When you visit your physician, she might give you “standing orders” either out of convenience or concern. Some patients receive standing orders for medical clinics or labs allowing them to walk-in for repeat clinic or lab work with less hassle. I think the certificate students in the LDT program would benefit from some standing advisement from me—foundational advice from their assigned academic advisor that will apply almost always, to nearly every student. I’m posting this standing advisement here so that it is freely and consistently available. It can be a conversation starter—students can read this, and if their questions are not answered here then they can write me directly.
One of the best parts of my work as the Coordinator of the Learning, Design, and Technology Online Programs is the opportunity I have to talk with and learn from nearly all of the students who join our program.
I aim to be candid with prospective students about the details and expectations of each of our courses, certificates, and degrees. And the same candor is given to our current students, especially the postbaccalaureate certificate students since I’m the academic advisor for all certificate students in LDT.
Prospective students of our online programs should check out our FAQ page here on the LDT Online blog.
Current students completing a postbaccalaureate certificate offered by the LDT Program may find the responses below helpful.
1) Quite simply, complete 5 courses
The setup of the Postbaccalaureate Certificate in Teaching and Learning Online in K-12 Settings is relatively straightforward. To complete the TLOK12 certificate, you need to successfully complete the five courses. There are no course substitutions or transfer credits allowed in the certificate programs. The five required courses are listed on the World Campus program description pages.
The LDT 835 – Supervised Field Experience in Online Instruction course must be completed last (fifth). More about this course below. There is not a required order for taking the first four courses, and thus you may take the first four courses in any order you choose, but the fifth course must be LDT 835. There are no prerequisites for any of the courses in the certificate program (and if there are prerequisites, they are automatically waived for those admitted to one of our programs).
The LDT Program offers certificate courses consistently, and usually every course that we offer is delivered at least once per academic year, if not twice or three times. Some courses are popular and fill quickly. In general, the best advice is to take the courses that you really want to take when they are available.
Therefore, to complete the TLOK12 certificate, you will take:
- LDT 415A – Systematic Instructional Development
- LDT 433 – Teaching and Learning Online in K-12 Settings
- LDT 467 – Emerging Web Technologies and Learning
- LDT 832 – Designing e-Learning for Course Management Systems
- LDT 835 – Supervised Field Experience in Online Instruction [must be completed last]
For students who plan to continue from the certificate into the Master of Education in Learning, Design, and Technology (M.Ed. in LDT) degree program, it is worth noting that LDT 415A and LDT 467 are required core courses for the master’s degree.
2) Choose from the List
The LDT Program does not allow course substitutions for the postbaccalaureate certificate programs. The courses included in the certificate programs were planned and thought-through by the faculty in order to meet the stated design and learning objectives of the certificate.
Students enrolled in the M.Ed. in LDT may consult with their advisor regarding course substitutions that would still fulfill master’s degree requirements. However, certificate students are asked to complete the courses listed in the certificate requirements.
3) The Supervised Field Experience in Online Instruction
The LDT 835 – Supervised Field Experience in Online Instruction course is the capstone experience to the TLOK12 certificate program. The course provides the student with an opportunity to design, develop, and deliver online educational content to a K-12 student audience. The course is supervised by Dr. Kirby, who will assess each student’s performance according to professional standards for K-12 online education.
The course is offered as needed to TLOK12 students who have completed the first four courses. The course does not regularly appear on the schedule, so TLOK12 students who need the course should contact Dr. Kirby at least one term in advance to discuss course requirements, schedule, and registration. The course may be offered in one-on-one or small group formats, as demand dictates.
Each TLOK12 certificate student is responsible for recruiting or securing access to a K-12 (or similar/related) population of learners for the student’s developed online content. We have much experience in being flexible and creative in supporting our certificate students in their identification of suitable audiences to participate in the online instruction. Please contact Dr. Kirby to discuss the details about the audience you will teach with your online content.
TLOK12 students must confirm with Dr. Kirby about the particular offering/section of LDT 835 for which the student should register. The LDT Program faculty may offer other Supervised Field Experience in Online Instruction courses pertaining to other industries/fields (i.e. higher education, corporate, etc.). Experiences relating to those other industries would not satisfy the requirements for the TLOK12 certificate. To successfully complete the TLOK12 certificate, TLOK12 students must register for the specific K-12 version of the course (usually supervised by Dr. Kirby).
4) How many courses in one term?
The majority of students in our certificate programs are working professionals. We find that students with full-time work obligations and family obligations do best when they take one course at a time.
The LDT Program faculty design our courses to expect about 10-12 hours per week for each student. However, individual student needs will vary: Some students will need more time, and some will need less. The amount of time needed to complete coursework will impact the number of courses a student can take in one semester.
Certificate students who are working part-time (or less), or those without significant daily family care obligations, may be able to complete two courses in one term without problem. Students whose full-time study and living expenses are fully sponsored (usually by a government, military, or corporate entity) can potentially complete three to four courses in one term—but doing so is significantly challenging, and should be discussed with Dr. Kirby as soon as possible (preferably prior to applying!).
5) Remember the basics
Certificate students must select courses from the courses listed in the certificate requirements.
TLOK12 certificate students may take the first four courses in any order, and LDT 835 must be the final course for completing the certificate.
In general, take the courses that you want to take when they are available.
Our LDT program courses do not have prerequisites. If you see a prerequisite listed on a course included in the certificate program, consider that prerequisite waived.
6) When do I apply to the M.Ed. in LDT program?
Students planning to apply for the Master of Education in Learning, Design, and Technology Program should apply before the application deadline that falls during the term that they are taking their fifth course in the certificate (i.e. during the term they are taking LDT 835). Do not complete the fifth course and then apply—apply during the term of the fifth course. You can see the application deadline and other requirements on the TLOK12 certificate’s How to Apply page. As a rule of thumb, you should be applying for the master’s degree before you complete your certificate.
7) How do I receive my certificate?
When the grade of a student’s fifth course in the certificate is posted in LionPATH, the student should write to Whitney DeShong and Dr. Kirby. The message can simply indicate that the grades for all five courses of the certificate have been posted to your transcript, and offer your current postal mailing address where the certificate should be delivered. Once we receive this notice from you, the program will verify that all requirements have been met and then request for the university to print your certificate. Once printed, the certificate will be postal-mailed directly to you. Your transcript (both unofficial and official) will reflect the completion of the TLOK12 program prior to you receiving the printed certificate, so in cases where a quick record of completion is necessary, please refer to your transcript.
8) How do I earn the PDE Online Instruction Endorsement?
Students who complete the TLOK12 certificate and who are currently certified as Instructional I or II educators by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) should know that they are eligible to apply for the PDE’s Online Instruction Endorsement. The endorsement is an add-on credential that, once approved, is printed on your official certified educator documentation.
Completing the Postbaccalaureate Certificate in Teaching and Learning Online in K-12 Settings satisfies all of the training and field experience requirements necessary to qualify for the Online Instruction Endorsement. Penn State University’s faculty of LDT are a PDE-approved provider for the training that qualifies an educator to receive the Online Instruction Endorsement.
Once the student has successfully completed the TLOK12 certificate, the student should contact Dr. Kirby for instructions regarding how to apply for the endorsement in TIMS. Note that the endorsement will not be added automatically—the educator must apply for it to be appended to their PDE credentials.
Pennsylvania is the only state/commonwealth that has approved the LDT Program to provide training related to a recognized online instruction/education professional credential. If you are an educator certified in a state other than Pennsylvania, please contact your state’s department of education to ascertain whether our courses qualify as approved training experiences for professional credentials.
9) Answers to advanced questions
“OK, I understand that there’s no set order for the courses. But could you tell me what order would be best?”
If a student needs to receive a suggested order for pursuing their courses in the TLOK12 certificate program I would offer this: If possible, start with LDT 415A, then 467 or 433 (interchangeable), then 832. LDT 835 must be last.
Each course has its own general offering schedule. Course offering schedules are subject to change. If there is a specific course that you’re hoping to complete during your certificate study, please contact your advisor to get an idea about the projected course offerings.
The order that you take courses is often affected by when the courses are available, which is why our program does not emphasize any course order.
“I’m planning to continue beyond the certificate and pursue the M.Ed. in LDT. What should I know?”
All of the courses listed in the certificate program will count toward the master’s degree. Future master’s degree students should be aware that per Penn State Graduate School policy, at least 18 credits of a master’s degree must be courses at the 500 or 800 level. That means that M.Ed. in LDT students can take up to four 400-level courses and have them count toward the degree. Since there are 400-level courses that count toward the degree but not a postbaccalaureate certificate, students should mind the limit that only four 400-level courses can count toward our M.Ed. in LDT degree.
In the end, when there’s doubt, please contact your advisor for help. Thank you for reading this far.