Certifications & Peer Review

All UDC faculty are required to have an Online Teaching Certification (OTC) to teach at the institution. Additionally, any faculty member who seeks to build hybrid and or online courses is required to have an Online Build Certification (OBC). The Center for the Advancement of Learning is responsible for providing OTC and OBC certifications for UDC faculty and does this through three stages (see below). In an effort to engage faculty members, we have also aligned competency-based digital badges to each certificate that faculty members will receive upon completion. If you would like more general information about online learning at UDC, please click here.

Stage 1: Online Teach Certification (OTC)

  • Blackboard (Bb) is the only recognized and supported learning management system (LMS) at UDC.  All faculty are required to build and deliver any face-to-face, online, andCAL Online Teaching Certified hybrid courses being offered in Bb. As such, training (Bb Ultra Essentials Training) is required to ensure all faculty are familiar with how to leverage the system to forge quality learning experiences for UDC students.
  • Bb Ultra Essentials Training is an online asynchronous self-paced training that provides faculty with a hands-on introduction to the teaching and learning features and covers important aspects of the function and usage of the LMS. The estimated time to complete the training is 18 – 20 hours to complete (this timeframe may vary depending on each user’s familiarity with technology). Successful completion of the Bb Ultra Essentials Training will result in an Online Teaching Certification (OTC). Click here to register.

Stage 2: Course Design Faculty Learning Community

  • The Course Design Faculty Learning CommunityCAL Innovator Educator Certified facilitates a process for faculty to enhance the ways they leverage learning science and instructional technology to create synchronous and asynchronous learning activities and assessments, and courses across modes of delivery. All faculty (adjunct and full-time)are welcome to participate. Click here for dates and registration.
  • Upon successful completion of the Course Design Faculty Learning Community, faculty will be granted permission to pursue Online Build Certification (OBC). Those planning to pursue OBC are required to have the approval of the Department Chair and or Division Director to build a course for any
    given unit. Requesting approval for OBC before participating in the learning community is encouraged.

Stage 3: Online Build Certificate (OBC)

  1. Submit Course to CAL for Peer-Review click hereCAL Certified Online Builder
  2. The course is peer-reviewed.
    1. Courses submitted by the end of the first week in April will be reviewed by the end of the first week in May.
    2. Courses submitted by the end of the first week in June will be reviewed by the end of the first week in July.
    3. Courses submitted by the end of the first week in September will be reviewed by the end of the first week in November.
  1. Revisions (if necessary): You have one week to make revisions.
  2. Instructor receives OBC
  3. Course is UDC-certified

Peer Review

All online and hybrid courses taught at UDC can only be built by an OBC faculty member and successfully peer-reviewed. To initiate the peer review process, the builder must request a Blackboard course site. After the builder has fully built the course, they will next submit the peer-review request webform to trigger the peer review process.  Thereafter, a certified peer reviewer will then evaluate the course, provide feedback, and allow for revisions if necessary. The faculty member will have one week to complete any necessary revisions. The peer-review process takes approximately one month to complete. Once the necessary revisions are complete, the course will meet standards, be certified, and be added to the list of certified online and hybrid courses that can be offered online at UDC. Click here for a list of all approved online and hybrid courses). Please note the following review schedule:

  • Courses submitted by the end of the first week in April will be reviewed by the end of the first week in May
  • Courses submitted by the end of the first week in June will be reviewed by the end of the first week in July
  • Courses submitted by the end of the first week in September will be reviewed by the end of the first week in November
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Email          |    calhelpdesk@udc.edu

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