Online Professional Development Courses for Teachers: FAQs 

To sign up, click the “Create an Account!” button at the top right corner of the page. New users will need to complete the registration form with all required information included. Once your registration is complete, you will have the option to view your Dashboard or go directly to the Course Catalog. 

You can review the course summary, number of hours or credits, project requirements, and any recommended materials before enrolling. If you are using a course for teacher license renewal, professional development hours, or teacher courses for credit, we recommend checking your state requirements before purchasing. 

Start by browsing the Course Catalog or reviewing your state’s professional development requirements on the Find Your State page. Teachers searching for teacher recertification courses online should review their state’s renewal requirements before enrolling to confirm whether a course’s hours, credits, or completion documentation will meet their needs. 

No. At no point will you give The Teacher’s Academy your social security number. Pennsylvania teachers will provide their Professional ID. If you do not know your PA professional ID, you will have to locate it from the PA DOE website. 

Once you purchase a course, the course materials are automatically emailed to you. They will arrive in a zip file. Unzip the folder and save its contents to a folder on your computer’s hard drive. 

You can also download course material from your dashboard under the “My Courses” section. 

As aways, a representative from The Teacher’s Academy is available for assistance. Simply email [email protected] or visit the Contact Us page. 

Some courses have recommended materials or required software. Read the summary pages of the course to determine if there is anything additional required for the course.  

All courses have an evaluation and a written assessment using a fillable PDF form. To complete these, we recommend using the latest version of Adobe Reader.  

Yes. The Teacher’s Academy courses are designed with busy educators in mind. Our online courses for teachers allow you to work at your own pace, complete projects on your schedule, and apply meaningful instructional strategies in the classroom immediately. 

There is no minimum time required to complete a course, but each course must be completed within 365 days of purchase. 

The Teacher’s Academy does not present “grades” in the traditional sense. Each course comes with a series of projects or assignments to be completed.  

The course was either completed or not. In the case of written assessments, the answers must be 80% accurate to be considered complete. If the course has not been satisfactorily completed, a representative from The Teacher’s Academy will contact the client to discuss what is required before the credits/hours/points are awarded.  

The client has 365 days from the purchase date to complete the course. 

You have 365 days from the purchase date to complete the course. There is no minimum time to complete the course. 

Each course has a series of “Projects” to be completed. The projects for each course are listed on the Summary page for every course on this website. You can view the project list to help you decide on a course. All of the projects contain clearly defined requirements for completion. You must complete the projects according to the project requirements put forth in the course directions. 

Most courses also contain assessments. You must score 80% or better on the assessments to consider that portion complete. 

In other words, you either did the work or you didn’t! If there is a question regarding the completeness of the work, a Teacher’s Academy representative will contact you. 

As teachers, we know how important it is to set expectations for our students. Just as you wouldn’t allow your students to plagiarize, copy peer work, or misrepresent their work in any way, we ask the same of the adult learners at The Teacher’s Academy. 

The Honor Code simply implies that all participants will agree to submit their original work to The Teacher’s Academy for professional development credit. The Teacher’s Academy will not award hours for plagiarized or compromised work. If the plagiarism is detected after submittal and hours have been awarded, The Teacher’s Academy reserves the right to retract awarded hours from all parties. 

You can take as few as one or as many as you like to satisfy the professional development requirements posted by your state. Use our Find Your State feature to explore your states requirements, or search your state’s Department of Education website. 

While the Teacher’s Academy diligently keeps track of state regulations for teachers, it remains the teacher’s responsibility to comprehend the submission and approval process for all professional development and licensing work, as per their state requirements. 

Many teachers use online professional development courses to help meet professional development, continuing education, or license renewal requirements. Because requirements vary by state, district, and employer, teachers should confirm that a course meets their specific renewal needs before enrolling. 

To get started, visit the Find Your State page to review state-specific professional development requirements. 

A contact hour in teaching generally refers to a unit of professional development time recognized for educator training or continuing education. Because definitions and approval standards can vary by state, district, or licensing authority, teachers should review their specific requirements before selecting a course. 

When considering how to calculate teaching contact hours, start by reviewing the number of approved hours listed for the course and comparing that total with your state or district’s professional development requirements. Since reporting rules vary, teachers should confirm how their licensing authority converts or accepts course hours, credits, or completion records. 

Yes! The courses are designed to help you enhance your pedagogy. Many of our clients take these courses to help them reacquaint themselves with the most current and relevant teaching strategies out there today. We highly recommend these courses to teachers who are not currently working but preparing to get back into the field! 

Some states require proof of completion. Visit the Requirements page to see what your state requires. 

For your convenience, teachers will receive an email containing a certificate of completion and a feedback form that details the projects submitted and the professional development objectives met upon completing the course. You can print these PDF files and submit them to your administration, or keep them for your records. 

The Teacher’s Academy will submit hours for all Pennsylvania teachers (under the approved provider, Act 48 Academy! Make sure you enter your PPID# in your account!) 

Yes. After completing a course, teachers will receive an email containing a certificate of completion and a feedback form. These documents detail the projects submitted and the professional development objectives met through the course. 

The cost of professional development for teachers can vary depending on the provider, course format, credit type, and number of hours or credits offered. The Teacher’s Academy provides online professional development courses for teachers at a fraction of the cost of many traditional college courses. 

To compare current course options and pricing, visit the Course Catalog. 

Visit the Contact Us page and fill out the contact information. Be sure to choose Tech Support from the drop down menu. A Teacher’s Academy Representative will contact you within 24 hours. 

Refunds have been offered in cases where teachers accidentally purchased the same course more than once. Or, after purchasing a course, they realized the content is not what they had hoped. In cases such as these, if you are unsatisfied with a particular course for any reason, please let us know and we will exchange it for a different course. Otherwise, the sale of a course is final.