The Awards for Training and Higher Education (ATHE) launches its Level4 Award in Teaching Online

Educators across the country can now train for, and be awarded, the ATHE Level 4 Award in Teaching Online.

This new qualification accredited by the Awards for Training and Higher Education (ATHE) awarding body, which has been approved nationally by Ofqual and is available on the Ofqual register is designed to meet the increasing demand for alternative approaches to learning.

The qualification worth 12 credits for 120 hours of study, includes 38 guided learning hours covering an introduction to online teaching and learning, planning, teaching with synchronous tools, online content development, formative and summative assessment, collaborative learning with wikis, observation and self-reflection and self-development for online learning.

The course, which has been developed by online learning specialists Sero Consulting Ltd was commissioned by Wey Education, providers of alternative learning environments including InterHigh and Academy21. Wey education has also been approved to deliver the training; the first course will start on 13 May 2019.

Jacqueline K Daniell, chief executive officer at Wey Education explained,

“We commissioned the new qualification to support professionals in education and training to develop the specific interanlised skills to teach more effectively in both online education and blended learning environments, which offer a combination of online and face-to-face delivery.”

Alex Birks, CEO of ATHE added,

“It has been a pleasure working with the InterHigh team at Wey Education to develop the ATHE Level 4 Award in Teaching Online. Online Learning is a growing area and it is essential that qualified practitioners are in place to deliver a quality experience for students; I believe the new qualification will support this aim.”

Liz Wallis, managing director of Sero Consulting, commented:

“The Sero team led by Professor Paul Bacsichwhich has developed this qualification, has many years of experience working with individuals and organisations involved in teaching and learning online. It has been very rewarding to work with colleagues at Wey Education and ATHE to distil that experience into a course that we hope will support educators and encourage good practice.”

The course is aimed at educators with a Level 3, or higher, qualification in teaching, with at least three years’ full-time equivalent teaching experience.