Before an instructor can be added as the instructor of record for an “Online”, “Online Hybrid”, or “Online Program” course, they must first be endorsed by the Office of Academic Outreach. To get endorsed for online teaching at UM, complete the asynchronous Online Teaching Endorsement course.
Online Teaching Endorsement
The goal of this professional development course is to familiarize online instructors with the pedagogical concepts of effective and engaging online teaching, thinking about the diverse learners in online courses, and ways to maintain engagement among students and the instructor. This course is open to any UM instructors, teaching staff, and graduate students and takes approximately 3.5 hours to complete.
Interested parties should fill out the appropriate registration form below to self-enroll in the online teaching endorsement training course.
For current UM employees with UM login credentials.
For instructors in the process of being hired at UM but do not have UM login credentials yet.
Next Steps Following Endorsement
We also recommend getting started with our Blackboard Ultra Online Course Template in a “sandbox” (course shell on Blackboard where students are not enrolled). This process helps instructors get familiar with Blackboard Ultra and start building their course. This course can then be moved into the course shell that students enroll in. Instructional Designers will offer a schedule of workshops that those who are interested can register to attend. Check back later for more information on this schedule.
Feel free to request a sandbox with our Online Course Template. In a sandbox, you can build your course in a rough draft, and when it’s ready, you can copy the course into the course shell that you will teach from.
FAQs
Who is this course designed for?
Anyone designing or helping build or deliver content in an online, online hybrid, or online program course at the University of Mississippi. This may be an instructor of record, coordinators of several sections of a course, course developers, or graduate teaching assistants.
What will I receive after completing the course?
Those who complete this training course will receive an Award of Completion stating they are endorsed by the Office of Academic Outreach to teach online courses. They will also receive an Online Teaching Resource Package. Both will be delivered to the email address used at registration.
What if I’m endorsed already but want a refresher?
We have a limited number of seats in this course currently. We are planning a campus-wide roll out later in the summer of 2024. Watch for information about this in our newsletter and UM Today.
Contact April Murphy at murphy16@olemiss.edu for more information.