How to Find the Right Online Continuing Education Program

Continuing education has become obligatory for the teaching faculty. This enables them to stay abreast with the latest teaching methods and technologies and deal with the changing demands of the new generation. Moreover, it is mandated by the state for license renewal as well.

Online continuing education courses for teachers have emerged as a boon as it allows them to balance their work schedules and personal commitments with the training courses. Many such online education providers have mushroomed in the recent years and it is important to pick the right one to ensure a good experience along with the desired results. Following are some tips that will help you make an educated choice:

Accreditation – You are expanding your knowledge or building new skills through the online education program. To assure yourself you have made the right choice, check whether the education program is accredited to a reputed university as well as approved by the state. Find out about the credits as they will help you stay licensed and certified.

Experience – Online education is a relatively new medium per se. However, you need to look for providers that have at least a couple years of experience in administering online teaching programs. Stay away from providers that are still experimenting with the online medium.

Types of courses – You are obviously not going to choose any random course just for earning the credits. The online education provider should offer a wide range of course options covering varied needs and diverse subjects. Reading the course descriptions or speaking to an administrator will give you an idea about the course design, goals, requirements, and so on. Practical courses that are actually applicable in today’s classrooms are always better.

Flexibility – The top benefit of online continuing education courses for teachers is the inherent flexibility and convenience they offer. Therefore, you would do better to avoid courses that tie you down to a specific time slot or schedule. Look for self-paced learning where you get 24/7 access and are free to work at your ease. One-on-one access with the instructors will be still better.

User-friendly – The program should utilize latest online instruction methods and technologies. However, it should also be easy to use and supplemented by support services in case you are not comfortable with the software or any problems crop up later.

Instructor quality – As any teacher very well knows, the quality of the course ultimately depends on the skills of the instructor. You are looking for experienced teachers who possess comparable levels of education and are also familiar with online instruction.

Fee matters – Online education is generally much more reasonably priced than in-class courses. However, you still need to clarify the actual fees including everything from application and tuition fee to software, access charges, texts, etc.

The author is a teacher by profession. He has penned the article down to highlight the points that you need to consider when choosing online continuing education courses for teachers.