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Diane Filion Center for
Advancing Faculty Excellence

Online Teaching Certification Seminar (OTCS)

The Online Teaching Certification Seminar is an 8-week, fully online, asynchronous experience to help º£½ÇÂÛ̳ instructors develop expertise in online course delivery and comply with º£½ÇÂÛ̳ policy and accreditation requirements. Certification is available to faculty, instructors, and others with online teaching responsibilities.

Who can participate?

OTCS is intended for faculty and instructors who are responsible for teaching online courses at º£½ÇÂÛ̳.
Participants should have access to a Canvas course site (preferably a course they are or will be teaching).
We recommend basic familiarity with Canvas and other instructional technologies.

TAs, graduate students, or student employees who cannot access the Canvas Request System should contact a faculty member or their facilitator for support.

Prerequisites

Participants should have access to a Canvas course site (preferably a course they are or will be teaching).

We recommend basic familiarity with Canvas and other instructional technologies.

TAs, graduate students, or student employees who cannot access the Canvas Request System should contact a faculty member or their facilitator for support.

Alternative Certification Pathways

If you have completed a different training program (e.g., ACUE, Online in 9, or Online Teaching Foundations), please share that information with CAFE (umkc-cafe@umkc.edu).

Am I already certified?

If you have questions about your certification status, please contact your department chair.

Course Objectives

By the end of this 8-week seminar, participants will be able to:

  • Navigate Canvas proficiently
  • Demonstrate awareness of academic policies and learner support resources
  • Select university-supported tools for effective online instruction
  • Apply strategies to engage and motivate students
  • Develop a strong instructor presence
  • Build inclusive online learning communities

Format and Schedule

  • 100% online, facilitated in Canvas
  • Enrollment closes the first week of the month
  • 8-week duration
  • Estimated 21 total hours to complete
  • Includes regular peer-to-peer engagement

Weekly Topics

  • Pre-Work: Getting Started

  • Module 1: Preparing to Teach Online

  • Module 2: Teaching Strategies for a Quality Online Course

  • Module 3: Shaping Your Online Instructor Presence

  • Module 4: Motivating Online Learning Communities

  • Module 5: Crafting Your Online Teaching Experience

Foundational Frameworks

This seminar draws from evidence-based teaching models and quality standards, including:

  • Quality Matters (QM)

  • Online Learning Consortium (OLC)

  • Association of College and University Educators (ACUE)

  • Community of Inquiry (Garrison, Anderson & Archer)

  • High-Impact Practices (NSSE, Kuh, 2008)

  • Universal Design for Learning (CAST, 2011)

If you need more information, please contact us at umkc-cafe@umkc.edu.