FAQ: Online Teaching Essentials

Online Teaching Essentials (OTE) is a self-paced, fully online, asynchronous professional development requirement for all faculty who are new to teaching fully online or hybrid courses at Colorado Mesa University (CMU).

OTE is facilitated by instructional designers in the Office of The Center for Digital Learning & Innovation and is self-paced, however, it must be completed before yoru second term of online or hybrid teaching. The course emphasizes the components necessary for creating a quality online/hybrid course that will engage students, including topics like online pedagogy, course alignment, content accessibility, and the use of D2L. The course and the facilitators model what is expected of quality online teaching and course design.

Many faculty members are very accustomed to learning and teaching in the traditional classroom environment. OTE allows them to step into the shoes of an online student, examine the online learning environment, and excel in this unique space. OTE is designed to provide faculty members with the knowledge and skills needed to design and deliver the high-quality online learning experiences that students deserve.

Beginning July 2020, all faculty who are scheduled to teach online or hybrid courses for the first time at CMU will be required to pass OTE before teaching. This requirement will align all online and hybrid offerings with the online course design standards agreed upon by the Academic Council in Fall 2018. For faculty who are not required to take OTE, open seats are usually available for those who elect to take it.

Once the faculty member is assigned in Banner to teach a fully online or hybrid course, an automated email is sent to their CMU email account with registration instructions for OTE.

OTE is a self-paced course designed to be completed in approximately 10–12 hours. Faculty must complete the course with a final calculated grade of at least 80% and meet the all essential standards on their final project to be eligible to teach fully online or hybrid courses without restrictions.

The assessed components of OTE include three discussions, two short quiz, two assignments, successful completion of D2L Essentials, and a final project. To successfully complete OTE, an overall score of 80% or better and meeting each essential standard must be achieved.

OTE participants are required to build a "Start Here" module (syllabus, schedule, course outcomes, etc.) and the first module of an online course (modular outcomes, content, activities, and assessments). The content of the final project may be a fun and light-hearted about a favorite hobby, or participants can use this as an opportunity to get a head-start on an actual course they will be teaching. The final project is worth 50% of the final grade.

While OTE is not a D2L how-to course, participants are taught to use D2L tools as they relate to quality design. A required component of OTE is the successful completion of the D2L Essentials training course, which provides specific instruction on navigating and using key tools in D2L. In addition, CMU’s D2L Faculty Resources page contains helpful D2L guides and videos.

Upon successful completion of OTE, the faculty member, their department head, and the Director of The Center for Digital Learning & Innovation will be notified via email that the faculty member has completed all course requirements. In addition to a certificate of completion, OTE graduates receive individualized feedback on their final project and full access to their online or hybrid course shell(s). They will be able to teach future online or hybrid courses without restriction.

It is also important to know that the Office of The Center for Digital Learning & Innovation will review the online or hybrid courses of OTE graduates in the term following OTE completion. If an OTE graduate is not assigned to teach an online or hybrid course in the current term, a review will take place during a term in which they teach online or hybrid. The course will be reviewed using CMU’s Quality Course Design Rubric.

On the rare occasion that a faculty member does not successfully complete OTE, the Director of The Center for Digital Learning & Innovation will assign an instructional designer to assist the faculty member with their online or hybrid course. The faculty member will be required to retake and pass OTE before they are able to teach online or hybrid courses in subsequent semesters.