Creating a Community of “Empowered Educators”
Trent Online collaborates with eCampus Ontario to deliver micro-credential on digital pedagogy
Trent Online is collaborating with eCampus Ontario to create a community of empowered educators through facilitating a cohort of faculty and staff from educational institutions across the globe to complete the 2021 Ontario Extend "mOOC" (medium-sized Open Online Course) on digital pedagogy beginning May 3.
“The program is like off-season training for educators,” says Terry Greene, eLearning Designer at Trent Online. “The modules included in the program will help educators get themselves and their equipment ready for the main event of teaching.”
The program includes six micro-credential modules that build different skills critical for online educators in the categories of teacher, technologist, curator, collaborator, experimenter, and scholar. Once all the modules are completed, participants will become Empowered Educators – with a certificate from eCampus Ontario.
“After you’ve completed all of the modules, you’ll be much more prepared for online teaching because of the authentic work and assessment in the program,” notes Mr. Greene.
While anyone could complete the Ontario Extend course asynchronously, Trent Online will also be hosting optional synchronous meetings for educators to connect and exchanges ideas.
“We’re really providing the social cohesion of the program,” explains Mr. Greene. “We wanted to make it more of a community event where a cohort of educators could participate and share their own experiences with the group and complete the program together.”
Currently, there are over 90 educators enrolled in the program from all over the world including South Africa, Tunisia and Algeria that are eager to learn from each other.
There is no limit to the number of people who can register for the program and Trent Online is encouraging all Trent faculty and staff who are interested to register.
Faculty members or staff who are interested in learning more about the Ontario Extend program can email extend@trentu.ca or attend a short information session.