Understanding the DE Professional Development and Certification Experience at Palomar College

DE PD Timeline from POET, to Quality Quest, to POCR, to Quality Reviewed Badge

At Palomar College, we are here to support our faculty from learning about online education, through developing their first course, through earning the acclaimed reward of a Quality Reviewed Badge. Read below to learn about each stage of the learning process for Faculty.

Requirement: List of Certified Online Instructors

All faculty who teach Distance Education courses are required to be certified to teach online. This is a Title 5 requirement.

The DE Coordinator maintains the official list of faculty who are certified to teach Distance Education Courses.

Certification typically occurs through the completion of POET. However, faculty who have advanced degrees or training in online course design, who have been certified through other certifications, or who have already shown alignment to the CVC Course Design Rubric can meet with the DE Coordinator to see if their existing training or certification meets the expectations to be certified at Palomar.

View: List of Certified Instructors (must be signed in to your Palomar Office 365 account to view the list)

Palomar Online Education Training (POET)

Palomar Online Education Training (POET) POET is Palomar Colleges' online certification course. POET requires faculty to complete required assignments to demonstrate their learning.

The purpose of POET is:

Introduce Faculty to the world of online teaching and learning
Ensure Faculty are aware of, and adhere to, the regulations, laws, and policies that govern distance education
Provide faculty with an introduction to using Palomar's Learning Management System, called Canvas
Introduce faculty to the rubric that is used to guide effective course design and facilitation, called the CVC Course Design Rubric
Provide faculty with tips for effective online course design and facilitation

Additional POET Details

POET Content (Select to open)
- Here’s an overview of the content and assignments within POET:
  - Module 0: Getting Started with POET
  - Module 1: Difference Between Online and Face-To-Face Courses
    - Objectives of Module 1:
      
      Understand the requirements for online courses.
      
      Understand the importance of building a class community.
      
      Understand how students experience online courses.
      
      Understand how to design successful online courses by aligning to the CVC-OEI Rubric.
    - Assignments for Module 1:
      
      Title 5 and AP4105 Knowledge Check
      
      Discussion: Importance of Building Class Community
      
      Discussion: Your takeaways from Module 1
  - Module 2: Online Course Design for ALL learners
    - Objectives of Module 2:
      
      Understand the importance of developing an online course where all students feel they belong.
      
      Understand the importance of designing learning materials and online courses that are usable and accessible for all students.
      
      Understand how to develop courses utilizing accessibility best practices.
    - Assignments for Module 2:
      
      Discussion: Employing Equity-Minded Practices
      
      Discussion: Creating an Environment Usable and Accessible for All
      
      Discussion: Your takeaways from Module 2
  - Module 3: Using Canvas LMS to Provide Purposefully Designed Courses
    - Objectives of Module 3:
      
      Understand what the Canvas LMS is.
      
      Understand how to develop an online course using Canvas LMS.
      
      Understand how to setup a Sandbox course to have a place to practice setting up a Canvas course.
    - Assignment for Module 3:
      
      Module 3 contains numerous non-graded assignments and one graded assignment.
      
      Non-Graded Assignments:
      
      TO DO: Create Your Own SandBox Course
      
      Now You Try: Edit Your Profile
      
      Now You Try: Add Announcement
      
      Now You Try: Create a Module
      
      Now You Try: Create a Content Page
      
      Now You Try: Choose a Homepage
      
      Now You Try: Create a Discussion
      
      Now You Try: Create a Calendar Item
      
      Now You Try: Create an Assessment Item
      
      Now You Try: Create a Rubric
      
      Now You Try: Use Speedgrader
      
      Graded Assignment
      
      Discussion: Your takeaways from Module 3
  - Module 4: Completing POET
    - Final Task: Review the CVC-OEI Rubric and understand how to build a course that is aligned with the Rubric.
    - Assignment: POET Final Assignment
POET FAQs (Select to open)
- Q: How do I sign up?
  
  A: There are two ways.
  1. The first way is to click here and self-enroll at this link --https://palomar.instructure.com/enroll/GBMM7H
  2. The second way is to register through the PD Portal for 10 hours of Professional Development credit. When you log on to PD, note that it is not on the calendar. Look at the tab Learner Home and scroll down to Suggested Trainings.
  Q: What if I want the PD credit to count for next year?
  
  A: You can still take the POET course at your convenience. For part-time faculty, don’t submit it in the PD Portal until Aug 1 so the hours can go to your Fall PD Contract. Full-time faculty can complete hours year round.
  
  Q: Do I have to take it by a certain date or sign up for it before the semester ends?
  
  A: It is open to enrollment at any time. You can sign up now and do it later or sign up later and complete it later.
  
  Q: How long does it take to get certified once I complete it?
  
  A: A week or less.
  
  Q: What if I am hopeless with computers and feeling overwhelmed by all of this?
  
  A: You are not alone. You can still do POET, but first you need a little TLC. We suggest you begin with one-on-one sessions with our talented ATRC staff. They are only 30-minutes and address your specific challenges. Book an ATRC Appointment.
  
  Q: How do I know if I am on the list of instructors certified to teach online?
  
  A: Check the List of Certified Instructors (must be signed in to your Palomar Office 365 account to view the list)
  
  Q: Can I take/review POET if I am already certified?
  
  A: Yes. In fact, we encourage certified instructors to self-enroll and use the Best Practices Discussion Boards in the last module learn from other Palomar instructors about online teaching. You don’t have to take the course to use the Discussion Boards.
  
  Q: What if my course area doesn’t work well for online learning?
  
  A: You would be surprised how others have managed to make it work out of necessity. This course has Best Practices Discussion Boards (in the last module) by discipline so that, for example, online science instructors can talk to other science instructors about effective ways to teach material online. Also, we will add Best Practices we learn about from other schools into the appropriate subject Discussion Boards.
  
  Q: What other ways can I be certified if I don’t want to take this course?
  
  A: According to our “Administrative Procedure 4105: Distance Education,” faculty can be certified, or validated, to teach online in three ways:
  1. Evidence of successful completion of Faculty Senate-approved distance education pedagogy workshops.
  1. 1. The Faculty Senate approved distance education course is called Palomar Online Education Training (POET).
    2. Faculty are added to the list of certified instructors upon successful completion of POET.
  1. Evidence of coursework, certificates and/or degrees that focus on online teaching and were completed at other accredited higher education institutions.
  1. 1. Proof of a coursework, degrees or certificates completed at another higher education institution can be sent to the Distance Education coordinator for review and approval to be added to the list of certified online instructors.
  1. Evidence of a successful course design and facilitation as demonstrated by alignment with the criteria approved by the Faculty Senate.
  1. 1. The criteria approved by the Faculty Senate that is used to demonstrate successful online course design and facilitation is the CVC-OEI rubric.
    2. Instructions for conducting a review of an existing course showing alignment with the CVC-OEI rubric.

Access The POET Course

Enroll in POET

The Quality Quest: Crafting Quality Online Courses

The Quality Quest: Crafting Quality Online Courses

All Faculty are expected to design and facilitate a course that meets the requirements of the CVC Course Design Rubric. Meeting all 44 elements of the rubric is often an iterative experience for faculty requiring continued effort and thoughtfulness. The Quality Quest is strictly a guidance course and does not include any assignments or knowledge checks, it is intended to be a self-paced guide for continual improvement.

The Purpose of the Quality Quest is:

Guide faculty through a course design process to meet the 44 elements of the CVC Course Design Rubric
Provide faculty with guidance that they can utilize on their own time to make incremental improvements in their course.
Provide faculty with course shells that they can use and adapt to create a couse that would meet the quality reviewed standards.

Access The Quality Quest Course

Peer Online Course Review (POCR) & Quality Reviewed Badges

Peer Online Course Review (POCR) is the process by which peers and experts review online courses to ensure the course meets the requirements of the CVC Course Design Rubric. When faculty feel they have met all 44 elements of the CVC Course Design Rubric, then they can join POCR. They begin by explaining how they have met the elements and then they are assigned a POCR mentor who conducts the first peer review. Once the POCR Mentor acknowledges that each elements has been met, then the course is reviewed by the final POCR review who is either the Distance Education Coordinator or the Instructional Designer. The DE Coordinator or ID will then certify the course as meeting the Quality standards and the course will earn the Quality Reviewed badge.

View list of Faculty and Courses with a Quality Reviewed badge (must be signed in to Office to view)

Access POCR and Badging Course