Summary
This AQIP action team was formed with the goal to improve and ensure quality online teaching by implementing a comprehensive teacher training program that combines teaching of online pedagogy with instructional technology training and is supported by ongoing post-training mentorships.
In its second year, the project, quite clearly, became only one piece of a larger vision and com mitment to LSC’s online program, named POET (Program for Excellence in Online
Teaching). The three pieces are an administrative evaluation tool for online courses, an online peer review process that combines course design and best practices in online teaching and pedagogy, and our plan for online teacher training and mentoring.
For a small increase in college resources, we can provide comprehensive online faculty training at three different levels of experience and mentoring of instructors who are preparing their first online course for delivery. Finally, LSC’s POET—our comprehensive approach to excellent in online teaching--can be fully realized. LSC could become a model for how to train, evaluate, and improve excellence in
Level One: Novice
Name Online Teaching Basics
Description A four-week D2L course for online novices. The course will familiarize the instructor new to online instruction with the features and capabilities of D2L. The course will run 3-4 times a year, led by the Instructional technologists and trainer and by volunteer online instructors. Eventually, the course may end up running as a self-paced course.
Participant Award Participants would receive a Novice POET badge on completion.
Resources Needed Personnel : Instructional technologist/trainer and online faculty volunteers.
Budget : No additional personnel budget. A portion of end of the year celebration expenses ($450 in total to celebrate all three levels).

Level Two: Apprentice
Name
Description
Online Teaching Fundamentals
This level comprises a 3 “credit” class on online teaching. The first two modules would be taught online and on-ground in 12-week sessions, one in the fall and one in the spring. The first module would focus on online pedagogy and best practices, the second on technology (specifically D2L) and resources, and t he third “credit” would be 16 or more hours of additional instructor on online learning, teaching, and technology to be completed by the faculty member within one year of completing the second module. Participants in this level would receive a faculty mentor as part of their process and would be required to complete a peer review in the future. Each faculty mentor would be paid a $150 stipend as part of the college’s existing Faculty Mentoring Program. Possible college
“credit”?
Participant Award Participants would receive an Apprentice POET badge on completion.
Resources Needed Personnel : Instructional technologist/trainer, Online Faculty
Development Coordinator, online mentors
Level Three: Master
Budget : 2 Credits of release credits for Online Faculty
Development Coordinator, a small increase to existing mentoring program, and a portion of end of the year celebration expenses.
Name
Description:
Online Teaching Redesign
This level is for experienced online faculty who want to make significant changes and improvements in their online teaching and course design.
Participants would meet every other week for a year to discuss, plan, implement, and assess changes to at least one online course. The POET peer review would also be a part of this process.
Participant Award Participants would receive a Master POET badge on completion.
Resources Needed Personnel : Online Faculty Development Coordinator (part of regular duties)
Budget : A portion of end of the year celebration expenses.

Assessment Plan
The AQIP team co-chairs have met with Kent Richards to discuss an assessment plan, which will still need to be finalized dependent on the approval of each level of the proposed program. Initial plans include the assessment of student success rates in classes that were taught by a POET-trained online instructor compared to classes taught by others; pre- and post-surveys of faculty trainees (before and after training); and a student survey.
Proposed Timetable
Date/Timeframe
December 2014
December 2014
–
March 2015
April or May 2015
Summer 2015
Fall 2015
Fall 2015
Fall 2015
Spring 2016
Spring 2016
Spring 2016
Action
Obtain AC approval for the plan
Develop Level 1 training
Deliver Level 1 training
Develop Level 2 training
Deliver Level 1 training
Deliver Level 2, Module 1
(includes online mentoring)
Begin Level 3 Cohort
Deliver Level 1 training
Deliver Level 2, Module 2
Continue Level 3 Cohort
(includes online peer review)
Responsible Party
AQIP Team co-chairs
Instructional Technologist, faculty volunteers
Instructional Technologist, faculty volunteers
Instructional Technologist,
Online Faculty Development Coordinator
Instructional Technologist, faculty volunteers
Instructional Technologist,
Online Faculty Development Coordinator
Online Faculty Development Coordinator
Instructional Technologist, faculty volunteers
Instructional Technologist,
Online Faculty Development Coordinator
Online Faculty Development Coordinator,
Online Peer Review Coordinator
Selection of Participants
Participation at each level is voluntary —but highly recommended to faculty who are completely new to online teaching (Level 1: Novice), faculty who are ready to develop an online course (Level 2:
Apprentice), and experienced online faculty who want to make significant changes and improvements in their teaching and online course design. Each level is expected to attract 10-15 participants during its first year of delivery. A Level 3 cohort should be capped at 20 students.