About the Foundational Certification Training
The Foundational Certification Training is the prerequisite for all other trainings required for faculty who want to teach in remote formats; this training must be taken regardless of whether or not the faculty member has been certified in the past. It is important to note, however, that earning Foundational Certification does not guarantee that a faculty member will be asked or allowed to teach in an online format: scheduling decisions are made at the department level based on a number of factors, including student need, staffing considerations, appropriate course delivery methods, etc. Having Foundational Certification makes a faculty member approved to be scheduled if a course is offered to them.
Foundational Certification Training is geared towards online teaching and learning topics, but does have value for any faculty member who uses the Brightspace Digital Learning Environment (DLE) in any capacity. This training consists of three modules that cover three foundational online learning topics and each module has a terminal module test which must be passed with a score of 80% or higher to earn Foundational Certification. Modules can be completed in any order as each module addresses a different topic:
- Brightspace Foundation: Technical overview for designing and building courses in Brightspace
- Online Pedagogy Foundation: Pedagogical approach to administering online courses
- Accessibility Foundation: Guidelines and techniques for building an accessible and inclusive course
Once Foundational Certification is earned, the faculty member is eligible to be scheduled to teach courses in any online modality for up to two years. By the end of the two year mark, the full Certification Training must be complete in order to continue teaching in remote formats. Staff members, as well as faculty who do not wish to teach in a remote format, may use this course as a resource and do not need to take the quizzes, unless they wish to do so.
Where is the Foundational Certification Training Located?
The Foundational Certification Training is located in the Brightspace Digitial Learning Environment (DLE) in the NEW Faculty and Staff Training area.
What is the Course Modality?
This course is fully asynchronous, which means it can be taken at the learner's own pace. There are no interactions with the course administrators or other learners and no due dates for the assignments. Modules may be used or referenced in any order, though it is a good idea to review the Course Overview and Module 0 first to get an understanding for how the course works.
What is the time frame for completing the course?
There is no official due date to complete this course, but if a faculty member is taking this course to earn certification in order to teach in a remote format, the certificate must be earned before a faculty member can be added to the schedule of classes.
What is the Expected Time on Task?
Modules 1, 2, and 3 are estimated to take about two hours each, however, this time may be more or less depending on the learner's familiarity with the different topics before beginning the course.
We strongly recommend going through all materials, but learners who are very confident in their skillset in one or more of these areas may be able to move directly to the module tests after a review of the content.
What are the Module Test Requirements?
To earn Foundational Certification, all three module tests must be passed with a score of 80% or higher. When a module test is passed with an 80% or above, you will receive a badge that you can see in the Awards area on the navbar of the Brightspace course. After all three badges are earned, you will receive a certificate that will be valid for two years following the completion of the Foundational Certification Training course.
The course contains self-assessments in all lessons that are recommended to check your understanding, but do not count towards course completion.
Note: Faculty who watched the LinkedIn Learning videos in the Core DLE and Core Pedagogy learning pathways prior to January 3, 2023 are exempt from the Module 1 and Module 2 tests and only have to pass the Module 3 test to earn Foundational Certification.