OLC Center for Professional Learning Policies and Procedures

This document outlines the general policies for offerings delivered through the OLC Center for Professional Learning. Policies that apply only to specific Center offerings are listed on the registration page for each individual offering.

Time Commitment

Learning takes time and effort! To meet the goals of these professional development offerings, participants should generally expect to spend 5-7 hours per week in 3-day and 7-day offerings and 7-10 hours per week in our certificate programs and 4-week workshops. Self-paced offerings typically take 5-7 hours to complete.

Please note that while we cannot provide continuing education credits (CEUs), each successfully completed offering results in a signed certificate and badge that most educational organizations recognize as evidence of completion. You may refer to the time commitments above when determining contact hours. 

Registration

The OLC Center for Professional Learning typically publishes the workshop and program schedule in the late summer for the following calendar year. Interested participants can register for programs and workshops well in advance of the listed start date.

  • Registration closes the day of the start date of the program or workshop
  • Registrants will receive a confirmation email upon submitting payment for the program or workshop
  • To make sure our facilitators are fully prepared, we cannot accept late registrations
  • Contact OLC Customer Service if you have any questions or need assistance with registrations

Enrollment

Enrollment in OLC offerings is a two-step process. First, interested participants register for the workshop or program they are interested in using the CPL Schedule, then, participants receive an email five days before the program or workshop begins with instructions on how to access the OLC Canvas site. Registrants should not share their enrollment access information

Registrants should  use their enrollment information to access the OLC Canvas site by 11:59pm local time on the first day of the workshop

Participants will have access to the workshop or program site for one year after the workshop begins

Transfers

The OLC Center for Professional Learning aims to provide the best possible learning experience for program and workshop participants. This can be challenging when registrants request to transfer to another program or workshop just before or during an offering. There are situations where transfers are necessary, but to help us meet the high level of interaction and engagement we strive for in our offerings, please request a transfer only when it is unavoidable. For all programs and workshops, no refunds can be provided after registration.

If the program or workshop has not yet started AND if the registrant has not yet used their enrollment key to access the course in Canvas, the following policies apply:

  • The first transfer request will be granted at no additional cost
  • The second transfer request will incur a $50 administrative fee
  • No more than two transfers can be provided

If the program or workshop has started OR if the registrant has used their enrollment key to access the course in Canvas, the following policies apply:

  • For 3- and 7-day workshops, transfer requests made before the workshop ends will be charged a $50 administrative fee. This request cannot be made more than once.
  • No transfer requests are permitted for self-paced offerings or the Microlearning Library.
  • For 4-week workshops (including ID Certificate program workshops), participants may request a transfer before the end of week 1. After the end of week 1, transfer requests will be charged an administrative fee of $350. This request cannot be made more than once. Transfer requests made after the program has ended cannot be granted.
  • For all other programs, participants may request to transfer to a later cohort before the end of week 4. After the end of week 4, transfer requests will be charged an administrative fee of $350. This request cannot be made more than once. Transfer requests made after the program has ended cannot be granted.

Cancellations

OLC strives to deliver all offerings as scheduled. Sometimes, however, we must cancel a program or workshop due to unforeseen circumstances or low registration. In the event of a cancellation, OLC will provide as much advance notice as possible. Registrants will be given the opportunity to select another offering within one calendar year of the canceled offering, and their registration payment will be applied to that offering. 

Accessibility

The Online Learning Consortium is committed to providing an inclusive learning environment and reasonable accommodations for all workshop participants. If you have any kind of disability, whether apparent or non-apparent, learning, emotional, physical, or cognitive, and you need some accommodations or alternatives to the learning materials, please contact us at cpl@onlinelearning-c.org to discuss your needs. It is never too late to request accommodations—our bodies and circumstances are continuously changing.

Intellectual Property and Copyright

Unless stated otherwise, the Online Learning Consortium and/or facilitators retain copyright on all program and workshop materials. Please do not copy materials or distribute them to anyone without prior written approval from the copyright owner. Content created by participants as part of an OLC offering remains the property of the participant. 

Grading Policies

The OLC Center for Professional Learning uses online discussions and assignments to engage participants in our offerings. 

  • Assignments will be due by the end of the day (participant time zone) on the assigned due date listed in Canvas. The acceptance of late assignments is at the discretion of the course facilitator provided that you inform them in a timely manner.

Late Work and Extensions

While participants have access to workshop materials for up to one year, assignments must be submitted within the dates indicated on the registration process to receive credit for completing the workshop. The due dates in a workshop are meant as guidance to help the participant succeed. Especially in longer workshops, avoid “bulk uploading” (uploading several assignments at once). Scaffolding and incorporating feedback is a key part of the learning process. No assignments will be accepted after the last day of the workshop. Participants should contact the facilitator before the workshop ends if extenuating circumstances were to arise.

In Certificate programs, including the Certification Showcase, participants have 2 weeks beyond the program end date to submit any missing work with prior approval from their faculty mentor. After this time, participants may request a 1-month extension for an additional fee of $150. No work will be accepted after this deadline.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism, or the passing off of others’ words, ideas, research, or other intellectual or artistic work as your own (intentional or unintentional), is not acceptable in any of the OLC offerings and may result in removal from the program. Participants are required to follow proper citation conventions when using outside resources.

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence

Generative AI is permitted as a resource by participants in CPL workshops. In line with OLC’s internal AI Policy that calls for “Transparency and Accountability,” participants should inform all stakeholders when AI has been used in the creation of content, which may be in a citation format or a design statement. The user also assumes accountability for what is generated by AI.

Award of Completion and Badges

The OLC Center for Professional Learning uses the Canvas Credentials system to issue digital badges for workshop/program completion. Once you have successfully completed a program or workshop, please make sure to access your digital badge of completion from the workshop in Canvas. Please note that once your access to the course expires (1 year from course enrollment), we will be unable to grant requests for badge copies, transcripts, and course completion records. 

The OLC is unable to retroactively issue badges for any offerings taken prior to 2024.

Technical Requirements

The OLC Center for Professional Learning uses online learning technologies to facilitate Institute offerings. The requirements for each type are listed below. 

Programs and Workshops

OLC uses Canvas as its Digital Learning Environment (DLE) for programs and workshops, which requires a modern, updated web browser; listed below are the system requirements:

In addition, the Institute leverages other learning technologies to engage participants and encourage meaningful interaction; these tools are embedded within Canvas and do not require additional downloads or resources.

Webinars and Live Sessions

OLC uses Zoom as its platform for webinars and other synchronous online meetings. Zoom requires an internet connection and can be accessed via a web browser, the desktop client, or the mobile app. Listed below are the system requirements: