Boston – March 10, 2025 – As students increasingly see online learning as a way to expand their educational options, teachers are stepping forward to help ensure that potential is realized. Since 2022, more than 260 teachers have completed VHS Learning’s Online Teaching Methodologies (OTM) professional development course. The four-week, cohort-based, graduate-level course instructs participants on best practices in engaging and supporting students in an online learning environment. All VHS Learning teachers are high school certified, but not all have taught online, and through OTM, teachers work together and with their experienced facilitators to ensure they understand how to teach online, motivate students, and provide meaningful feedback that helps lead to student success.
Schools that opt for a teaching partnership with VHS Learning save on enrollment costs by having one or more of their teachers become part of the nonprofit’s network of online instructors. The OTM course is conducted entirely online and is available at no cost to schools and teachers electing a teaching partnership.
“The quality and preparedness of our teachers is one of the keys to our students’ high academic achievement, including our students surpassing global averages on Advanced Placement® exams,” said Carol DeFuria, President & CEO of VHS Learning. “The quality of our OTM teacher training is one of the foundations of our program’s success.”
Teachers taking OTM have expressed appreciation for what they learn through the course. Kathleen Scruggs M.Ed., an ASL teacher in Knoxville, Tennessee, was particularly enthusiastic about the course’s guidance on building a sense of community online, effectively providing feedback, grading, and maintaining a supportive presence online. “It gave me effective and tangible ways to reach my students through online communication, which is essential in the digital learning environment,” she said. Scruggs also cited OTM’s instruction on professional responsibilities such as implementing accommodations, late work policy, plagiarism, and timely communication with stakeholders.
Kelsey Falkowski, a teacher in Sussex, New Jersey echoes Scruggs’ appreciation for OTM’s training on providing feedback to students. “With online teaching, the phraseology of feedback is absolutely paramount,” he stated. The training has encouraged him to think deeply about his assessment philosophy and word choice. Falkowski was also impressed with the insights and suggestions he received from the OTM course facilitators who reviewed his work. He saw the experience as an example of how to deliver advice in a constructive and encouraging style. “I carry many of these lessons when I communicate with my online students,” he said.
The OTM course is offered four times each calendar year. Participants who successfully complete OTM earn certification for 45 hours of professional development. Participants are also eligible to earn one graduate credit from Post University. The graduate credit incurs a cost for the participant.
“OTM professional learning enables teachers to stay competitive within the education field,” said DeFuria. “And our participants report that both their online and face-to-face students are benefitting from the enhanced lesson plans and innovative techniques the course teaches. We’re extremely pleased to have helped broaden the expertise of the hundreds of teachers who enrolled in recent years, and we look forward to helping many more in the future.”
About VHS Learning
VHS Learning is a nonprofit organization with almost 30 years of experience providing world-class online programs to students and schools everywhere. More than 500 schools around the world take advantage of VHS Learning’s 250+ online high school courses — including 29 AP® courses, credit recovery, and enrichment courses — to expand their programs of study. VHS Learning is accredited by Middle States Association Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS) and the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC). Courses are approved for initial eligibility by NCAA. For more information about VHS Learning please visit https://www.vhslearning.org/ and follow on Twitter at @VHSLearning.
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