RIMS CTAP is pleased to announce Leading Edge Certification, a fully online 8-week course in pedagogy and tools for online teaching. The course is expected to take approximately six to eight hours per week to complete.

Click here for dates and registration Information

The course is designed around iNACOL's National Standards for Quality Online Teaching, fulfilling the needs of individual educators to move their curriculum online into a meaningful, engaging environment. Leading Edge is an internationally recognized certification program, created collaboratively by many stakeholder groups and managed by an alliance of these groups. Certification and professional development are delivered by eligible alliance members, including the California Technology Assistance Project (CTAP).

The Leading Edge Alliance, a group of nonprofits, universities and governmental bodies have developed a certification program for K-12 teachers. The certification is a national program to prepare instructional leaders for online learning. Content includes building community, moderating discussions, supporting diverse learners, and implementing frequent formative assessments. Per agreement with the Leading Edge Alliance, this online course is offered for $450, including portfolio review and certification.

Participating educators  become “Leading Edge Certified” upon successful  completion of the program. The coursework and portfolio developed for Leading Edge  Certification will be scored by a statewide committee. Successful completion includes:

• Completion of the 45-60 hour Leading Edge Certification (LEC) online course
• Completion of a professional portfolio containing signature assignments from the LEC course, based upon the iNACOL National Standards for Quality Online Teaching. 

Participants in Leading Edge Certification should have good familiarity with web-based tools, experience with discussion boards, and knowledge of online tools and resources available in their subject area. 

Register Now!

To register for upcoming cohorts of Leading Edge Certification, please click here.

Three semester units of university credit will be available through Fresno Pacific for an additional fee. Details about registering for university credit will be provided with the course syllabus during the week before the class begins. 

Beyond the Edge Workshops

In addition to Leading Edge Certification, RIMS CTAP will be providing specialized classes to help provide teachers with the technical skills needed in order to complete the LEC portfolio.

Beyond the Edge workshops are separate learning opportunities for teachers who want additional support after the LEC course, or pre-training in a specific skill before going through the LEC course. You can register for online Beyond the Edge workshops in VoiceThread, Google Docs, and Google Forms at the myCTAP website.