Common FAQs

All Users

Did the site change?

The Remote Teaching website is changing to make room for a new participation documentation system and more personalized opportunities for paying users.

The registration form asks me for a code. Where can I find it?

Be sure to complete the survey linked in the registration form to receive the registration code.

How can I sign in if I’ve lost my password?

Visit the Sign In page and click the “Forgot Password” link to receive an email with instructions about resetting your password.

Some content in the modules appears to be missing. Is something wrong?

The resources we have curated contain links and embedded media from a variety of sources. Disable any ad blocker software in your browser and add “remoteteaching.bsu.edu” to your list of trusted websites.

Some of the sites and media may be blocked by school content blocking systems. Speak with your organization’s IT support if you continue experiencing issues.

Paid Users

My account has been upgraded, what does that mean for me?

With an upgraded account, you have unlocked access to the badges and personalized feedback from Ball State employees. To earn your PGPs, you will need to submit the assignments that you completed in the Discover & Share portion of each module that you complete

How is my payment processed when I register for an account?

All payments will be processed through CashNet, a secure payment gateway where individuals can make payments using a credit or debit card.

How do I get feedback on my work?

You will receive feedback including scores and comments on your work after submitting materials on the submission portal.

How long will it take to receive feedback? 

Feedback response time will vary depending on what kind of work is being submitted and the number of active members’ work needing evaluated. All feedback will be given as soon as possible.

What am I awarded after I complete each module?

You will receive completion badges through a digital credential system. When you complete each module, follow the link at the bottom of the page for more information about earning your digital badge.

Free Users

How do I upgrade my account? 

Upgrade your account here with a one time payment of $225. With an upgraded account, you’ll be able to earn PGPs for your hard work!

Who qualifies for a free account?

To qualify for a free account, you need to be an in-service teacher working in the state of Indiana.

General Questions

When does the series start and finish?

Each series has limited space available. Teachers will expand their professional network and share their designs with each other, as well as submit their products to an evaluator for assessment and feedback.

What happens after enrollment?

Teachers will get immediate access to all modules. They can immediately begin their online professional learning.

For how long do teachers have access to the course?

After enrolling, teachers will have unlimited access to the modules for as long as desired.

Is this series designed by an educator?

This online professional learning series content was designed by Dr. Kate Shively and Dr. Kirsten Robbins, both with a combined 20+ years of K-16 teaching experience and Ph.D.s. In addition, more than twenty educators in various fields informed the design of the content and delivery of these modules.
 
Participants will interact with trained evaluators via emails, videos, and materials curated and designed by each of them. All materials have been vetted by practicing educators with a doctorate in education and more than 10+ years of teaching experience.

Can I get Professional Growth Points for this course?

At the completion of each module (paid version), we issue a badge and a certificate of completion that describes the details of your work, as well as the explanation of each badge earned. The certificates indicate the number of hours and points for each module. You will need to submit the certificate to your district for approval. We cannot guarantee these points will be accepted due to the variety of different policies across districts.

Do you offer multi-user discounts?

YES. Bulk enrollments can be purchased in batches of 20 at discounted rates. A single person places the order for the group, and then a coupon code will be created and shared for the entire group. Teachers registered for the series can then use this code to enroll. Their name will be associated with the code.

I am a teacher educator. Can this course help me teach my students?

The Online Professional Learning Series is one way to prepare teacher educators to also teach pre-service candidates. This series can help teacher educators learn what strategies and tools to model when designing their online learning environments for their online teacher practica. Ask your department chair for professional learning funds to pay for your enrollment. We will honor group discounts similar to the K-12 discounts described earlier. In addition, you may have your preservice teachers enroll in the series as a part of the requirements for your course.
 
To use this as part of your course and require teacher candidate enrollment, please contact Kate Shively, remoteteaching@bsu.edu.

I am a preservice teacher. Can I enroll in this course on my own?

YES. Preservice teachers can enroll in this course. Just fill out the information and indicate that you are a preservice teacher in the enrollment section of the website.

Do you accept purchase orders?

YES! We can also invoice schools/districts.

What if enrollees don’t meet the deadlines or finish the modules before the end of the eight weeks?

Please contact us so we can make alternative arrangements (remoteteaching@bsu.edu).

How are badges used to demonstrate my expertise? 

Badges are visual representations of achievements or skill acquisition at a more micro level than a college course or degree. Badges are also considered micro-credentials because they are embedded with digital information as evidence of the earners’ achievement and established qualifications. 
 
Universities are beginning to acknowledge badges as evidence for admissions as well as for partial credits for their programs. Badges are often included on resumés, online portfolios, and social media sites, such as LinkedIN to illustrate a candidate’s expertise in their field. For more information about badges for professional growth, as well as an instructional strategy in the classroom, see this article, “The Power of Digital Badges”

What are the benefits for earning a badge? 

This series was co-designed by educators currently teaching in the field, which offers practical and applicable practices and processes that can be put to use immediately upon learning them. Furthermore, these micro-credentials are issued by a highly-regarded university. They will be recognized across the nation, due to our history and reputation as a leader in teacher education. Benefits include: 1) this series’ badge has added value because the issuer is Ball State University; 2) the series includes a way for employers to validate specific skills learned; 3) the learning outcomes from this series are immediately applicable and relevant to current needs of teachers across grade levels; 4) this series situates teachers in a cohort, presenting an opportunity to expand their professional network.

Previous Participants in the Teaching Remotely Summer Learning Series

If you completed all or part of the modules in the Teaching Remotely Summer Learning Series, you may submit the same artifacts and earn badges for your work. Begin the process by submitting your registration and payment for the new micro-credentials. Then, as you move through the modules, submit the artifacts you already completed. Your artifacts will be assessed with the rubrics from each module, and a faculty member will give you feedback. When your artifacts meet the criteria in the rubrics, the faculty member will issue your badge. You may also qualify for the $50 gift card and the $1000 scholarship.

Licensing Questions

Although the micro-credentials in the OPLS are not for college credit, these badges can lead to PGPs that you can use to renew your teaching license. If you would like to upskill in a for-credit option, check out our new Add-on license or graduate certificate in Virtual and Distance Education Teaching. By completing three courses, you can add this to your initial teaching license.

Additional Details

Remote Teaching is an online professional learning opportunity for educators to improve their pedagogy in online learning environments. Participants who complete the entire series will gain experience and feel more confident in their online instructional delivery, as well as earn micro-credentials to demonstrate their expertise.

A DESIGN THINKING APPROACH

This series, and all forthcoming series, are grounded in the Design Thinking Model, which situates teachers as designers.  As designers they solve problems related to teaching and learning environments. It is an effective process that can use technology and digital learning environments in a variety of classroom situations. Each module follows the same framework: Read, Watch, & Listen; Explore & Do; and Discover & Share. 

DRAFT A SOLUTION

After participants read, watch, and listen to the resources and materials included in each module, they will be asked to identify a problem they are working to solve related to the topic in their classrooms. They will brainstorm ideas for a solution and then draft a chosen solution as part of their evidence to submit for review. We encourage teachers to test their solutions in their classrooms. 

SHARE & DISCOVER

Participants will review each other’s solutions and reflect upon how their ideas might inform their designs. They will share this evidence with our evaluators and describe how their solution meets the criteria for the assigned exploration. Qualified evaluators will provide a rating based on a standards-based rubric for each module as well as additional feedback for revision, when needed.

At the conclusion of the six modules, educators will have earned six micro-credentials and one MegaBadge to demonstrate their expertise.

GROUP LICENSES

Although educators can complete these modules individually, enrolling a group of educators can lead to improved outcomes. Group professional learning is more effective in tracking results for the school, sharing outcomes to the community, and it is more motivating and engaging to have the support of colleagues while learning new content, strategies, and ideas. There is a group discount for multiple registrations from the same school/district for the same series.  Purchase orders are accepted.

GIFT CARDS

The first 125 registrants to complete all six micro-credentials and earn the Remote Teaching MegaBadge will be awarded a $50 Tango gift card, which can be used for all major vendors (This incentive is not available for BSU employees.)

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE

The first 42 registrants who successfully earn the Remote Teaching MegaBadge and then enroll in one of our three graduate programs will earn a $1000 scholarship for Ball State graduate tuition.  Scholarships are in the form of tuition remission.  Winners can apply the scholarship to the first course taken in the Master’s Degree in Educational Curriculum and Technology, the license addition in Virtual & Distance Education Teaching, or the graduate certificate in Virtual & Distance Education Teaching.  Scholarships must be applied to the first course taken in the chosen program and used within the first two semesters following the completion of the micro-credentials.  Students must apply and be accepted to the Graduate School to qualify.

EASY SWITCH TO BALL STATE AS DISTRICT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROVIDER

If you teach in one of the 50 districts that was recently awarded a Digital Learning Capacity Building Grant by the Indiana Department of Education, check with your administration to see if the grant can pay your registration for the Teaching Remotely micro-credentials.  Your district’s vendor can easily be switched to Ball State for this professional development opportunity.  Contact us if you need more information.   

ABOUT THE COURSE DESIGN, INSTRUCTORS, & EVALUATORS

Each series of modules has been built by a team of experts. The experts include educators and researchers in K-12 and higher education; instructional design; digital literacy; social emotional learning; STEM education; and literacy.  We also employed Ball State University’s Digital Corps and Emerging Media Design and Development teams to assist in the design of our research processes to curate and design the content for these modules.  Furthermore, we interviewed educators across the field to provide connections to real classrooms as a method to supplement and build upon each module.

MICRO-CREDENTIALS

With this online professional learning series, teachers will work alongside a cohort of other educators earning the same credentials. This takes place in an online space where teachers can ask questions, share ideas, and grow their network. 

An estimated pacing guide is provided in each module, which will help teachers stay on task and complete the modules. At the end of each module, they will share finished products with other members of their cohort, as well as upload their product for feedback and evaluation of their work.

Although this series is 100% asynchronous, it offers accountability and the opportunity to network, which is an importantbenefit for teachers from this online professional learning series.

REMOTE TEACHING SERIES

In this professional learning series, teachers will engage in 6 foundational modules that can positively impact how they design online learning environments, how students will learn in an online environment, and how teachers will interact with students and families.

MODULES

Engagement & Management: engage in virtual instruction to connect with students and create a transformative learning experience

Activities & Assessment: evaluate different tools and platforms for both formative and summative assessment

Community Building: build relationships with students and families, while also networking with your colleagues

Instructional Videos: explore the art of creating effective instructional videos

Communication Pathways: experience communicating with asynchronous and synchronous videos

Remote Teaching with Limited Access to Technology: reach students across contexts with instructional methods and activities

FOR ADMINISTRATORS

If you are an administrator interested in learning more about this online professional learning series, or you are a teacher who would like to have your administrator consider purchasing this course for faculty and/or staff, download the overview of our course series. Please contact us at remoteteaching@bsu.edu with any questions.

Single User License             $225 

20-User License    $150 per person = $3000