The Online Teaching Endorsement (OTE) is designed for instructors who are new to online teaching as well as existing online instructors, and offers the experience of an online student. The goal of the OTE is to familiarize online instructors with the pedagogical concepts of effective and engaging online teaching and learning, as well as to give them hands-on experience in designing and developing their online course. The OTE is offered fully online in Blackboard Learn.
The OTE consists of four mini-courses:
- Online Teaching & Learning
- Course Compliance
- Course Design
- Course Development
Registration is open year round. Courses are available online 24/7 on UM Blackboard.
At the end of the OTE, participants will have completed their online course syllabus, designed and developed a portion of their content, assessment, student communication, and interaction components in their assigned Blackboard sandbox. Support from Academic Outreach instructional designers is available throughout the program.
Newly hired instructors with asynchronous online teaching experience at another higher education institution could be exempt from up to two modules. The Online Faculty Prior Experience Questionnaire is included in the registration form. Instructors who have taught an online course for three consecutive semesters within the past three years are eligible for exemption.
Successful OTE participants receive an Award of Completion and are endorsed to teach online at the University of Mississippi. We recommend that prospective online instructors enroll in the course at least one semester before they plan to teach online for the first time.
Contact April Thompson at athomps5@olemiss.edu for more information or go to Event & Workshop to enroll in a workshop.