SPOT, Mt. SAC's Certification for Online Teaching!
SPOT, or Skills and Pedagogy for Online Teaching is the certification process for Mt. SAC faculty who wish to teach courses online. Faculty members develop the skills and pedagogy needed for effective online teaching , and demonstrate their knowledge through the completion of tasks in the certification process.
SPOT certification is a requirement for all Mt. SAC instructors who wish to teach Distance Learning (online or hybrid) courses.
Compensation for SPOT has been negotiated! It is defined in Appendix F: SPOT Certification Compensation.
- Professors who are SPOT certified as per Article 13 can earn the SPOT Certification Compensation.
- Rates:
- For initial certification, a one-time $1,000 stipend shall be paid upon completion of SPOT Certification or the equivalent.
- An additional 2% increase shall be added to the Appendix A: Salary Schedule for Unit Members and Appendix C: Faculty Overload and Other Than Contract Salary Rates schedules for professors who are SPOT certified or the equivalent.
- Timing of Compensation: The salary change is effective the first pay period following the month in which the professor earns SPOT Certification or the equivalent as determine by the DL Coordinator or designee.
About SPOT
- SPOT is an online course that teaches you how to use best practices in teaching distance education courses.
- SPOT is self-paced. The start date and time to complete the course is up to you. You earn 40 hours of Professional Growth Increment (PGI) when completing SPOT if your position qualifies to earn PGI credit.
- SPOT training is conducted entirely within Canvas but SPOT does not teach you how to use Canvas. If you first need to learn how to use Canvas, consider using our resources to help you learn Canvas before you begin SPOT.
- To begin SPOT, you must have and use a Mt. SAC email account.
To Register for SPOT:
- Fill out the SPOT Registration Form (Please only complete this form once). Note: This form is also available within the SPOT course card in POD Connect.
- You should receive getting-started instructions within 72 hours (not counting weekends). If not, please contact Ann Walker (ann.walker@mtsac.edu).
Your enrollment in SPOT will include three elements:
- You will be enrolled as a student in the course "Skills & Pedagogy for Online Teaching (SPOT)" - where you will read and submit all tasks.
- You will be enrolled as an instructor in your own personal Canvas course with "SPOT" in the title. This course shell is where you will create tasks and communicate with your SPOT verifier during the SPOT course.
- A SPOT Faculty Verifier will be assigned to you for the duration of the SPOT process.
To Complete the SPOT course:
- You will create an orientation module and four content modules of a hypothetical online course, using the best practices for online teaching presented in the SPOT course.
- You will perform a self-check of your SPOT course using the SPOT rubric which is based on the California Virtual Campus (CVC) Course Design Rubric. The CVC is a leader in creating and assessing online pedagogy in California community colleges.
- You will make any changes in your course to bring it into compliance with the SPOT rubric, complete the rubric, and submit it, indicating your course is ready for review.
- Your course will be reviewed by a SPOT Faculty Reviewer using the SPOT rubric. Course changes may be required in order to bring the course into compliance with the rubric in order to earn SPOT certification.
- When you have earned your SPOT certification, your division will be notified that you are now able to teach online. They can verify this online at the distance learning faculty list.
Alternatives to SPOT
Faculty can meet Mt. SAC’s SPOT requirement by completing/earning any one of the following external training certifications/badges:
- @ONE’s Introduction to Asynchronous Online Teaching and Learning course (formerly known as Introduction to Online Teaching and Learning),
- @ONE’s Online Teaching and Design certification, or
- The CVC quality-reviewed badge for an asynchronous online course.
Before deciding to complete one of the above @ONE courses/certifications in lieu of SPOT, check to make sure that the course is being offered, that there are seats available in the course, and that it will finish in time for you to be scheduled to teach online in your department. Check with your department/division for this date.
For more information, visit the SPOT Equivalency webpage and look for XSPOT Process.
Certifications from Other California Community Colleges
The SPOT Equivalency (SPEQ) process allows faculty who have completed online training at approved California community colleges to submit their courses for a quick equivalency review. Faculty are then approved to teach online at Mt. SAC. For more information, check out the SPOT Equivalency (SPEQ) page.
If you have more questions about the SPOT process, the additional requirements to teach an online or hybrid course at Mt. SAC, or other questions related to Distance Learning, feel free to contact the assistant Distance Learning faculty coordinator:
| Name | Phone | Office | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ann Walker | (909) 274-6112 | 6-262C | ann.walker@mtsac.edu |
