Brandy Durant

Excellence in Teaching
CHEP Status: Active
CHEP Awarded: 05/28/2024

Badge Evidence | Completed Courses (4 Hours Each)

This course is designed to assist personnel at all levels of an educational institution in the understanding of the provisions of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 ("Title IX") as amended on August 1, 2024, and the Clery Act as amended in the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 ("VAWA"). These laws require that all individuals in an educational institution understand and comply with the laws in terms of what is prohibited behavior in relation to sex-based harassment and/or sexual violence, and what steps are to be followed when such prohibited conduct occurs. This course gives the participants information about the laws, as well as procedures to follow, to provide for the rights of all individuals under the laws. It also provides additional resources to assist educational institutions in continuing to build and strengthen their Title IX and VAWA policies, procedures and training throughout the year.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA or the Buckley Amendment) is a federal law in the United States designed to provide students with access to, and the privacy of, their educational records. The law applies to students in higher education and educational institutions that receive funding under a program administered by the U.S. Department of Education. This course is designed to provide participants with a working knowledge of FERPA guidelines to ensure proper handling of educational records and other institutional requirements.
This introductory course covers the essential roles of a teacher and the competencies required to be a successful instructor in an educational institution. Proven techniques and strategies for planning and preparation are presented and discussed. In addition, the course offers effective methods for conducting the first class meeting and delivering course content. This course provides a solid foundation for new instructors and serves as an excellent refresher for more experienced instructors.
The instructor is the real key to student retention at any educational institution. Instructors must keep focused on student motivation and retention each and every day of class. Developing strategies for retaining students throughout the entire training sequence is both complex and rewarding. All instructors should have the goal of seeing all of their students successfully complete their class. This course helps you reach that goal by helping you to understand your students and use proven motivation and retention techniques to keep them enrolled and engaged in the learning process.
This course provides methods and techniques for managing students and class activities. We start by reviewing the steps instructors need to follow as they introduce a class to new students. We then discuss strategies to effectively deal with unfocused and challenging students. The course ends by describing common mistakes made by instructors and ways to avoid them.
This course provides an introduction to the concept and philosophy of active learning, and describes a variety of methods to help instructors "activ-ate" their class. The course includes active learning examples that utilize both critical and analytical thinking skills. We also identify the risks that may discourage instructors from using active learning strategies and offer suggestions for managing them. A three-step method is suggested for developing an active lesson, and a comprehensive model is offered as a guide for creative active learning strategies.
Students (both veterans and non-veterans) with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are enrolling in career education in increasingly larger numbers. Instructors need to have a basic understanding of what PTSD is and how it impacts the lives of students. This course covers what PTSD is and the characteristics that students with PTSD may display. In addition, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is discussed as many students enrolling in career education have both PTSD and TBI. Instructional strategies to support the learning of students with PTSD and/or TBI will be discussed and examples given. Participants will also be given sources where they can gain additional insight into how to support the learning of students with PTSD and/or TBI.
Awareness about autism and the impact it has on the lives of those that have been diagnosed with it has grown greatly in the past few years. There has been an increase in enrollment of students who are on the autism spectrum in career education. This course will provide you with the characteristics of autism so that you will have an understanding of what autism is and how it impacts the learning of these students. Specific strategies for working with students who have been diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum will be provided, to enhance the engagement and learning success of students with autism.
Students with learning disabilities are enrolling in career education at increasing rates as a result of successful interventions and supports provided during their elementary and secondary schooling. This course describes the characteristics of students with learning disabilities and how having a learning disability impacts their learning process. As reading and comprehension is the essence of learning, it is important that instructors be knowledgeable in ways to support students with these learning challenges. Specific strategies for working with these students will be offered, to enhance the engagement and learning success of students with learning disabilities.
As students from different generations are enrolling in post-secondary settings today, instructors are presented with the challenge of how to engage, instruct and relate to these multigenerational learners. This course gives profiles of different generational learners and how they engage in the learning process. Content is shared on how to relate to learners of the different generations and how to use students' life experiences as learning opportunities. As technology is an essential part of instructional delivery, strategies are given for building on the abilities of multigenerational students to use social networks, portable media (given the parameters of school policy), and personal interaction. In addition, instructors are given methods that can be used to help students develop the critical thinking and interpersonal skills needed for career success.
Cultural diversity includes a wide scope of differences. While we plan instruction to meet outcomes that are usually supporting a set of pre-determined standards, instructors are faced with a high level of diversity in every class group. It is important for instructors to be aware of diversity and strive to include every student, regardless of difference, in their learning community. This requires intentional planning and accessible instructional design that includes all students and empowers every student to succeed.
The term "Competency-Based Instruction" (CBI) is emerging as a new and preferred approach to education and the management of education. CBI is currently being evaluated at all levels of education, from K-12 to higher education and beyond. In traditional higher education it is referred to as CBE (Competency-Based Education) as it relates to specific competency-based programs. This course explores the topic in terms of the various characteristics of competency-based teaching and learning and highlights the most commonly agreed-upon benefits for students. The course also addresses the teaching approaches required to support a competency-based learning environment most effectively.
This course examines the various challenges veterans face when attempting to pursue courses of study following military engagements and service. While no instructor can possibly identify with every aspect of a veteran's experience, it is possible to become more aware of some of the challenges facing veterans as they reintegrate into civilian life. This course also examines effective instructional strategies in design and delivery to facilitate the success of veterans in a post-secondary environment.
The most effective instructors are scholars, but they are also facilitators. Good scholars have a command of knowledge in their field of expertise that is both broad and deep. For a scholar to become an instructor, he or she also needs to be a facilitator. Facilitators help others to learn, which is as important as scholarship. In this course we will define "the scholar" and "the facilitator" as individuals (although they are two aspects of one person), as well as compare and contrast their nature and their roles. You will examine issues and challenges faced by instructors, both on-ground and online, and look at developing and improving your facilitation skills.
This course will provide an overview of a few stress reduction/management techniques for educators. Stress plays a significant role in educators' lives and careers; therefore, ideas for self-help are essential. Details will be provided about ways to reduce stress-related physical/mental issues, build emotional resilience, and practice mindfulness, along with other methods for stress reduction/management. The course provides not only information for educators, but activities for students that can be incorporated to help them reduce/manage their stress as well. With this information, educators may find more work-life balance, health benefits, and other opportunities for stress reduction and management. Application of these techniques can be helpful in enabling educators to better cope with the stress in their lives and careers.
This course will provide an overview of ChatGPT and how it might impact education. With an artificial intelligence (AI) language processing tool, there could be endless possibilities. However, like any other technology, its use in education is to be considered carefully, because learning will be affected. The course begins with an overview of the history of chatbots and artificial intelligence and goes on to discuss how to use ChatGPT, how teachers and students may use it, and the advantages and disadvantages of its use.
This course introduces the participant to teaching students with disabilities in the environment of an educational institution. It provides descriptions of the physical, sensory, mental, psychological, and learning disabilities most likely to be encountered, as well as the effects these disabilities have on students and their learning. The course also introduces participants to accommodations and strategies that may help to support students with disabilities and foster their academic success.
As previously homogenous communities become more diverse and the population of English language learners in educational institutions increases, educators need to provide services that give such learners opportunities for academic success equal to those provided to native English speakers. This course provides information about teaching English language learners, including the legal and cultural considerations instructors must take into account and ways to show respect for cultural differences and diversity. The course will explore the factors affecting how English language learners learn, and will provide strategies and techniques for instruction and motivation. This course will also cover how best to assess students for content-area knowledge and language proficiency.
The classroom in an educational institution is often more than just chairs, books, and a white board. Frequently the learning takes place in a lab or shop environment, where the traditional rules of classroom management and teaching may not always apply. This course covers the instructional techniques necessary for the non-traditional classroom, including strategies for teaching to each student's individual learning style. In addition, this course describes strategies for assessing student progress. Safety guidelines and considerations for specific lab and shop environments are identified.
Experiential learning is intended to extend students' educational experience beyond the traditional classroom setting. It is a structured, student-centered way to integrate curriculum-based educational experiences utilizing practical applications and active involvement. This course discusses strategies for extending the curriculum into the workplace. Information is provided on how to educate the internship site and how to create useful forms and processes for documenting and implementing successful internships. This course describes the different roles of the institution, the student, and the internship site. It will identify ways to supervise students, as well as ways to evaluate and assess student success at internship sites.
Have you ever wondered how to make your health classes more "real" world? In this course, you will learn ways to get students thinking in terms of successfully applying their skills in the workplace. Utilize instructional tools and actual sample methods for teaching critical thinking in both the clinical and didactic learning environments, and share ideas that have worked for you.
The purpose of this course is to build cultural competency in instructors who teach students from diverse backgrounds. This will include a review of critical terms, ideas, and real-world case studies, providing instructors and administrators with useful information and takeaways they can apply to their practice. The goal of this course is to help develop a better understanding of cultural competency and produce tangible resources to help implement plans, strategies, and ideas at your institution. In addition to lecture videos, resource links, and assessments, you will be able to utilize Journal and Learning Activities, which will continue to be useful after successful completion of the course.
Motivation can be the difference between success and failure. In this course, the idea of how motivation impacts people will be discussed. Activities will focus on improving motivation in students, and other people you interact with, as well as yourself. The goal of this course is to help develop a better understanding of the topic, and produce tangible resources to help implement plans, strategies, and ideas at your institution. In addition to lecture videos, resource links, and assessments, you will be able to utilize Learning Activities, which will continue to be useful after successful completion of the course.
This course emphasizes providing meaningful accommodations to students with disabilities in an education setting including: legal mandates and regulations, characteristics and educational needs of students with disabilities, and instructional techniques that can be used with these students. The goal of this course is to help develop a better understanding of the topic and produce tangible resources to help implement plans, strategies, and ideas at your school. In addition to lecture videos, possible resource links, and assessments, you will be able to utilize the Journal and Learning Activities. Take advantage of a method that best works for you.