Faculty/instructors are invited to register for the Online Teaching Certification Seminar that is designed to help deliver quality learning experiences for their students. This course is 100 percent online and asynchronous.
Upcoming
Workshop sessions
Thank you for your interest in the Online Teaching Certification Seminar. Registration for 2023 sessions is now open.
Who can participate?
Online Teaching Certification Seminar is intended for faculty/instructors who have the responsibility to teach online for the University of Missouri System.
Are there prerequisites?
- Participants should have access to a Canvas course site, preferably the course they are (or will be) teaching in order to complete the certification requirements.
- We suggest faculty be familiar with Canvas and other learning technologies before registering. Please see our Trainings & Events page for more information.
- If you do not have a site for a course you are or will be teaching, please use the Canvas Request System to request a development site to use for practice as you work through the seminar activities.
- Some participants in the course (e.g, TAs, graduate students, and other student employees) may not have access to the Canvas Request System. If you are unable to access the Canvas Request System, please contact a faculty member in your academic unit or your facilitator to have a development site created for you.
Is there credit given toward certification?
Certification self-assessment
For faculty/instructors who have not participated in the above options for certification, but have extensive experience teaching online (online teaching for 3 or more years), they will take a reflective self-assessment to route them into either the Online Teaching Certification Seminar or the recertification program.
Other certifications
This infographic displays historical and alternative programs that give credit towards online teaching certification, for instance Online Teaching Foundations, Online in 9, and ACUE.
What are the program objectives?
This 100 percent online course is asynchronous with a weekly schedule and regular peer-to-peer interaction requirements. The course will be facilitated by instructional designers.
At the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Demonstrate proficient Canvas navigation.
- Demonstrate an awareness of university academic policies and resources to support diverse learning needs.
- Select appropriate university-supported technologies to enhance online teaching and student needs.
- Analyze and integrate effective online instructional strategies.
- Design communication and feedback strategies to engage and motivate students in the online environment.
- Develop a learning community that fosters interaction.
What's the schedule and format?
- Fully online, in Canvas
- 6 weeks, offered in multiple start dates
- Expected time commitment is 21 hours to complete the whole course. See the following graphic for a breakdown of the estimated time commitment by week.

Topics will be:
- Pre-Work: Getting Started
- Module 1: Preparing to Teach Online
- Module 2: Teaching Strategies for a Quality Online Course
- Module 3: Shaping Your Online Instructor Presence
- Module 4: Motivating Online Learning Communities
- Module 5: Crafting Your Online Teaching Experience
Theoretical and Practical Frameworks:
- Quality Matters (QM) Rubric and Standards
- Online Learning Consortium (OLC)
- Association of College and University Educators (ACUE)
- Community of Inquiry model (Garrison, Anderson, and Archer, 2000)
- High impact practices (NSSE, Kuh, 2008)
- Universal Design for Learning (CAST, 2011)
- Among others specifically referenced in the course.