In any modality, you are responsible for interacting with your students frequently and consistently about the content of your course. In distance education, this is a federal law, state law, and accreditation standard. Click the Learn More link above for details on this legal requirement.
to certify by taking the 8-week, 40-hour course: fill out the OCTA enrollment interest form. to certify by going through the peer online course review (POCR) process: fill out the certification-by-pocr interest form. to certify through a training course outside of cos: visit the DECOS webpage and look at certification documents.To see a full list of online-certified faculty, visit the Human Resources: Employee Resources webpage and select Faculty Seniority Lists.
Consult your contract (COSTA 8.2.10 and COSAFA 4.2.10) for specifics about pathways and compensation.
Open Educational Resources (OER) are educational materials and resources offered freely and openly via the Internet for anyone to use. OER can be remixed, revised, reused, retained, and redistributed (known as the 5 R's). COS has a goal of creating as many zero-cost degree pathways as possible for our students, and every course that adopts zero-cost or low-cost materials is a step toward equitable and accessible higher education for all.
With the rapid advance of AI into higher education settings, educators must take part in thoughtful discussions about AI's impact on teaching and learning, curriculum and assessment, and the skills students will need to have upon graduation to contribute to a technologically proficient workforce. The Office of Distance Education has curated a Resource Kit of articles, tools, videos, and more to help faculty orient within this new frontier.
Day Time Phone Zoom Office Mondays 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM (559) 730-3981 JOIN HERE Thursdays 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Need a different time? Email Elise Baker (eliseb@cos.edu) to arrange an appointment.
Day
Need a different time? Email Elise Baker (eliseb@cos.edu) to arrange an appointment.
Workshop Title / Recording date & time Presenter(s) Description Accessible by April: HeadingsWatch the recordingFriday, September 412:00-12:45Elise Baker, DE CoordinatorAccessible by April is a series of short, practical 30-45 minute workshops designed to help COS faculty build the everyday accessibility skills needed to prepare for the April 2027 Title II compliance deadline. Each session focuses on just one manageable topic, such as headings, images, links, tables, documents, color use, or accessibility checkers, and will give simple strategies and workflows you can immediately apply in Canvas and your course materials. The goal is to make accessibility feel less overwhelming by tackling it one skill at a time.Shared documents:Guide - Headings in Canvas and MS Word.pdfAccessible by April: ImagesWatch the recordingFriday, September 2512:00-12:45 Elise Baker, DE CoordinatorThis session of Accessible by April will focus on image use and accessible alt text. Shared documents: Guide - Images and Alt Text in Canvas and MS Word.pdfAccessible by April: Text Styling and SpacingJoin the workshopFriday, October 912:00-12:30Elise BakerThis session of Accessible by April will focus on how to style text accessibly using fonts, sizing, lines, and how to decrease cognitive load for our students as they read. Accessible by April: LinksJoin the workshopFriday, October 2312:00-12:30Elise Baker This session of Accessible by April will focus on how to provide links to students in a way that is descriptive and accessible. More to come...
2025-26 workshops focus on artificial intelligence. click the link above to access the schedule, and look for registration reminders in your monthly "DE professional development round-up" emails from the distance education coordinator.
Asynchronous Trainings, Workshops, and Webinars
Training Title Link to learn Description Micro-training InstituteAccess the trainingsThis is a collection of self-paced asynchronous short-form trainings, fully FLEX-approved. Accessibility QuestBegin the trainingThis is a self-paced Canvas resource designed to help faculty understand Title II and web accessibility, why it matters, and what to do now to prepare. Sections cover Headings, Images, Links, Tables, Lists, Color Use, and captioning media. Review for RSI WorkshopWatch the trainingA recording of the live Zoom training held 9/25/24 for COS faculty. Content includes RSI overview, distinction between law and academic freedom, and a guide for how the ACCJC will determine whether or not RSI is occuring in online courses. Make Your Course Beautiful (and more effective) with HTML Basics Watch the webinar We don’t pay attention to boring things, and after a while Canvas can get a bit boring. In this webinar, you’ll learn how to add visual elements like borders, horizontal lines, callout boxes, and responsive banners, even how to make text wrap around an image to your Canvas course. With just a little HTML know-how, it’s easier than you may think to create an engaging, visually-stimulating and organized online course. Resources: HTML Snippets Cheat Sheet more to come...
Created by Instructional Council, this Canvas-hosted Resource Guide gives new faculty useful information on navigating systems at COS and finding comfort and success.
Online Learning Readiness Module: Content was developed by the California Virtual Campus – Online Education Initiative (CVC-OEI) as part of a California Community College Chancellor’s Office initiative. This content is licensed by the CVC-OEI with a Creative Commons Attribution license and be imported directly into your online course from Canvas Commons. Teaching Online: Reflections and Suggestions (from retired Distance Ed Coordinator Deborah Nolan) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Online Instruction Policy FAQ: COS Academic Senate Guidance for Instructors (Revised 12/10/20) Five Principles for Quality Online Teaching: The principles were developed from the original @ONE Standards for Quality Online Teaching and best practices supported through current research. CVC/OER Course Design Rubric: developed in 2014 by the OEI Professional Development work group to assure that all courses offered as part of the initiative promote student success and meet existing regulatory and accreditation requirements. It has undergone three major revisions since then, including the current iteration, in response to changes in available instructional technology and feedback from both instructors and reviewers.
Online Learning Readiness Module: Content was developed by the California Virtual Campus – Online Education Initiative (CVC-OEI) as part of a California Community College Chancellor’s Office initiative. This content is licensed by the CVC-OEI with a Creative Commons Attribution license and be imported directly into your online course from Canvas Commons.
Teaching Online: Reflections and Suggestions (from retired Distance Ed Coordinator Deborah Nolan) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Online Instruction Policy FAQ: COS Academic Senate Guidance for Instructors (Revised 12/10/20)
Five Principles for Quality Online Teaching: The principles were developed from the original @ONE Standards for Quality Online Teaching and best practices supported through current research.
CVC/OER Course Design Rubric: developed in 2014 by the OEI Professional Development work group to assure that all courses offered as part of the initiative promote student success and meet existing regulatory and accreditation requirements. It has undergone three major revisions since then, including the current iteration, in response to changes in available instructional technology and feedback from both instructors and reviewers.
