Professional Development Online Courses FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions About Online Courses

What do classes look like?

Classes will be taught using the University of Minnesota virtual conferencing tool, Zoom. You will have the ability to learn from your fellow classmates and share your experience. Sessions will be highly interactive with a mixture of lecture, small and large group activities, polls, and discussion. 

"The University did a great job offering the classes via Zoom. The instructors are great and have tailored their course content to fit the online platform. It really worked for me."
— Laurie Church, HR Generalist Certificate

How will I receive course information?

One week before your course, a welcome email with basic information is sent out to you. One day before your course, a reminder email containing your course materials and zoom link is sent to you. 

How do I use my course materials?

This depends on the class but, usually, materials are PDFs. This is because PDFs are able to be accessed by nearly everyone, regardless of their operating system or software.
 
The course materials may be read-only or give you the ability to interact with them using your PDF-viewer.

Can I use my tablet or mobile device?

Yes, but we do not recommend it. Mobile devices and tablets have limitations that impede your ability to fully participate. To ensure you have the best experience possible, we strongly recommend using a desktop or laptop computer. 

Does my internet speed matter?

It does! Your internet bandwidth can have an impact on your class experience. Slow connections result in major video delays, sound cutting in and out, a lost connection that results in being disconnected from your meeting, and so on. 
 
Zoom recommends a minimum bandwidth of 1.5Mbps/1.5Mbps (up/down). Go to http://www.speedtest.net/ to see if your internet makes the cut. Read more about Zoom’s system requirements.

Will accommodations be available for virtual courses?

Yes! If you need accommodations, including ASL interpreting services, please contact ccapspdp@umn.edu three weeks prior to your course start date. We will coordinate providing reasonable accommodations or connect your with the UMN Disability Resource Center if your request requires consultation and additional support.

We may still be able to provide you with additional support if you contact us closer to the course date but it is not guaranteed. We work closely with the UMN Disability Resource Center (drc@umn.edu) and may refer you to them for more comprehensive services, depending on your needs.
 
Please note: most of our professional development courses do not include tests or homework, so you do not need to submit requests for extended testing times in most cases. The exceptions are Certified ScrumMaster® and Certified Scrum Product Owner®; please contact ccapspdp@umn.edu if you have specific testing needs for those courses.