Frequently Asked Questions

To get started, simply enroll in one of the OETA courses. While we recommend beginning with OETA Phase One, you are welcome to start with any course that fits your schedule or interests. There are no prerequisites to begin.

There is no formal application or approval process. You can self-enroll in any OETA course through the registration links provided on this site.

OETA courses are intended for Bellevue College faculty who are teaching or plan to teach credit-bearing online or hybrid courses. If you’re unsure whether OETA is right for you, feel free to reach out to the Interactive eLearning team for guidance at oeta@bellevuecollege.edu.

In order to start the OETA training before the quarter in which you are teaching, you

• must be officially an employee – your department needs to complete the official hiring paperwork, before enrolling for training. Check with your Dean.
• need a NetID and a BC email
• need to have a class assigned

No. Although the courses are designed to build on one another, you are not required to take them in a specific sequence. However, we suggest starting with OETA Phase One to help you gain foundational knowledge that will support your success in later courses.

For new faculty to be eligible to be assigned an online course, training must be completed by the following timelines: Phase One – Complete within two (2) quarters of start; Phase Two – Complete within one (1) year of start. New faculty who do not complete the training in the above timeframe will no longer be assigned courses in the fully online modality. They can qualify to teach online courses in the future by successfully completing OETA training. Please reach out to Interactive eLearning at oeta@bellevuecollege.edu to discuss.

Yes, if your schedule allows, you may complete both Phase One and Phase Two within the same quarter. You will be eligible for both stipends, processed together or separately depending on when the requirements are met.

Faculty who have been teaching online at Bellevue College for two or more years, or who have already completed the eLearning “Canvas 101” course, can elect to undergo a course review instead of taking OETA-02.

Should the College determine that a faculty member has completed part of the training in the past five (5) years through other means (e.g. an equivalent Faculty Commons course or completed the Quality Matters course) then the faculty member may elect not to retake the course.

That’s up to you. Since we have limited offerings every quarter, we recommend that you take the workshops when they are offered. This will be to your advantage, if you do get an online class assigned.

17.5.3 Online Excellence Teaching Academy Workshop. The Online Excellence Teaching Academy (OETA) has been established to ensure quality online instruction for adjunct and full-time faculty teaching online credit courses at Bellevue College. Faculty are required to complete the Online Excellence Academy in order to teach as the instructor of record for online, credit-bearing courses at Bellevue College. This training is not available for faculty teaching exclusively in Continuing Ed or Athletics

1. The OETA has two training phases:
   
   1. Phase One (totaling 14 hours) covers the basic skills and information for effectively teaching a course online. Upon successful completion of Phase One, the faculty member will receive a stipend of $600.
      
   2. Phase Two (totaling 20 hours) includes training in areas such as tech skills, effective pedagogy, copyright and accessibility. Upon successful completion of Phase Two, the faculty member will receive a stipend of $800.
      
2. For new faculty to be eligible to be assigned an online course, training must be completed by the following timelines: Phase One – Complete within two (2) quarters of start; Phase Two – Complete within one (1) year of start. New faculty who do not complete the training in the above timeframe will no longer be assigned courses in the fully online modality. They can qualify to teach online courses in the future by successfully completing OETA training.
   
3. Management will have the discretion to allow faculty who have not completed the training to teach online on a case-by-case basis to prevent the cancelation of a class section or for other unexpected circumstances. These exceptions must be approved by the Provost or designee and faculty will have a plan in place for completing the training as soon as possible.

Your OETA progress is tracked through Parchment Digital Badges, formerly known as Canvas Credentials. As you complete each required course or approved substitute, you’ll earn a digital badge.

These badges are part of a structured pathway that will automatically award you a Phase One and Phase Two badge once all requirements for each phase are met. After successfully completing both phases, you’ll be awarded the final OETA Certified Instructor badge, recognizing your achievement and readiness to teach online at Bellevue College.

Yes. Stipends are awarded upon successful completion of Phase One ($600) and Phase Two ($800) — not for individual courses.
When you register, a stipend pre-approval is initiated on your behalf as part of the enrollment process. This must be completed before you can begin your courses. Once you complete an entire phase within your designated timeframe, your stipend will be processed. You can typically expect payment within 30 days of completion.

Please email oeta@bellevuecollege.edu if you have questions about your payment.