$249 per person

Plan on spending approximately 25-30 hours to complete the course (6-8 hours per week over 4 weeks).

Access the course syllabus by clicking here!

The program consists of nine core modules with the following objectives:

• Module 1: Vision
• Module 2: Culture
• Module 3: Communication
• Module 4: Performance Management
• Module 5: Conflict Management
• Module 6: Change Management
• Module 7: Learning & Development
  
  

Course Objectives

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

1. Critically assess their organization’s current vision for the future
2. Create a plan to include culture-building in routine operations
3. Develop an effective communication agreement between remote employees and management
4. Design a performance management plan to address common challenges with managing remote employees
5. Create a conflict resolution chart
6. Develop a change management process to address barriers to organizational change
7. Design a strategy for addressing common barriers to remote employees’ learning and development

This course includes four live interactive workshops hosted over a 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 Thursdays, with two meeting time options for participants to choose from 9-10 am or 12-1 pm U.S. Mountain Time. Participation in all four 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.

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

1. Complete all 7 course modules, including any assignments and quizzes contained within each module.
2. Pass each assessment with a minimum score of 80%.
3. Attend all four 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 creating a remote work environment within your organization.

To get started please submit an application here.

All module quizzes and assignments are due on Wednesday evenings at 11:59 PM MT. 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. 

You will complete the Master Remote Work Leader certificate course in a cohort with other organizational leaders. It is expected that you will use collaborative tools (e.g., Slack and Zoom) with others in your cohort to practice and develop effective remote work communication skills.

Upon completing the Master Remote Work Leader certification course, you will be eligible for 3 continuing education credits (CEUs) from Utah State University. CEUs are awarded to signify completion of non-credit programs intended to improve the knowledge and skills of working adults. CEUs appear on the Continuing Education level of a USU transcript and will show the course number and prefix, the course name, and the number of contact hours (1 CEU = 10 contact hours). This course is worth 3 CEUs and would be listed as CEAS 5700 on a transcript. The cost would be $90 to receive the credits. If you are interested in receiving the CEU credit, please contact russell.goodrich@usu.edu, and he will send you a direct link to register for the credit.

The Master Remote Work Leader certificate course is designed to equip participants with the tools and skills needed to transition business management operations from on-site to virtual. The course consists of 7 core modules with the following objectives:

Module	Summary	Objective
Vision	This module identifies components of a compelling company vision, and provides strategies on how to develop an effective vision statement.	Clearly communicate your organization’s vision to the team. Include a vision statement into the leadership development plan.
Culture	In this module, you will learn how to identify, assess, and engage with your company’s culture. This includes communication, activities, and expectations.	Clearly communicate a plan to digitize and build company culture.
Communication	This module provides a discussion on the unique strategies and requirements of virtual communication. This includes communication styles, tools, and empathy.	Assess existing communication practices.
Performance Management	In this module, you will understand the processes of performance management. These include assignments, tracking, reporting, and evaluating worker performance.	Identify areas of strength and opportunities for both self and team. Create a complete plan of future action.
Conflict Management	This module examines the main causes of conflict in remote workplaces and how to empathetically resolve conflict in virtual channels.	Evaluate current conflict management strategies. Create a plan to address self and team weaknesses.
Change Management	This module discusses the process of communicating, tracking and evaluating a 5-phase change management process.	Evaluate current change management processes. Create a new plan to address self and team weaknesses.
Learning & Development	In this module, you will understand the learning and development risks unique to remote workers, and components of a successful virtual learning culture.	Create a workforce learning and development plan to address self and team weaknesses. Create a learning plan that identifies relevance, resources, and guides.