Rural Online Initiative

4-H Remote Skills Camp for College & Career Readiness

About the course

This is a blended certificate course, combining online work with interactive workshops. This educational program is designed to equip youth with college and career readiness skills and tools while introducing them to remote work concepts. Specific objectives and outcomes for each part of the course are identified at the beginning of each set of modules. The program consists of nine core modules, delivered in a self-paced, online format. Earn this certificate in 30-35 hours (7-9 hours per week over 4 weeks)!

Remote Work camp kids

Course Dates 2022 will be announced soon.

This summer we are excited to announce an add on to the program! All of the course content will remain the same but we have added some classroom experiences with 3 professors from Utah State University. These professors come with years of knowledge and experience and are excited to teach you about their profession and give you a glimpse into what a real, hands-on college class will be like.

The professors presenting are
Dr. Karl Hoopes - Animal Science
Andrea Olsen - Outdoor Product Design
Danielle Roth - Engineering

Course Fee Note
$50/participant Minimum age to participate is 15 years old.

For participants who are 19+ years old we recommend apply for our Certified Remote Work Professional online certificate course.

Earn this professional certificate in 30-35 hours!

Course Objectives

At the completion of the course, the participant will be able to:

  • Design a work portfolio
  • Create a career development plan
  • Coordinate a meeting
  • Prepare an agenda and meeting report
  • Make a project and workflow plan
  • Use a problem-solving checklist
  • Develop a career plan

This educational program is designed to equip participants with the tools and skills needed to transition from on-site work into a virtual career. The course consists of 9 core modules with the following objectives:
Module Summary Objective
Work Day Learn about the components of an average day in the life of a remote worker, including mobile office, flexible schedule, and equipment Computer, webcam and audio are set up with a professional background. Meeting and schedule are successfully coordinated and added to calendar.
Communication Discuss the unique strategies and requirements of virtual communication, including styles, tools and empathy. Messages are professional, clear and accurate. Agenda and report are detailed and complete. Actively participated in meeting by contributing often.
Workflow Understand the process of task management, including projects, delegation, goals and tracking. Project management tool successfully set up. Project includes discrete tasks, timeline, dependent tasks and participants. Can update project regularly.
Productivity & Time Management Evaluate the strategies for effective independent personal management, including productivity, motivation and scheduling. Tracks time including detailed information. Daily priorities match task/project/team priorities. Schedule shows effective time management.
Teams Learn about how teamwork occurs in a virtual work environment, including trust, project collaboration and "netiquette". All phases of team collaboration are completed and collaborative task is finished. Participated actively and facilitated others' involvement.
Compliance Discuss the legal precautions of working online, including information security, risk prevention and office compliance. Password manager installed. Security checklist is complete and accurate. Can identify common security risks.
Critical Thinking Understand how to problem solve autonomously, including finding resources for solutions, earning trust and filtering information. List of resources are credible. Solution steps are clearly and accurately outlined. Resolution is succinctly summarize.
Virtual Careers Evaluate and prepare for virtual career options, including personal branding, virtual job search process and remote industry options. Format for portfolio is clear; work portfolio is complete; work portfolio has been successfully shared and reviewed.
Remote Job Development Design the remote career of your choice and prepare a proposal for your program coordinator. Program outcomes for all modules have been reviewed and evaluated; agenda for meeting with program coordinator is clear and complete.

The Certified Remote Work Professional online certificate course consists of nine core modules delivered in a self-paced, online format, integrated with eight interactive virtual workshops hosted via video conference. Participation in the workshops and learning modules alternate, based on the following schedule:
Week Description
Week 1 Attend Interactive Workshop #1 - Tuesday
  • Introduction to the ROI program
  • Cohort introductions
  • Overview and training of Canvas, Slack and Zoom

Complete Module 1: Workday

Attend Interactive Workshop #2 - Thursday
  • Guest speaker
Week 2 Complete Module 2: Communication

Attend Interactive Workshop #3 - Tuesday
  • Guest Speaker
Complete Module 3: Workflow

Attend Interactive Workshop #4 - Thursday
  • Review & discuss content from Modules 1-3
Week 3 Complete Module 4: Productivity & Time Management

Complete Module 5: Teams

Attend Interactive Workshop #5 - Tuesday
  • Guest Speaker
Complete Module 6: Compliance

Attend Interactive Workshop #6 - Thursday
  • Review & discuss content from Modules 4-6
  • Guest speaker
Week 4 Complete Module 7: Critical Thinking
Complete Module 8: Building a Virtual Career

Attend Interactive Workshop #7 - Tuesday
  • Guest Speaker
Complete Module 9: Remote Job Development

Attend Interactive Workshop #8 - Thursday
  • Review & discuss content from Modules 7-9

Plan to spend an average of 9 hours per week (36 hours total) working through course modules, quizzes, assignments, and workshops.

Assignments & Due Dates

The modules are designed to be completed in sequential order. All work must be completed before you can proceed to the next module. It is critical that assigned modules be completed before each workshop to enhance engagement and group discussion. All module quizzes and assignments are due on Thursday afternoons at 1:00 pm MST. The specific due dates for the other work assigned in each module are listed in the Course Summary at the end of the Syllabus in Canvas.

Interactive Workshops

This course includes eight live interactive workshops hosted over video call using Zoom, a free video conferencing software. Workshops provide an opportunity for participants to discuss and review content from modules in a virtual environment that resembles a real remote team. Due to the virtual hosting of the workshops, you can attend the workshops from any location with Internet access. Workshops will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1:00 pm Mountain Time.

Participation in all workshops is mandatory for this course. The workshop schedule for each cohort is posted in the course description prior to enrollment. If you are not able to participate in any of the workshops, please enroll in a different section of the course that is compatible with your schedule.

Program Coordinators

Participation in the Certified Remote Work Professional online certificate course is supervised by one of three program coordinators. The program coordinators will help guide you though the Canvas course, share hosting responsibilities for the workshops, and provide mentoring and resources to help you successfully prepare for remote work, college, freelancing or entrepreneurship.

Program Cohort

The coordinators will also assign a cohort group of other students who are taking the course. You will practice using collaborative tools like Slack with others in your cohort group to practice and develop effective remote work communication skills.

To successfully complete the course and earn the Certified Remote Work Professional online certificate, you will need to do all of the following:

  1. Complete all 9 course modules, including any assignments and quizzes contained within each module.
  2. Pass each assessment with a minimum score of 80%.
  3. Attend all eight interactive workshops.

Upon successful completion of these course requirements, you will be presented with a Certificate of Completion to add to your professional credentials. You will also be supported by the Rural Online Initiative program as you move forward with your future career or college attendance.