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Online Teaching Certification & Resources

Riverside Community College District
Online Teaching Certification Requirements

Approved by RCCD Academic Senate on May 24, 2021
Updated certification language approved on October 3, 2022 

References:

Given that Title 5, Section 55208(b) and the RCCD Administrative Procedure 2105​ require the preparation of Faculty to teach distance education courses, the Distance Education Committee Chairs from each college and the District Distance Education Department recommend the following online teaching certification, recertification, and equivalency pathways.

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​Online Teaching Certification Requirements​

New and Unce​​rtified Faculty

In accordance with the district's AP 2105 on Distance Education, updated certification language approved on October 3, 2022, new and uncertified faculty planning to teach online at any of the colleges in the district agree to complete one of the following certification options:

      • The district's designated local online teaching certification course - e.g., RCCD Course Design Camp
      • ​Any RCCD district college's Peer Online Course Review (POCR)

Faculty who have already completed an online certification process, please review the Equivalency Online Teaching Certifications section of this document.

Online Canvas Academy​​ (OCA) Certified Faculty

Current Faculty, previously certified through the RCCD Online Canvas Academy, wishing to teach online at any of the colleges in the district, agree to complete one of the Online Teaching Certification options listed above for new and uncertified Faculty. 

Certification Time Frame and Evidence

  • Online teaching certification is valid for three (3) academic years from the completion date of the certification requirements. Note: Faculty who need to complete certification will be notified one (1) academic year in advance.
  • New and uncertified Faculty have one (1) academic year to complete the required certification (or its equivalent) and may teach online concurrently. 
  • Online Canvas Academy (OCA) certified faculty have three (3) academic years to complete one of the certification options listed for new and uncertified Faculty (or its equivalent) and may teach online concurrently. 
  • Upon completion of certification requirements, evidence will be uploaded by the faculty member to an online tracking system which will generate a list of certified Faculty accessible by the VPAA or designee at each college. 

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Equivalent Online Teaching Certifications

Faculty who completed online teaching certification or graduate degrees in online teaching from colleges, universities, or professional development associations and organizations other than RCCD can upload completion evidence to an online tracking system. The District Distance Education Department will review and confirm that the evidence submitted is equivalent to the district's designated local online teaching certification requirements. Faculty and their respective VPAA or designee will be notified of the results of the review. If there are unmet competencies, the following will be provided:

  • A one (1) year completion date 
  • Information on how to fulfill unmet competencies utilizing assigned district training or other agreed-upon resources - e.g., RCCD Online Teaching and Design Course

In the event that the review is challenged, a second review will be conducted,  and the final decision will be made by the majority of the reviewers.
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Online Teaching Recertification

After completing the above certification or equivalency, certified Faculty who plan to continue teaching fully online or hybrid courses agree to recertify by completing six (6) hours of training focused on distance education every three (3) academic years. Faculty may choose district training resources, e.g., RCCD Online Teaching and Design Course, and/or non-district training resources focused on distance education to meet the recertification requirement.

Recertification Time Frame and Evidence

  • All Faculty seeking recertification will have three (3) academic years from the completion date of the certification requirements to recertify. 
  • Faculty who need to recertify will be notified one (1) academic year in advance.
  • ​Upon completion of recertification requirements, evidence will be uploaded by the faculty member to an online form which will generate a list of certified Faculty accessible by the VPAA or designee at each college. 

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RCCD Course Design Camp

RCCD offers an in-district online teaching certification course called Course Design Camp. It is a self-paced, 4-module course focused on course development, design, facilitation, and equitable learning outcomes for all student groups. There are no course start/end dates or assignment due dates, allowing for the completion of online teaching requirements throughout the year. NOTE:  Sixteen (16) hours of ​FLEX credit is available to Faculty who complete RCCD Course Design Camp.

Once you have a Canvas account, sign in to Canvas and self-enroll in RCCD Course Design Camp. Upon self-enrollment into the course, you will find additional directions and guidance for course completion. If you believe you have met certification requirements through other means, please submit your completion evidence to the RCC​D Certification Equivalency Request form.


College Distance Education Committees 

Each college has an Academic Senate sub-committee focused on Distance Education issues. Feel free to reach out to the DE Committee Chairs if you have any questions or would like to become more involved.

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RCCD Policies and Practices for Distance Education

​Administrative Procedure (AP) 2105 Distance Education (as approved by District Senate on March 15, 2021) details the district practices for online courses. To help Faculty apply AP2105, Regular Substantive Interaction Guidelines (as approved by District Senate on May 24, 2021) have been developed and approved by the DE Committees and Academic Senates at all three colleges. Contact your college DE Committee Chair (see links above) if you have any questions. Faculty can also contact an Instructional​ Designer to discuss the requirements and guidelines.​

ACCJC Documents Related to DE 

The ACCJC provides a Checklist for Evaluating Compliance [DOCX] and also a Guide to Institutional Self-Evaluation Improvement and Peer Review (Appendix H) [PDF] ​that details requirements for equivalent quality, accountability, and focus on student outcomes.​