If you are thinking of enrolling in one of our upcoming sessions of OT 101 - our instructor-led online teaching certificate course - consider some of the very kind things our previous students have said about their experience. It is our goal to provide you with a rich, dynamic experience of an online classroom in which you are free to learn, explore, and discuss the best practices in online education.

Upon successful completion of the class, you will earn a certificate to document the time you have invested in becoming a more informed online instructor. If you want to learn more about OT 101, please click here. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me!

What our students have to say...

"Although I've been in the online space for close to two decades, I was drained from the pandemic year and wanted to get excited about teaching online once again. The course was everything I expected and more. Dr. Brooke Shriner is an amazing online instructional designer, subject-matter expert, and facilitator (among many other things). She is a one-woman show and makes every single participant feel included and encouraged with her warm and caring presence. Whether you are just beginning to teach online, have some experience and are looking for a refresher, or if you are an online veteran looking to get reenergized, this certificate course is a great option for you. I am so glad I went through this experience; thank you, Brooke!" ~ Georgianna L.

"The lessons were well written and extremely informative. I felt like I got great "bang for my buck!" There were so many resources provided that I will use for the rest of my adjunct instructor career. The assignments were beneficial and all related to the real-world. The quizzes helped me to sum up the main ideas from the readings. The structure of the course was easy to follow. Dr. Shriner, did a great job of modeling what an awesome online instructor looks like." ~ Charisa W.

"This course laid a great foundation for key concepts associated with online teaching. It provided important takeaways regarding how the online learner and traditional learner function and the different approaches used to make online learning effective for the adult learner. I think the weekly assignments were creative ways to help us think like future online instructors." ~ Joyrina

“This course is designed to increase an awareness of best practices either for those who are already teaching courses online or for those of us who want to teach online. It was complete with evidence based learning theories to help familiarize the learners with what a effective online class should look like for those who will decide to become online learners. I loved the instructor, the feedback, course content and the interactions between everyone in the course.” ~ Canequia M.

"This course was very well organized and topics were well presented and relevant to helping the online instructor perform better in that role. There were good opportunities to practice what was learned in each session with the class through discussion and assignments. This course will also help me in the class design mode. I found each week's content to be relevant to my future plans for instruction." ~ Heather H.

"If a person read the course materials, they would have a positive impression of the course, but the true impact is the experience. The instructor demonstrates how much impact a caring and focused teacher can have in encouraging and engaging students. I think new instructors will feel much more confident with a model of behavior like this, and skeptics will be reassured that they can be a great teacher teaching online as well as in a classroom." ~ Bonnie L.

"This course has effective, activity-based assignments that help deepen your understanding of the content. Through this knowledge, your methods of designing materials for an online class will benefit greatly. Highly recommended."~ Christy W.

"The instructor has a wealth of knowledgeable in the subject matter and uses various teaching modalities. She is quick to respond to the discussions adding a flare of sunshine and a flair for knowledge. All assignments were challenging and appropriate. The readings were enjoyable to read, easy on the eyes and informative." Antoinette M.

"OT101 is perfectly suitable both for people who want to become online teachers and those who already have experience. I signed up for this course as a refresher even though I've taught over 4,200 students online over the past 14 years, written curriculum for graduate, undergraduate, and secondary programs, and directly trained and evaluated nearly 200 other instructors. It's true that you can teach an old dog new tricks! The course's content, design, and presentation were top notch, relevant, and timely. Additionally, the course was uncluttered and easy to navigate. Finally, my instructor, Brooke, was engaged, professional, friendly, and helpful from beginning to end. Bottom Line: OT-101 exceeded my expectations and it was worth every penny I paid for it." ~ Guy W.

"This course was amazing. It went above and beyond what I expected to learn. It went in depth into understanding the history, science, and art of teaching effectively online. I am glad I took this course and I feel more confident as an online (and an in-class) adjunct instructor." - Eric D.

"The course is an excellent primer on best practices for teaching online. The content is appropriate for professors with broad applied experience and those that aspire to become online instructors." ~ Gail J.

"I was recently hired as a full-time Assistant Professor at a small University that tasked me to serve as a key member of the Online Learning Committee. I've taught online courses for almost a decade in some capacity, but figured a "refresher" course couldn't hurt before diving into the evaluation process needed to do a campus-wide improvement of the school's online course offerings. I could write a book on how much OT 101 course has completely changed how I, and my entire institution, approach online learning. In just 4 weeks I learned the most contemporary, practical, and effective methods needed to optimize student-learning outcomes in our societies highly evolved virtual classroom. If you are debating whether or not to register for the course, stop it, because the decision will easily be one of the best of your career in higher education." ~ Cory S.

"The strengths are many for this short course. It is packed with a lot of information on learning in an online setting, theories, and best methods for instruction. The assignments are fun and creative." ~ Linda H.

"As an aspiring online teacher, I never envisioned that this short course would change my overall view of online teaching. The course materials depicted the reality and practicality of online learning in regard to both learner and instructor. I started out as a novice and at the end of the course was confident enough to apply the knowledge in the online classroom." ~ Barbara I.

"The strength of this course was the discussion questions and the facilitation of the course. Questions were asked in a way that made students get involved and share their knowledge and experiences with others. This type of sharing has a way of being a catalyst for learner to expand their knowledge and increase their ability to help others in both online and face-to-face teaching." ~ James, T.

"The instructor was great! She provided the proper material needed for each week and engaged with the students just as we are taught how to engage with our students in an online setting. This course highlighted several important topics in the areas of online education, distance learning strategies, and adult learners." ~ Cheryl M.

“This course offers a good mix of practical things instructors need to do to facilitate an effective online course with theoretical support of why those approaches work. The assignments give insight into what is required behind the scenes to effectuate a cohesive and successful classroom.” ~ Severine, B.

"The strengths of this class are the instructor's communication skills and the layout of the assignments, the instructor's detailed response time, and the content of the learning materials is excellent. I recommend anyone looking to teach online take this and the OnRamp course!" ~ Nadine J.

“This course is an excellent introduction to online teaching. The emphasis on how to manage discussion boards was particularly enlightening.” ~ Jim, P.

"I consider the discussion forums to be the strengths of this course because they provide opportunities for us learners to engage in an interactive manner. This way we get to share and learn from each other." ~ Marie E.

"In my opinion the strength of the course was the encouragement received from the instructor to participate in all discussions regardless of the scholarly writing. The feedback we received with our facilitator on our work. Another strength was the assignments completed weekly especially "Creating a Learning Objective Based Online Course." ~ Hyacinth K.

"The course covers end to end what a typical online instructor would experience. Starting from who the online students are to discussions on syllabus, course design and policies, the course is all encompassing. I have become a lot more confident, during the last 4 weeks, in my ability to deliver as an online instructor." ~ Iffy M.

“The organizational skills of the instructor and the professionalism and proficiency in which she facilitates the course. It is fast-paced, thoroughly beneficial! ” ~ Bob, S.

"As an aspiring online instructor, the course provided me with the knowledge required to become an effective online instructor. It was very explicit on the role of the instructor as a facilitator,with emphasis on course outcome for the students and strategies for eliciting active online student participation." ~ Emmanuel B.

Re: '"areas for improvement”: “I wracked my brain on this one. Can't think of anything. Professionally designed and administered!! Lessons are comprehensive, relevant, up-to-date, comprehensible, and extremely beneficial!” ~ Bob, S.

"The strength of this course was the instructor herself. She engaged wholeheartedly with us and gave meaningful, thoughtful responses to our posts. She also answered emails within a short amount of time. This instructor rocks!" ~ Felicita, M.

"Brooke is the perfect professor...the professor every adult student learner wishes they could have."~ Kimberly, W.

“The reading assignments were way above average, as they provided information very pertinent to on-line teaching, in a very easy to read and understand fashion. The facilitator was heavily involved in all the discussions, and encouraged us all to think beyond each post contents.” ~ Ann, L.

Strengths of the course include how it increased my familiarity with online learning. I enjoyed this course and the workload was appropriate. This course encouraged critical thinking while opening up new concepts in learning. ~ Dot W.

"Before this course I had no real ideas regarding how to properly engage students online. Now, I have the insight, skills, and confidence needed to take my passion for teaching and developing professionals online." ~ Kesi H.

“As a potential online instructor, the course provided a good overview of what to expect in the online classroom. Before registering for the class, I had done some google searches for information. There was a lot of information out there, but the course put it all together in a way that made sense.” ~ Pam, S.

"The course was thorough and extremely well organized. Our instructor, Brooke Shriner, PhD was simply amazing. I had no idea that I could learn so much in just one month. Also I am happy that I took this course prior to applying for an Online Teaching position. I truly recommend this course to anyone who wants to teach online." ~ Andretta, C.

“A strength of this course is that it combines theory in the readings with assignments that are very practical. The course required a reasonable but not unreasonable amount of time and effort.” Jerry, T.

"The instructor was very clear and thorough. I appreciate how engaged she was! She truly demonstrated how to be an effective online instructor. I feel very confident and prepared. Also, the assignments were very reasonable and effective for working students." - Jennifer, W.

"The course challenged me to think about the way I have been teaching online courses and discover new and more innovative methods and overall approach to effective online instruction based on research." ~ George, M.

"Dr. Shriner's enthusiasm about online teaching is contagious. She is organized, efficient, and provides thoughtful feedback that makes a difference." ~ Shelagh, D.

"Great course that will help me be a more efficient and better online instructor. I highly recommend the class. It was both educational and enjoyable." ~ Perry, L.

"As an experienced online facilitator and Instructional Designer the Lessons in the first three weeks provided great reminders and skill refreshers about facilitating and curriculum development. Unit 4 was outstanding!. The unit clarified and updated the Instructional Design Skills from my Master's in HR program! I feel confident re-adding that skill now to my resume along with my online instructor experience! I am thrilled! Refreshed information and updated skills. Great course for the new and experienced online facilitator!" ~ Janice, B.

"I liked the most that the readings for the lessons were summarized by the professor in their own words, which gave the feelings as if you are hearing the professor lecture." ~ Leila, C.

"The course provided a good overview of the characteristics of adult learners, the types and characteristics of typical assignments found in online courses, and the key tasks and dispositions of good online instructors. Well worth the time!" ~ Ron G.

"The single largest strength of the class is the instructor- real life experience coupled with an incredible classroom presence." ~ Jennifer, C.

"I feel like this class was a wonderful guideline for all new and experienced instructors. This course really made me think about how to connect with my students. I really enjoyed the assignments, the discussion questions and the readings. I had to expand my knowledge and think about my previous experiences to relate the material. I would recommend this class to any instructor looking to enhance their knowledge on online learning and want to become a better rounded instructor. " ~ Kate N.

"Dr. Shriner's prompts and effective responses on the discussion board modeled true engagement, connection, and a true sense of presence throughout the course from beginning to end." ~ George, M.

"I love the fact that you thought of this course to help others facilitate online courses in a deeper and more positive way.Taking this course has really boost my self-esteem in teaching and has improved the way I see things. Thank you." ~ Kenyatta D.

"This course has helped me reflect on my experience with teaching, taking a critical eye to my own practices, and examining myself and my policies and conduct. Self-reflection is critical for growth, and this course is helping me grow as an instructor. It has also exposed me to current scholarship, which makes me more confident and well-informed." ~ Melinda F.