Hostos Teaching Institute
Overview
The Hostos Teaching Institute is a professional development program developed by the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Office of Academic Affairs to promote continuous improvement and the advancement of faculty pedagogical approaches in order to foster teaching excellence and innovation. In line with CUNY Performance Management Process (PMP) Goal 1 on the expansion of online education, the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Office of Educational Technology are introducing micro-credential professional development to empower Hostos faculty teaching processes while also integrating and aligning pedagogical and technological approaches.
The EdTech Innovation Chase badge system will be used for micro-credential professional development, which will provide focused credentials affirming the faculty’s acquisition of relevant skills and experience aligned with the institutional goals. The HTI provides micro-credential courses for certification in online teaching, online teaching pedagogy, multimodal teaching, and other areas that will be added in the near future.
Hostos Teaching Institute Goals
Faculty will be able to:
- Apply adult learning theory (andragogy) concepts, frameworks, strategies, and best practices to facilitate student achievement/success
- Create student-centered courses using high-impact practices aimed at increasing student retention
- Design a flexible course structure that can be taught in multiple modalities
- Integrate technology into teaching and learning
- Assess the effective use of technology and pedagogy
Departments will be able to:
- Create a culture of lifelong learning by providing a vital outlet for teachers to exchange resources and techniques
- Establish a culture of continuous improvement
- Motivate faculty to embrace a culture of innovation
- Align their goals with the CUNY’s Performance Management Process (PMP)
Hostos Teaching Institute Structure
The Teaching Institute program will initially encompass three tracks toward the Institute’s certificate:
- Online Teaching track
- Multimodal track
- Effective Online Teaching Practices (ACUE)
Acknowledging recent endeavors of implementing online learning at Hostos, participants will have a flexible and adaptive curriculum based on their current level of familiarity with technology and multi-modal course delivery that will be gauged through a self-assessment exercise as a part of the onboarding process. Each track will combine pedagogical approaches with technological advances that will train faculty to produce and implement student-centered courses employing high-impact practices that focus on improving student retention.
- The Online Teaching Track will introduce faculty to the basics of online course structure and design, accessibility, and LMS. It will include four (4) self-paced courses and two (2) courses delivered in an online mix modality.
- The self-paced online courses include:
- Roadmap to Teaching Innovation (3h)
- Self-Paced Accessibility & UDL Workshop (2h)
- Assessment 101 (2h)
- The online mix courses include:
- Online Learning Essentials (OLE)
- Refresher: 10 hrs. over 12 weeks
- Course building: 20 hrs. over 12 weeks
- Methods for Online Teaching (MOT) (15h over 12 weeks)
- Online Learning Essentials (OLE)
- The self-paced online courses include:
- The Multimodal Teaching Track will introduce faculty to the more complex course design strategies for course delivery across teaching modalities, accessibility, and more advanced use of LMS. It will include four (4) self-paced courses and one (1) course delivered in an online mix modality.
- The self-paced online courses include:
- Smart Room Certificate (30 min)
- Self-Paced Accessibility & UDL Workshop (2h)
- Assessment 101 (2h)
- The online mix courses include:
- Mapping Multimodal Terrains (MMT) (in development) (20h over 12 weeks)
- The self-paced online courses include:
- The Effective Online Teaching Practices Track is a program offered by ACUE and has been acquired by Hostos to offer faculty a nationally recognized professional development program. This 25-module course in effective online teaching practices concentrates on teaching practices effective for online instruction.
Micro-Credential Track Descriptions
This self-paced course provides training for faculty in the fundamentals, intermediate concepts, and advanced applications of the current CUNY Learning Management System (LMS). The three (3) modules of the course, which is offered through Blackboard, serve as a guidebook for those who are interested in introducing education to the online environment, maximizing their LMS competency, and establishing an online presence for their teaching. The objective of Roadmap to Teaching Innovation is to assist faculty in effectively and purposefully use the various LMS technologies to create an online environment focused on students and seamlessly incorporate technology into their instruction.
Designed by: Hostos Office of Educational Technology (EdTech) Estimated Time: 3 hrs.
The goal of this self-paced workshop is to introduce faculty to the fundamental concepts and standards of creating content that can be used by as many people as possible in the most efficient and effective way possible. It contains an Accessibility section that outlines guidelines for ensuring that all students, including those with disabilities or impairments, have equal access to learning materials and resources. The workshop also introduces Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a versatile framework for creating educational materials that are accessible and effective for all learners. Participants will be introduced to fundamental UDL concepts such as using multiple means of information representation (text, video, audio…), multiple means of expression for students to demonstrate their understanding, and multiple means of engagement for students to interact with the learning materials. The self-paced workshop is delivered on Blackboard.
Designed by: CUNY Assistive Technology Services (CATS) Estimated Time: 2 hrs.
This self-paced workshop introduces faculty to the assessment process, equips them with tools for developing and implementing an assessment plan, and focuses on student success and institutional effectiveness. Assessment 101 takes a comprehensive approach to the topic, combining perspectives from the university, college, department, and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
Designed by: CUNY Assessment Council Estimated Time: 2 hrs.
The goal of this training course is to provide a fundamental understanding of online teaching. These ideas are critical for both synchronous and asynchronous teaching styles, or a hybrid of the two. A five-unit structure that adheres to the best standards and practices available to date covers aspects of course development, design, and delivery. This course also gives you a firm and clear understanding of the components that the EdTech Leadership Council (ETLC) evaluates for course evaluation and certification. Instructors are assisted throughout the course design process. To earn the micro-credential, participants must develop their courses and submit them to ETLC via the Online Course Evaluation System. OLE is delivered in an online mix mode via Blackboard, with participants having the option of:
· Course Delivery: 10 hours spread out over 12 weeks (if faculty will use an existing online course)
· Course Development: 20 hours spread over 12 weeks (if faculty will build a course for the first time)
· OLE Refresher: 10 hours spread out over a 12-week period (if online certification is two or more years old)
Methods for Online Teaching, a companion program to the Online Learning Essentials (OLE) course, goes beyond the fundamentals of implementation and course development. It focuses on strategies for improving the experience for both online learning and course delivery, and it re-examines the roles of the instructor, learner, and learning community in the online setting, using the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework. MOT is delivered in an online mix mode via Blackboard.
Designed by: Hostos Office of Educational Technology (EdTech) Estimated Time: 15 hrs. over 12 weeks.
The Mapping Multimodal Terrains (MMT) course introduces faculty to practical and flexible course planning strategies that can be applied in this multi-modal landscape, following CUNY’s recent change in teaching modalities to include In-person, Hybrid (Synchronous, Asynchronous, and HyField), Online (Synchronous, Asynchronous, and Online Mix), and HyFlex modalities. Furthermore, MMT provides guidelines for developing student-centered courses that employ high-impact practices aimed at improving student retention. MMT is delivered online in a hybrid mode via Blackboard.
Designed by: Hostos Office of Educational Technology (EdTech) Estimated Time: 15 hrs. over 12 weeks.
This 25-module course in effective online teaching practices concentrates on teaching practices effective for online instruction. Based on the same evidence-based pedagogy as ACUE’s course in effective teaching practices, Effective Online Teaching Practices was designed in collaboration with online teaching and learning experts to empower faculty to be impactful online instructors and ensure student success today and in the future.
Comprehensive in scope, the course’s content and facilitation focuses on proven online teaching approaches across all the core competencies in ACUE’s Effective Practice Framework. Faculty earn a Certificate in Effective College Instruction.
Designed by: Association of College And University Educators (ACUE) Time: 25 modules over a year.