GUIDELINESFOR

CONTINUINGPROFESSIONAL EDUCATION (CPE)COURSES AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR COURSESUBMISSION

CARBON LEHIGH INTERMEDIATEUNIT #21 CONTINUINGPROFESSIONAL EDUCATION COUNCIL

TableofContents

Page

Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………... 1

InstructorRequirements/Procedures …………………………………………………….. 2

PAIU CC CPE Proposal Review Procedures……………….…………………………… 3

CourseProposal Template………………………………………………………………. 4

OnlineCourseGuidelines …………………………………………………………………6

Forms:

CPE Course Application including Syllabus and Faculty Data Sheet(Exhibit A)

Quality Review Process (ExhibitB)

Annotated Quality Review Process (Exhibit C)

Evaluation PDE 3527 (Exhibit D)

Use of Bloom’s Taxonomy (Exhibit E)

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INTRODUCTION

Thank you foryourinterest in proposingaContinuingProfessional Education (CPE)

course at theCarbon Lehigh IntermediateUnit (CLIU).

ContinuingProfessional Education courses in Pennsylvania areplanned, competency- based, on-going, alternativeprograms whereprofessional educators can obtain

Level IIcertification, attain aMaster'sEquivalencyCertification, meetcontinuingprofessional development Act 48 requirements orsimplyimproveskills.

Thefollowingpages offera comprehensivemanual for anyindividual who desires to develop a continuingprofessional education course for credit. Educators maydevelop courses in which theyhavedemonstrated expertise. TheCarbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit ContinuingProfessional Education Council welcomes all inquiries about our courses and encourages all individuals interested in writinga courseproposal to do

so.

It is the responsibility of each intermediate unit to establish a Continuing Professional Education Council. Themembership of each local ContinuingProfessional Education (CPE)Council may includeteachers, administrators, intermediateunit member(s), and higher education representatives. It is thedutyof each council to assess needs, solicit courseproposals and to forward proposals recommended for approval to thePennsylvaniaDepartment ofEducation forContinuingProfessional Education credit. In addition, the council is responsible for evaluatingcourses and instructors. Courses will be approved for a period of three years. Local IU Council will review the course using the Quality Review Process (QRP). Any course determined not to be relevant or instruction deemed as unsuccessful will be dropped until or unless corrections to instruction and research have been made.

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INSTRUCTOR REQUIREMENTS/PROCEDURES

Instructorqualifications includesuccessful attainment ofagraduatedegree and/or expertisein the field ofinterest/topic forthe course.

Instructors arepaid:

1 Credit Course - $65.00 per student not to exceed $800.00

2 Credit Course - $130.00 per student not to exceed $1600.00

3 Credit Course - $200.00 per student not to exceed $2400.00

Each credit forparticipants entails 15 hours of class time, 15 hours ofout-of-class homework and successful attainment of competencies. Graduate credit rigoris required for all courses. No make and takeit type courses will be accepted.

TheCarbon LehighIntermediateUnit takes the responsibilityto abidebythePA Department ofEducation standards veryseriously. Therefore, instructors endorsed by CLIU are expected to adhereto class time, competencies and assignments that have been documented duringthe course approval process.

Proposed professional educational courses must besubmitted electronicallyto the Carbon Lehigh IntermediateUnit ContinuingProfessional Education Specialist at

ContinuingProfessional Education Council meetings aretypicallyheld quarterly.

Complete proposals (templateprovided on pageX)must include:

  1. CPE Course Application(Attachment A which includes FacultyDataSheet – PDE 5007)

Upon submission, the CPE course proposal will be reviewed by the CLIU Continuing Professional Education Council utilizing the CPE Quality Review Process (Exhibit C & D). Instructors will be notified after the local review of any required revisions. Upon final local approval, the course application will be forwarded for statewide review and PDE approval. Once PDE approval is secured, the course is active and valid for three years. IU’s reserve the right to audit courses at any time.

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PAIUCC CPE PROPOSAL REVIEW PROCEDURES

Following a sponsor IU’s internal approval of a CPE course proposal, the sponsor IU will upload the course proposal to a web-based content management system for review by the PAIUCC CPE Review Committee. This review committee will be comprised of CPE representatives from IUs across the Commonwealth. Reviews will be conducted on a bi-monthly basis for a total of six PAIUCC review cycles per year. The maximum number of proposals reviewed in any one cycle will be 25. However, sponsoring IUs may upload course proposals to the PAIUCC proposal management system at any time.

The purpose of the committee is to provide a second review of course proposals prior to the sponsor IU’s upload of the proposal to PDE PERMS. The committee will use the Quality Review Process (QRP) and review the proposal according QRP criteria to determine approval status. As part of the PAIUCC CPE Review process, each proposal will be reviewed by at least two but no more than three Committee members. If the first two reviewers agree on the review, the proposal is either approved or rejected with feedback and returned to the sponsoring IU. If the first two reviewers do not agree, a third reviewer will provide a “tie-breaker” review, and the proposal will then be either approved or rejected with feedback and returned to the sponsoring IU.

If approved, the course proposal will be assigned a PAIUCC approval number to be included on the PERMS upload. The proposal will be returned to the sponsoring IU with the PAIUCC approval number for upload into PERMS. Any courses uploaded to PERMS without PAIUCC approval numbers will be rejected.

If rejected, the PAIUCC CPE Review Committee will offer feedback on specific portions of the proposal requiring revision(s) and return the proposal to the sponsoring IU. The sponsoring IU need edit only the sections marked for revision. Once revised, the proposal may once again be uploaded to the PAIUCC course proposal content management system for review. Sponsoring IU staff should indicate that the course proposal is a resubmission when uploading. Within two weeks of resubmission the PAIUCC CPE Review Committee will once again review the proposal, looking for incorporation of feedback from the first review. Once approved, the proposal will be assigned a PAIUCC CPE approval number and returned to the sponsoring IU for upload to PERMS.

Final approval along with assignment of PDE number will be granted by PDE within four weeks of PERMS submission.

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COURSEPROPOSALTEMPLATE

  1. TITLE AND DESCRIPTION OF COURSE

The course program description will be a brief narrative, which includes:

  • Title
  • Course content with specific, clear goals to impact student learning
  • Course alignment with the relevant PA Core Standards; PA Academic Standards including PA Academic Standards for Student Interpersonal Skills, or alignment with other applicable standards
  • Number of CPE credits
  • Audience– If this course is only applicable to certain certifications and grade levels, list those.
  • For PDE Use Only: List PAIUCC CPE number
  1. STATEMENT OF NEED

Describe the need for the course and how the need is validated through current research, and/or local, regional, state, national anecdotal or statistical data.

  1. MEASURABLE COMPETENCIES (LEARNING OBJECTIVES)

Learning objectives stated in behavioral and measurable terms aligned to statement of need, competencies, instruction and assessment (See Exhibit E for guidance).

MEANS OF DEVELOPING COMPETENCIES (LEARNING OBJECTIVES)Eliminated Entirely

  1. STRATEGIES/METHOD OF INSTRUCTION
  • Modality of course delivery (face-to-face, blended or online)
  • Specific instructional strategies to be used aligned to achievement of competencies
  • Instructor expectations: Address Learner to Content; Learner to Instructor; Learner to Learner; Learner to Interface (if applicable) (See Page 7 in Online Course Guidelines)

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  1. CONTENT/PROFICIENCY ASSESSMENT

Syllabus, which includes the following components:

  • Detailed description of activities, assignments, and resources
  • Culminating project to evaluate participants’ attainment and application of the competencies
  • Culminating scoring criteria; Include assessment tools as an attachment
  1. ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITY
  • IU staff member name, title, and address
  • Administrative responsibility for CPE oversight

PROVISIONS FOR FOLLOW-UP (Eliminate – Impact is addressed in PDE-3527.)

  1. PLANS FOR PARTICIPANT SATISFACTION SURVEY

Includes:

  • Opportunity for the participants to evaluate the course and the instructor
  • Participant feedback to be used as input for improving course content or instructional methods.
  • If not utilizing the PDE-3527 (Exhibit D), include survey as attachment
  1. COURSE DESIGN/GRADUATE LEVEL REQUIREMENTS
  • Describe how course meets the requirements of a graduate level offering
  • Provide enrollment limits
  • Share rationale for why this course is appropriate for teachingcertifications

listed

  1. FACULTY DATA SHEET

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ONLINE COURSE GUIDELINES

Instructors of online courses must demonstrate experience in developing and teaching online courses (see Faculty Data Sheet). Because online learning is a rapidly evolving field, courses should reflect the most current pedagogy for effective online delivery. It is strongly recommended instructors review the National Standards for Quality Online Courses, published by International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL). The publication can be downloaded at

The standards include:

Content: The course provides online learners with multiple ways of engaging with learning experiences that promote their mastery of content and are aligned with state or national content standards.

Instructional Design: The course uses learning activities that engage students in active learning; provides students with multiple learning paths to master; the content is based on student needs; and provides ample opportunities for interaction and communication — student to student, student to instructor and instructor to student.

Student Assessment: The course uses multiple strategies and activities to assess student readiness for and progress in course content and provides students with feedback on their progress.

Technology: The course takes full advantage of a variety of technology tools, has a user-friendly interface and meets accessibility standards for interoperability and access for learners with special needs.

Course Evaluation and Support: The course is evaluated regularly for effectiveness, using a variety of assessment strategies, and the findings are used as a basis for improvement. The course is kept up to date, both in content and in the application of new research on course design and technologies. Online instructors and their students are prepared to teach and learn in an online environment and are provided support during the course.

National Standards for Quality Online Courses, version 2 published by International Association for K-12 Online Learning (2011)

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Below is an excerpt from Texas A & M Virtual Teaching Certification program that was obtained fromDistance Education: A Systems View of Online Learning.(1) Michael G. Moore, reminds participants to keep the following four types of interaction into consideration when designing and delivering an online course offering:

Learner to Content: The learner must interact cognitively with the content in order to learn.

How will you get your students to interact with the content? In your classroom, where does the content reside? In the text? In your head? On CDs? What avenue does the online classroom provide for the learner to access content?

An advantage of online content is that it can be accessed from anywhere at any time, given the proper technology. Here are some examples of what you might do to let students interact with content:

-Use text and graphics in web pages

-Refer them to web sources, links to articles and information, etc.

-Textbooks and journal articles (paper and electronic)

-Through assignments such as reports, required interaction/discussion, and application of the content to real-life situations or problems.

-Publishing student projects, papers, web pages, presentations on the course website.

Learner to Instructor: The instructor responds and guides the learners during learner to content interactions, then assesses their progress.

Learner to Learner: Adults learn from each other, so they need channels for communication.

Providing opportunities for your students to communicate with you and the other students in the course is extremely important. In an online course, it’s easy for learners to feel that there working alone out there in “Cyberspace”. As the instructor, you should build communication into your curriculum. How will you communicate with your students? How will they communicate with each other? Here are some possibilities:

-Streaming Media- Telephone

-Email- Discussion Lists

-Chat- Videoconference

-Document Sharing

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Learner to Interface: Refers to the learner reaction to the media of instruction. The media being the course software and all of the various tools within you are using to present your course materials.

The key to learner-to-interface interaction is to make this interaction as seamless and easy as possible. In other words, your course site should be easy to navigate and all of the pages within your site should be clear and easy to read. Remember, the technology through which you are delivering your course should be a tool learners use to access it, but it should not be the focus. Your content should be the focus. Therefore, you want to do whatever you can to get your learners comfortable with your course site and ensure that there is nothing that can lead to distraction or frustration.

Here are some guidelines to ensure that your learner-to-interface interaction is seamless:

-Create a course site that is easy to navigate.

-Make sure the order in which your students should proceed through your course is clearly defined.

-Include an orientation to the course site.

-Provide clear instructions for all activities.

-Provide step-by-step instructions for using specific tools within the course (i.e. discussion tools, chats, quizzes, etc.)

-Provide a low-risk activity for students to practice using the testing tools in your course. For example, a quiz regarding the content of the syllabus will help with your students’ orientation while also giving them a low-risk opportunity to practice using the online testing software.

-Avoid overwhelming or annoying color schemes and animated graphics that do not relate to your content.

Please keep in mind, that although the course is intended to be conducted online, the best communication is conducted person-to-person. Never allow a student to become frustrated and ready to quit. At all times, work with your students and the IU staff so that all participants in online classes are able to succeed.

(1) Moore, Michael G. (2005). Distance Education: A Systems View of Online Learning Third Edition, Wadsworth,

Cengage Learning. Belmont, CA.

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Exhibit A

CPE APPLICATION

Applicant Information – Complete one application for each course or program submitted.

Instructor Name: ______Date Submitted: ______

Address: ______City: ______

State: ______Zip Code: ______

Telephone: ______Email: ______

Employer: ______

Course Proposal: Title
Has this course/program been approved for another entity?  Yes  No
Are you requesting statewide approval? Statewide Approval Box should only be checked when an IU or group of IU’s develop a course proposal to support state initiatives and will be made available to all intermediate units.  Yes  No
If yes, please provide:
Name of Entity: ______Date Approved:______
Identify Target Audience:
Please indicate modality of course:  Face-to-face  Online  Blended
Number of credits ______, in-class hours ______, homework hours ______.
Total hours for course or program ______.

  1. TITLE AND DESCRIPTION OF COURSE

The course program description will be a brief narrative which includes:

  • Title
  • Course content with specific, clear goals to impact student learning
  • Course alignment with the relevant PA Core Standards; PA Academic Standards including PA Academic Standards for Student Interpersonal Skills, or alignment with other applicable standards
  • Number of CPE credits
  • If this course is only applicable to certain certifications and grade levels, list those.
  • For PDE Use Only: List PAIU CC CPE number
  1. Title
  1. Provide course content with specific, clear goals to impact student learning.
  1. Describe course alignment with the relevant PA Core Standards; PA Academic Standards including PA Academic Standards for Student Interpersonal Skills, or alignment with other applicable standards.
  1. Indicate number of CPE credits.
  1. Indicate audience including the teaching certifications and grade levels that will be supported by taking this course.
  1. STATEMENT OF NEED

Describe the need for the course and how the need is validated through current research AND/OR local, regional, state, national anecdotal or statistical data.

  1. Describe the need for the course.
  1. Explain how the need is validated through current research AND/OR local, regional, state, national anecdotal or statistical data.
  1. MEASURABLE COMPETENCIES (LEARNING OBJECTIVES)

Learning objectives stated in behavioral and measurable terms aligned to statement of

need, competencies, instruction and assessment.

  1. State learning objectives in behavioral and measurable terms aligned to statement of need, competencies, instruction and assessment.

MEANS OF DEVELOPING COMPETENCIES (LEARNING OBJECTIVES) Eliminated Entirely

  1. STRATEGIES/METHOD OF INSTRUCTION
  • Modality of course delivery(face-to-face, blended or online)
  • Specific instructional strategies to be used aligned to achievement of competencies
  • Instructor expectations: Address Learner to Content; Learner to Instructor; Learner to Learner; Learner to Interface (if applicable) Refer to Page 7 in Guidelines Booklet
  1. Identify the modality for course delivery (face-to-face, blended or online).
  1. Identify specific instructional strategies to be used aligned to achievement of competencies.
  1. List instructor expectations taking into consideration content above and on Page 7 in Guidelines Booklet.

E. CONTENT/PROFICIENCY ASSESSMENT

Syllabus which includes the following components:

  • Detailed description of activities, assignments, and resources
  • Culminating project to evaluate participants’ attainment and application of the competencies
  • Culminating scoring criteria; Include assessment tool as an attachment.
  1. Provide detailed description of activities, assignments, and resources/readings to demonstrate attainment and application of competencies.
  1. Describe requirements of culminating project to demonstrate and evaluate participants’ attainment and application of the competencies.
  1. Provide scoring criteria for culminating project. Attach assessment tool.