Online Teaching Certification Seminars

The Online Teaching Certification Seminar (OTCS) is designed to familiarize instructors with the information they need to deliver quality online learning experiences. The seminar supports the UM System-wide requirement that instructors teaching online courses be certified before teaching online, and our Online Teaching Re-Certification Seminar supports the requirement that re-certification occurs every 5 years.

If you have previously been certified with the UMSystem OTCS, ACUE, or other recognized certification program, you may qualify for the Online Teaching Re-Certification Seminar (OTRS).

To verify your online teaching certification status, please submit this form.

To register for an upcoming session visit Canvas Catalog-S&T, or scroll down to the schedule section on this page.

What's the difference between OTCS & OTRS?

How do the Online Teaching Certification Seminar and the Online Teaching Re-Certification Seminar differ?

The Online Certification Seminar is a 6-week, fully-facilitated program focusing on continued development as an online instructor and strengthening your online teaching through an exploration of 5 Pillars of Quality Course Design. This seminar places an emphasis on learning from and with a cohort of your peers from across Missouri S&T, with facilitation guidance provided by a CAFE staff.

What is the schedule?

  • Fully online, in Canvas
  • Asynchronous, with a weekly schedule
  • 6 weeks, with multiple start dates
  • Facilitated by Missouri S&T CAFE staff
  • Estimated time for the certification course is 21 hours over a six-week period

OTCS Time Commitment

The Online Re-Certification Seminar is a 3-week, fully-facilitated program focusing on continued development as an online instructor and strengthening your online teaching through an exploration of 5 Pillars of Quality Course Design. This seminar places an emphasis on learning from and with a cohort of your peers from across Missouri S&T, with facilitation guidance provided by a CAFE staff.

About the course?

  • Fully online, in Canvas
  • Asynchronous, with a weekly schedule
  • 3 weeks, with multiple start dates
  • Facilitated by Missouri S&T CAFE staff
  • Estimated time for the recertification course is 6-10 hours over a three-week period

OTRS Time Commitment

OTCS/OTRS Schedule

To register for an upcoming session visit Canvas Catalog-S&T, or expand the options below.

Academic Year 2025-2026 (ends summer 2026)

Session # Start Date End Date Registration Closes
Session 3 Feb 9, 2026 Mar 22, 2026 Feb 6, 2026 -midnight
Session 4 Mar 30, 2026 May 10, 2026 Mar 27, 2026 - midnight

Academic Year 2026-2027 (ends summer 2027)

Session # Start Date End Date Registration Closes
Session 1 Sep 14, 2026 Oct 25, 2026 Oct 23, 2026 -midnight
TBD      

Here is the schedule for the Online Teaching Recertification Seminars for the Academic years 2025-2026 & 2026-2027

To register for a session, please fill out this form so that the CAFE team can verify you qualify for the re-certification course.

Academic Year 2025-2026 (ends summer 2026)

Session # Start Date End Date Registration Closes
Session 4 Feb 16, 2026 Mar 8, 2026 Feb 13, 2026 - midnight
Session 5 Apr 6, 2026 Apr 26, 2026 Apr 3, 2026 - midnight
Session 6 Jun 8, 2026 Jun 28, 2026 Jun 5, 2026 - midnight
Session 7 Jul 6, 2026 Jul 26, 2026 Jul 3, 2026 - midnight

Academic Year 20265-2027 (ends summer 2027)

Session # Start Date End Date Registration Closes
Session 1 Sep 14, 2026 Oct 4, 2026 Sep 11, 2026 - midnight