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SPOT & FOMA Readiness (FOMAR) & Training 

    • Acronyms

      FOMA:  Fully Online by Mutual Agreement
      FOMAR: Fully Online by Mutual Agreement Readiness
      SPOT: Skills & Pedagogy for Online Teaching

    • Access FOMAR Training 

      Link to POD Connect: FOMA Readiness (FOMAR) Training
      This link will prompt login to POD Connect with your single sign on username and password. 

    • FOMAR Training Requirements 

      If you are teaching online in:

      Semester Training Requirement Deadline for Completion 
      Summer 2021 FOMAR1 Complete by June 14th, 2021² 
      Fall 2021 SPOT Certification Required to Teach Online
      Fall 2021 FOMAR No longer valid

       1 FOMAR training does not count towards SPOT certification
      ²  Late hires (those who are in the hiring process on or after the FOMAR completion date) must complete FOMAR training within two weeks of accepting their assignment(s). 

      FOMAR training includes: 
      • Part 1: Canvas Basics (If you took the Basics for Remote Instruction in Canvas course that was offered in March & April 2020 you only need to do Parts 2a & 2b)
      • Part 2a: Regular and Effective Contact 
      • Part 2b: Gradebook 
    • FOMAR Training Compensation

      The Faculty Association (FA) has negotiated with the district to compensate faculty for completed training.

      Compensation for training is currently available for faculty who are scheduled to teach in Spring 2021 or Summer 2021. 

      Compensation will automatically be processed by POD at the following month's payroll cycle after faculty have been certified as having completed FOMAR or SPOT training and have acceptance an assignment. Acceptance of assignment for the purpose of compensation occurs when the faculty member's name is placed on the schedule of classes for the term.

      You may get credit and be able to teach based on previously completed trainings but you will not be compensated for previous training.  

      Faculty have the potential of earning a one-time maximum $500 stipend.  You may be compensated for one of the following.

      Training Amount Time Frame  Explanation
      SPOT  $500 Certified  
      3/19/20 -  6/14/21

      New SPOT certification. Must have not received SPOT certification prior to 3/19/20. Submission of SPOT materials for evaluation does not guarantee certification.

      FOMAR Part 1 & 2

      $250 4/27/20– 6/14/21

      Completion of FOMAR Part 1 and 2. Compensation is only for training taken during the indicated time frame.  Available to all faculty, including those who have previously completed SPOT. 

      FOMAR
      Part 2 only

       

       $125  4/27/20– 6/14/21

      Completion of FOMAR Part 2 (Includes part 2a and Part 2b). Compensation is only for training taken during the indicated time frame.  Available only to faculty who have previously completed SPOT or FOMAR Part 1 Academic Senate approved equivalent.

       
    • FOMAR Training Equivalents

      There have been some limited equivalencies approved by Academic Senate for the components of the FOMAR training. These are listed in the FOMAR Classes and Equivalent Classes.

      When you open FOMA Readiness (FOMAR) Training in POD Connect courses you have taken which count towards any of the FOMAR training will be reflected. Sign into POD Connect to see which courses you have taken which will give you credit towards any of the FOMAR training. 

      In addition to equivalencies for local trainings any of the following @ONE trainings would be accepted in lieu of FOMA Readiness training.  

      • @ONE Introduction to Course Design (part A of OTD) 
      • @ONE Interaction segment (part B of OTD) 
      • @ONE Assessments segment (part C of OTD)
      • @ONE Introduction to Teaching with Canvas

      Completion of these trainings is not automatically loaded into POD Connect. If you want to use any of these @ONE trainings for FOMAR please send a copy of your certification to at pod@mtsac.edu with an email indicating that you are using it for FOMAR. 

    • SPOT Training Requirements

      If you are teaching online in:

      Term Training Requirement Deadline for Completion 
      Fall 2021 SPOT Certification Submit for review by June 1st, 20211

      1Submission for SPOT certification does guarantee certification. To be SPOT certified, you must have received verification from a SPOT evaluator that you have achieved certification. To check if you are SPOT certified see the distance learning faculty list.

      Please visit the SPOT homepage to register for training.

    • SPOT Training Compensation

       The Faculty Association (FA) has negotiated with the district to compensate faculty for completed training.

      Compensation for training is currently available for faculty who are scheduled to teach in  Summer 2021 or Fall 2021. 

      Compensation will be processed at the following month's payroll cycle after completing SPOT training and acceptance of assignment. Acceptance of assignment for the purpose of compensation occurs when the faculty member's name is placed on the schedule of classes for the term.

      Faculty have the potential of earning a one-time maximum $5001 stipend.  You may be compensated for one of the following.

      Training Amount Time Frame  Explanation
      SPOT  $5001 Certified  
      3/19/20 -  6/14/21

      New SPOT certification. Must have not received SPOT certification prior to 3/19/20. Submission of SPOT materials for evaluation does not guarantee certification.

      1Faculty who received a stipend  for completing FOMAR training, shall be additionally compensated for earning SPOT certification by December 12, 2021, for a maximum total compensation of $500.00. 

    • SPOT Training Equivalents
      Faculty can meet Mt. SAC's SPOT requirement by completing/earning any one of the following:

      Before deciding to complete one of the above @ONE courses/certifications in lieu of SPOT, check to make sure that the course is being offered, that there are seats available in the course, and that it will finish in time for you to be scheduled to teach online in your department.  Check with your department/division for this date.  

      Mt. SAC does not currently accept certifications from other colleges, even certifications based on an @ONE course.  While we have a workgroup reviewing certifications from other colleges, there is no guarantee that any of these certifications will be accepted, and if so, when.  Please don't plan on using another college's certification to meet Mt. SAC's SPOT requirement.  

      If you have more questions about the SPOT process, the additional requirements to teach an online or hybrid course at Mt. SAC, or other questions related to Distance Learning, feel free to contact the assistant Distance Learning faculty coordinator: Catherine McKee (cmkee@mtsac.edu).

    • FAQ's

       

      If I previously completed FOMAR and choose to take the training again, do I get paid a second time?  No. Faculty have the potential of earning a one-time maximum $500 stipend for FOMAR or SPOT.

      I previously completed FOMAR, do I need to take the training again to be able to teach in Summer 2021? No.  If you have previously completed FOMAR, you have the training you need to teach going forward as long as we are remote due to the current emergency circumstances.

      I’ve completed my FOMAR Training but my progress isn't registered as complete, what do I do? Close the online training module and log out of POD Connect. When you log back in to POD Connect you will see your completion reflected.

      I finished all Parts of FOMAR training and now it is not on my transcript.  How do I confirm it is done?

      When you finish a training in POD Connect it moves from your "active" transcript to your "completed" transcript.  To access it, go to POD Connect, select the blue Transcript button, click on the arrow next to the word "active" and change it to "completed".  Your completed training will be visible. 

      I received a stipend for completing Training in Remote Instruction. Do I need to do the FOMAR Training?  

      Yes, unless you are SPOT certified you will need to complete at least part of the FOMAR training. Sign into POD Connect to see which parts you must complete to be eligible to teach.

      I’m SPOT certified- what do I need to do to be able to teach? 
      No additional training is required for SPOT certified faculty to teach. To verify your SPOT certification, check the SPOT Certified faculty List available on the Distance Learning webpage.  To be SPOT certified, you must have received verification from a SPOT evaluator that you have achieved certification.  Signing up for or submitting your course in SPOT does not mean you have been certified.

      I signed up for SPOT and did the training- does that mean I’m certified?  
      No not yet, to be SPOT certified, you must have received verification from a SPOT evaluator that you have achieved certification. The process for SPOT certification includes signing up, going through the competency-based training, submitting your course for evaluation, evaluation (which frequently includes back and forth between the faculty submitting and the evaluator), and finally certification.  

       

      Can I do the FOMAR Training if I am already SPOT certified and get paid? 
      Yes, you don’t have to do additional training. If you are scheduled to teach in Summer 2021, you can choose to do either FOMAR part 1 & 2 training and be compensated $250, or do FOMAR Part 2 and be compensated $125. Previously completed equivalents will not be compensated. Training must be newly completed (within the dates of the Side Letter for that term) in order to be paid.

       

      If I complete SPOT certification and FOMAR do I get paid for both? 
      No. You will be paid for one or the other. 

      Full-time faculty can use SPOT training towards PGI if they choose not to be paid for it.

       

      I am currently enrolled in SPOT. Do I need to do the FOMAR Training? 
      If you are in the process of getting SPOT certified but did not complete and submit it for evaluation before the submission deadlines below you will need to do the FOMAR training to teach. If you do not meet these deadlines for SPOT submission you must complete FOMAR training in order to be eligible to teach. 

      • To be SPOT certified for Summer 2021, submission by March 1, 2021

      I watched a video of a training that was posted on the FCLT website. Does this count towards Part 1 FOMAR training?  
      No, videos watched on the FCLT site will not meet the requirements of FOMAR. You must complete all parts of the FOMAR training in order to be eligible to teach in Summer 2021. 

       

      Is FOMAR Training only currently available in an online, self-paced format?  
      Yes, at this time, FOMAR Training is only offered in an online, self-paced format.  

      I completed the FOMAR training, now what?  
      Please check that your training is noted as 100% complete in POD Connect.  Contact POD if something does not show as completed. Your name will be forwarded to the Office of Instruction and to your Division Dean as having met the FOMA Readiness Training requirement.  If you are eligible for compensation based upon the training completion content and dates, your name will be forwarded to Payroll for stipend payment.  There is no action required on your part. 

    • Need Help?
      If you have questions about: 
      • Registration, access to the curriculum/technical issues, or attendance at previously offered courses please contact POD at pod@mtsac.edu or visit mtsac.edu/pod for their office hours schedule 
      • Compensation for these trainings please contact the FA President, Emily Woolery (ewoolery@mtsac.edu
      • SPOT, please email Catherine McKee (cmkee@mtsac.edu
      • Content of the training or Canvas, please check the Faculty Center for Learning Technology (FCLT) Canvas FAQ or contact fclt@mtsac.edu