Towson University Launches Certificate In Online Learning And Teaching

Press release from Towson University: By Rebecca Kirkman

In response to a growing demand for quality remote and hybrid learning programs, the Towson University College of Education has launched a new post-baccalaureate certificate in online learning and teaching.

The 15-unit online program offered through the Department of Educational Technology & Literacy prepares people to design, develop, implement, manage and evaluate online learning
environments and programs. It can be completed as part of a master’s in instructional technology or as a stand-alone certificate.

The certificate’s development began—long before the COVID-19 pandemic—to meet a growing
trend of online learning programs across the globe, but it fills an immediate demand that occurred last spring when classrooms and companies were forced to quickly pivot to online platforms.

“When COVID hit us, there was this urgent need from teachers,” says Liyan Song, professor of educational technology and director of the program. “It’s not a simple conversion from what you are doing in the face-to-face classroom to the online platform. There are a lot of best practices that people need to understand in terms of the design of instruction, but, at the same time, there are a lot of opportunities to make our instructional learning more meaningful and more authentic to students.”

In as little as one year, certificate candidates leave the program with a balanced understanding of both theory and practice.

“It's not just practical skills. We prepare the students to understand the rationale behind the design,” Song says. “We give them the instructional design skills, we give them the technology skills and we give them the theoretical foundations.”

The course was created by expert faculty and designed to follow the Quality Matters rubric, considered the gold standard in evaluating superior online courses.

“The certificate offers students a high-quality curriculum experience and faculty mentors who are specialized scholars,” Song adds.

The certificate’s benefits extend beyond the education industry.

“Whenever there is training involved, these skills are applicable,” Song says, pointing to industries including human resources, health care, government and the military. “It really applies
almost universally.”

The program’s relevance continues as schools move to a hybrid setting, where lessons must be designed for remote and in-classroom students.

“It's even more important for people who are doing this kind of instruction to learn tools from basic classroom management and instructional strategies to the design of llearning activities for students,” Song says. “And we can help with all of those things within this program.”

Applications for the post-baccalaureate certificate in online learning and teaching are accepted on a rolling basis, with deadlines of June 1 for summer admission, Aug. 15 for fall admission and Jan. 7 for spring admission.

This press release was produced by Towson University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.