COD to offer new Teaching Online Utilizing Technology certificate
The new Teaching Online Utilizing Technology certificate at College of DuPage will provide hands-on training for educators, trainers, managers and students who want to incorporate the latest technology into their curriculum.
Recently approved by the Illinois Community College Board, the 16 credit-hour TOUT certificate will help students design and implement online course materials within a learning management system. Students will focus on instructional design, visual literacy, online assessments, and current collaborative and multimedia practices.
“You can't talk about education today without talking about education and technology together,” said Nancy O'Sullivan, Teacher Preparation faculty member. “Technology has changed the way that students access information and it has changed the dynamics of teaching. The goal of the TOUT certificate is to help educators of all types create materials for today's learners.”
The certificate consists of five new courses. “Best Practices in Online Teaching” exposes the learner to principles, theories and best practices in online education. In “Course Design for Online Classes,” students use learning management systems to place course materials online, focusing on the principles of instructional design, assessment methods and tools that promote collaborative learning. “Multimedia for Online Instruction” discusses visual literacy and multimedia theory, with students creating projects using podcasts, online slide presentations and screencasts.
“Teaching With Social Media and Collaboration Tools” looks at the use of Twitter, Google Apps and other social media to enhance student learning. “Video Applications in Education” examines how educators can use micro-video cameras and video applications to enhance student learning.
O'Sullivan said these courses are ideal for a wide audience – current teachers, students pursuing an education career, corporate trainers, and business owners who would like an educational component on their web sites. The TOUT certificate is also project-based, which means enrollees can work on class projects that can be incorporated into their own learning environments.
“Today's students don't need to be in the classroom to learn, but they still need to be engaged to retain the material,” O'Sullivan said. “The TOUT certificate program will help educators learn how to better engage their students using the latest technology.”
For more information, call (630) 942-2047 or email stanciak@cod.edu, osulliva@cod.edu or hunnicut@cod.edu.