POTSDAM -- SUNY Potsdam will soon launch a certificate of advanced study program in college teaching, their first program to be offered fully online.

The program is “designed to provide participants with the skills they need for effective teaching in the college classroom,” according to a news release from the school.

Topics include curriculum design, classroom technology and the developmental needs of adult learners.

The program is designed for faculty, graduate teaching assistants, doctoral or post-doctoral students, and other professionals “who want to develop or enhance their instructional skills,” the release says.

"Teaching at the college level requires a specific set of skills to ensure learning objectives are met, through careful execution of pedagogical theory, the use of appropriate technologies and an understanding of how we learn. This program synthesizes these critical concepts to prepare students to be successful educators in the college classroom," Kathleen Valentine, an associate professor of curriculum and instruction, who will oversee the new program, said in a prepared statement.

"The new college teaching advanced certificate program at SUNY Potsdam augments our rich history in preparing strong educators. We have designed this program and the coursework for anyone interested in complementing their subject matter skills with strategies in pedagogy and curriculum design, specifically for the collegiate level," Joshua LaFave, executive director of graduate and continuing education, said in the statement.

The certificate program can be completed in one academic year, all in one summer or one course at a time. Admission is on a rolling basis, and students can start in either the spring, fall or summer semesters. The program has a page on the school’s website at http://www.potsdam.edu/academics/SOEPS/education/departments/CiLiteracySpecialEd/collegeteaching .