Axe ’Em, Jacks!
Becoming an Advanced Online Certified Instructor at SFA
If you are already a Certified Online Instructor at SFA and if you have already taught at least one fully online course, you may be eligible to become an Advanced Online Certified Instructor.
The process of becoming an Advanced Online Certified Instructor, or AOIC, at SFA involves two parts:
- Completing the 6-week AOIC course (fully online in Brightspace, offered as a cohort with weekly modules and deadlines)
- After completing the AOIC course, also completing three additional CTL workshops on topics related to online course development and delivery (within a 2-year period)
Note: Offerings will vary each semester; workshops that fulfill the AOIC requirements will be noted as such in the workshop descriptions.
AOIC Course Description
The Advanced Online Instructor Certification (AOIC) course offers a venue through which experienced certified online instructors at SFA may level up their online teaching knowledge and skills, and achieve greater competency and confidence in updating and delivering online courses.
Participants will focus on updating one existing online course module of their own as part of a Capstone project. Along the way, participants will examine, discuss, and implement an array of recommended practices and tools for constructing, updating, and facilitating online courses that:
- demonstrate clear, consistent, accessible and flexible design
- establish authentic instructor presence
- foster student engagement and interaction
- contain measurable objectives that are aligned with meaningful assessments
- and offer intentional opportunities for formative and summative feedback.
AOIC Course Expectations
There are weekly deadlines in the AOIC course, and an expectation that everyone will actively participate in discussions. These elements are designed to give participants a realistic online course experience, emulating some of what your own students will encounter.
The course also includes a Capstone project that must be completed by the end of the six-week course. Participants will be expected to put in several hours of work per week for most of the duration of the course, with more time possibly being required towards the end when the Capstone project is due.
Prerequisites
To be eligible for participation in the Advanced Online Instructor Certification, or AOIC, course, participants must meet the following prerequisites:
- Have successfully completed the Online Instructor Certification, or OIC, course in a prior semester.
- Have a specific, fully online course in mind to work with for your Capstone project in the AOIC course, which must fit within the following parameters:
- have been designed by yourself or someone else as a fully online, asynchronous course in Brightspace
- and be a course that you have taught fully online at least once before, in a prior semester
Upcoming AOIC Course Dates
Dates for the Spring 2026 cohort have yet to be determined. To notify us of your interest in participating in an upcoming cohort and to be added to the email notification list, complete the form below:
For more information email ctltraining@sfasu.edu.