experience.

If you don't know anything at all about online teaching, the certificate will be of value in increasing your online instructional effectiveness. If you have had online teaching experience then I wouldn't waste the time or the money. JMHO

 

I wonder why it's not allowed?

 

Clarity on call

Susanna and teachtech,

Thank you both for the detailed intel. That was very, very helpful. I'll gnaw at the question a little more, but I suspect I won’t be pulling the plug.

 

Errr, funny, I meant "pulling the trigger".

 

Hi Doug -- I think your decision should be based on your previous experience and whether you need the certificate. If you have online teaching on your CV already and you have a masters degree, then I wouldn't bother with the certificate. When I taught in the CSU MSED program, half the people in my classes were business professionals and the other half were educators. If you have a masters, little teaching experience, and are in a business field, then the certificate might be a valuable credential. Several students of mine had masters in various subject areas and were in accounting, human resources, etc. in business and wanted to get into the training department. The certificate was perfect for their needs. In fact one of my students is now quite high up in the training department in the corporation where she works and travels world wide conducting training for the corporation.

Just some more issues to think about

 

Sage advice, teachtech. I would definitely benefit from the courses, though I don’t have a pressing need. The content looks very solid, even down to the text being used. My particular issue: based on input from Susanna, you, and the contact person, I gather that the program would require a tad more time than I’m comfortable with in the next several months. Also, the courses seem reasonably interactive, and thus require participation several days a week. Ironically, while all that jazz commends the courses to me in general terms, it’s too much of a commitment in the moment. When my schedule settles down I just might take the slowboat approach and take the program over the course of a year. As an aside, the other trainer training I might do as well is one of those Langevin certificates. That’s a very different animal of course. The good news is that you can do them, whambam, in a week.