| Course Number: | EDX 5710 S18 |
| Instructor: | Meg Porcella, M.A. |
| Location: | Online Asynchronously |
| Dates and Times: | June 22, 2026 - September 06, 2026 |
| Credits: | 3 Graduate Credits |
| Tuition: | Set by and payable to educational partner NEOTI |
This series of courses is designed to introduce participants to skills and information that will give them a strong foundation of the methodology of online teaching. In this course we focus on the virtual instructor and their interaction with students. The course emphasizes professional responsibilities such as promoting online teaching and learning, managing the unique demands of online teaching, supporting students’ executive functioning, and applying Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to accommodate all learners. Participants will explore best practices in making connections with students, establishing clear expectations, and delivering timely feedback through various technologies. Participants will gain a wide understanding of best practices in online instruction including evaluating organizing materials and procedures to meet standards based and personalized learning goals and increase learner agency. Participants will explore best practices in helping diverse populations access online learning, including students with exceptionalities. Participants learn ways to encourage academic integrity and explore tools to verify student work is authentic. Through reflection, practice, and application, participants will build a solid foundation for teaching in an online environment.
Audience: All educators with a Bachelor's Degree
Registration: More course information is provided below. You can register directly with NEOTI using this link or by clicking on the registration link at the bottom of this page.
Course Goals: Participants will be able to demonstrate proficiency in:
the following National Standards for Quality Online Teaching (NSQOL):
As well as Online Teaching Specialist Standards (June 2018 version):
Course Objectives: Participants will be able to:
Module 1: Orientation
During orientation, we will introduce ourselves, review the requirements for the CiOT program and the OTS endorsement, complete a technology tutorial if necessary, and explore the course expectations. An optional synchronous meeting may occur, depending on participant needs.
Module 2: The Virtual Instructor
The focus in Module two is on helping participants understand the pros and cons of online learning as well as the challenges and benefits of teaching remotely. Emphasis will be placed on the professional responsibilities of the online instructor, including maintaining necessary records and being an ambassador for online teaching and learning.
NSQOT: Standard A: Professional Responsibility
Module 3: Communication and Connection
This module will provide participants with best practices for communicating with their online students as well as ways to build connections with students from a distance. These best practices will include clear expectations, personalization of course spaces, welcoming students, and other ways to increase teacher presence. An emphasis on regular feedback and communication of progress with stakeholders will be included.
NSQOT: Standard D: Learner Engagement (D1, D4, D6, D7)
OTS: 2.3
Module 4: Effective Instruction
Participants will explore ways to plan, deliver, and evaluate effective online instruction for students at a distance. This includes organizing materials, instruction, and procedures online to meet standards based and personalized learning goals. Participants will explore a continuum of technologies relevant to the online learning environment that support online instruction and learning.
NSQOT: Standard B: Digital Pedagogy, Standard D: Learner Engagement (D3, D5)
OTS: 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 2.2, 2.7
Module 5: Online Executive Skills
One of the main challenges in teaching an online course is not being physically present for students in order to assist them with executive skills such as time management, perseverance, and organization. This is a great opportunity for students to develop these skills but this development often requires some support or direct instruction from teachers. This module will give participants the information they need to help support students’ executive skills development or to allow participants to provide that information to families or other stakeholders.
NSQOT: Standard A: Professional Responsibilities (A6), Standard D: Learner Engagement (D1, D3, D6, D7)
OTS: 2.4
Module 6: Supporting All Learners
Teachers in online courses need to take the best practices they’ve learned for accommodating students with special needs in their face to face classes and translate them to a successful online version. We will focus on Universal Design for Learning (UDL), whose guidelines suggest ways for teachers to modify curriculum, instruction, and assessments in a way that supports all learners. We will look at ways to use these strategies to meet our legal responsibilities to ADA, IDEA, and Section 508 for students learning from a distance.
NSQOT: Standard A: Professional Responsibility (A9), Standard F: Diverse Instruction
OTS: 1.6
Module 7: Academic Integrity
One of the major concerns about online classes continues to be ensuring that the student enrolled in the class is the one doing the work and the learning. Policies, procedures, and consequences need to be in place to ensure that the student is not stealing others’ work or finding other methods to counterfeit learning. We owe it to our students to ensure they are learning the material and that they are forming good habits for the future. In this module we will explore ways to ensure student learning and accountability.
NSQOT: Standard A: Professional Responsibility (A7), Standard G: Assessment and Measurement (G2, G3)
OTS: 2.8
Module 8: Learner Agency
Online education is a perfect place to give students increased learner agency. This can be an uncomfortable change for both students and teachers as students have to learn how to deal with more agency and teachers have to come to terms with less control. We can scaffold this change by giving students limited voice and choice in how they learn and slowly increasing both. In this module we will explore ways to give students more agency online through personalized goals, self-assessment and increased voice and choice.
NSQOT: Standard D: Learner Engagement (D2, D3, D6)
OTS: 2.4, 2.7
Module 9: Wrap Up
During our wrap up we will ensure that all of our work is available in our Certificate in Online Teaching portfolio and reflect on what we have learned.
Required Readings may not be included in course tuition. Contact NEOTI directly for more information.
Rice, M. & Rose, R. (2026). Providing Access to Online Learning Schools and Programs for Special Populations. Journal of Online Learning Research, 12(1), 139-150. Waynesville, NC USA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved March 26, 2026 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/2128791/
Bowden, M. & Moore, J. (2025). Cue the Paralinguistics: A Qualitative Case Study of Teacher Social Presence. Journal of Online Learning Research, 11(2), 169-185. Waynesville, NC USA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved March 26, 2026 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/224715/
Arnesen, K.T., Graham, C.R. & Leary, H. (2024). Examining the Self-Regulation Abilities of Students Enrolled in an Online Secondary Charter School. Journal of Online Learning Research, 10(3), 315-339. Waynesville, NC USA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved March 26, 2026 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/224731/
Harrison, C., & Killion, J. (2007, September 1). Ten roles for teacher leaders. ASCD. https://ascd.org/el/articles/ten-roles-for-teacher-leaders
Tips for Effective Online Parent Communication. (n.d.). www.neamb.com. https://www.neamb.com/work-life/tips-for-effective-online-parent-communication
Shaw, A. (2019, September 5). Scaffolding Learning in the Online Classroom, Center for Teaching and Learning Risepoint, https://ctl.risepoint.com/scaffolding-learning-in-the-online-classroom/
Loya, L.B., (2020, November 5) Strategies to Encourage Students to Turn Their Cameras On. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/strategies-encourage-students-turn-their-cameras
Terada, Y. (2024, February 16). 7 Ways to Support Executive Function in Your Classroom. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/7-ways-to-support-executive-function-in-your-classroom/
Morin, A. (n.d.). Virtual IEP Accommodations for Distance Learning. www.understood.org. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/iep-accommodations-during-distance-learning
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (n.d.) Introduction to Accessibility and Section 508. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/Intro%20to%20Accessibility%20and%20508.pdf
Chowdhury, M. R. (2019, May 2). A Look at the Psychology of Goal Setting (Incl. 3 Research Findings). PositivePsychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/goal-setting-psychology/
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