Online Teaching Endorsement Program

Master the strategies and skills required for effective teaching online.

Add an online teaching endorsement to your Pennsylvania teaching certification with PennWest California’s 12-credit, fully online program.

Approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the online teaching endorsement is a highly valued credential. It attests to your ability to develop instructional material and provide an effective online education experience.

PennWest California’s program builds proficiency in instructional design, instructional technology, online teaching strategies and assessment, then puts your learning into practice during a comprehensive field experience working with online instruction.

PennWest California has been serving Pennsylvania’s teachers since 1852 — and we know educators have busy schedules. That’s why the Web-based courses in this endorsement program are offered asynchronously and entirely online, with no on-campus requirements.

The program is designed so you can complete your studies while continuing to meet your classroom obligations.

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PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Faculty Expertise: Students in this 100% online education program work closely with top professors who have experience in both traditional and online teaching. Faculty utilize best practices in every session they present, so students can experience exceptional online teaching and learning firsthand.

Professional Network: PennWest California’s online teaching endorsement is a graduate-level program designed for certified teachers. Discussion boards and other online learning tools provide opportunities for interaction, so you can build a professional network of fellow educators from schools throughout Pennsylvania.

Top Accreditation: This graduate degree program is approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. In addition, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) accredits PennWest California. CAEP promotes excellence in educator preparation through quality assurance and continuous improvement. See CAEP reporting measures of program impact and outcomes.

12

Credits required to add the online teaching endorsement to your Pennsylvania teaching certification.

33,000

Number of children enrolled in Pennsylvania cyber charter schools in 2016-2017, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Program Benefits

Benefits of earning your PennWest California online teaching endorsement include:

All four courses required for the online teaching endorsement are built in to PennWest California’s M.Ed. in Advanced Studies in Secondary Education and Administrative Leadership program. Students can earn the endorsement as part of the master’s degree program or complete the program separately and apply through the Teacher Information Management System (TIMS) to add the credential to an existing Pennsylvania teacher certification.

Graduate Outcomes

Online education continues to expand. Opportunities for certified teachers exist in cyber charter schools, as well as traditional schools that offer online options or hybrid courses. A growing number of classroom teachers incorporate online learning into their curricula; this helps to prepare their students to learn online in college and/or in their future workplaces.

Curriculum and Admission Requirements

Curriculum

Course	Credits
MSE 740 Advanced Instructional Technology	3
MSE 750 Strategies in Teaching Online	3
MSE 761 Assessment	3
MSE 766 Instructional Design	3
Total	12

Note: As a capstone experience, students also complete a comprehensive field experience working with online instruction. This is completed during one of the student’s last two semesters.

Admission Requirements

Regular Admission Requirements

Bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate degree, with minimum 2.80 grade-point average (or 3.0 GPA in the last 48 credits) on a 4.00 scale, verified by official transcripts from every institution attended.
Pennsylvania teacher certification. (Individuals who are not certified teachers but who are interested in online teaching skills should contact the program coordinator to seek other options. Some courses in this program may be open to those with educational experience in other settings.)
Copies of all professional certificates held.
Current resume or curriculum vitae.
PennWest California graduate school application.

Provisional Admission:
Applicants who have provided unofficial documentation of test scores, prerequisite courses, transcripts or lack of letter(s) of recommendation may be admitted provisionally.

This policy also applies to undergraduate students who apply for graduate admission pending bachelor degree completion. Upon receipt of all official documents, a student will be changed from Provisional Admission to either Regular Admission or Conditional Admission. Provisional Admission students may take classes for one term but will not be eligible for Federal Financial Aid.

How to Apply:

Complete the Graduate School Application
Submit the nonrefundable $35 Application Fee
Mail official transcript to:

School of Graduate Studies and Research
PennWest California
Box 91
250 University Ave.
California, PA 15419

For additional information:
Email: calugo@pennwest.edu
Phone: 1-866-595-6348

A gifted education endorsement teacher speaks to class.

Capstone Experience:

During one of the last two semesters of the online teaching endorsement program, students will plan and help to teach a unit of instruction online. This experience can be customized to match each student’s teaching situation and interests.

A student uses a computer to learn online.

Recognized Leader:

PennWest California is a recognized leader in online education. U.S. News & World Report has listed PennWest California’s graduate education programs among its “Best Online Programs” annually since 2015, and BestColleges.com ranks PennWest California among the top 10 Best Online Colleges in Pennsylvania.