County of Residence	Course Fee	Description
Beaver Box Elder Carbon Cache Daggett Duchesne Emery Garfield Grand Iron Juab Kane Millard Morgan Piute Rich San Juan Sanpete Sevier Summit Tooele Uintah Wasatch Washington Wayne	$40	Applicants residing in these counties who are accepted into the program are able to take the course for a nominal fee of $40. Funding provided by House Bill 327.
Davis Salt Lake Utah Weber	$99	Applicants residing in these counties may take the course for a nominal fee of $99 if accepted into the program. Applicants will only be charged upon being accepted into the program.
Out-of- State (Outside Utah)	$149	Applicants residing outside the state of Utah will be expected to pay a nominal fee of $149 if accepted into the program. Applicants will only be charged upon being accepted into the program.

Course Dates 2026

Start Date	End Date	Application Deadline	Workshop Days (Thursdays)	Workshop Times (1 hour)
August 3	September 2	July 29, 2026 12 PM MT	August 6, 13, 20 & 27	1 p.m. or 6 p.m. MT
September 7	October 7	September 2, 2026 12 PM MT	September 10, 17, 24 & October 1	1 p.m. or 6 p.m. MT
October 5	November 4	September 30, 2026 12 PM MT	October 8, 15, 22 & 29	1 p.m. or 6 p.m. MT
November 2	December 2	October 28, 2026 12 PM MT	November 4, 11, 18 & 25 (Wednesday Workshops)	1 p.m. or 6 p.m. MT

Earn this professional certificate in 25-30 hours (6-8 hours per week over 4 weeks).

Welcome to the Certified Remote Work Professional online certificate course. This is a blended course, combining online work with interactive workshops. This educational program is designed to equip course participants with the tools and skills needed to transition from on-site work into a virtual remote work career.

The Certified Remote Work Professional online certificate course consists of nine core modules delivered in a self-paced, online format, integrated with interactive virtual workshops hosted via video conference. Participation in the workshops and learning modules alternate, based on the
following schedule:

Get Started

• Module 0: Getting Started

Interactive Workshop #1

• Introduction to the Rural Online Initiative
• Cohort introductions
• Educational tool training (Slack, Canvas, and Zoom)

Online Learning #1

• Module 1: Workday
• Module 2: Communication
• Module 3: Critical Thinking

Interactive Workshop #2

• Review content from Modules 1-3
• Discuss and apply content from Modules 1-3

Online Learning #2

• Module 4: Workflow
• Module 5: Productivity & Time Management
• Module 6: Teamwork

Interactive Workshop #3

• Review content from Modules 4-6
• Discuss and apply content from Modules 4-6

Online Learning #3

• Module 7: Compliance & Online Security
• Module 8: Building a Virtual Career
• Module 9: Remote Job Development

Interactive Workshop #4

• Review content from Modules 7-9
• Discuss and apply content from Modules 7-9
• Overview of remaining phases of the ROI program

The Rural Online Initiative hosts the course at a standard pace of one workshop per week (resulting in the completion of the certification portion of the ROI program in one month).

This educational program is designed to equip workers with the tools and skills they need to transition from on-site work into a virtual career. The program consists of nine core modules with the following objectives:

Module 1: Work Day

• Summary: Learn more about the components of an average day in the life of a remote worker, including mobile office, flexible schedule, and equipment. 
• Objectives: Computer, webcam, and audio are set up with a professional background. Meeting and schedule are successfully coordinated and added to calendar. 

Module 2: Communication

• Summary: Discuss the unique strategies and requirements of virtual communication, including styles, tools, and empathy. 
• Objectives: Messages are professional, clear, and accurate. Agenda and report are detailed and complete. Actively participate in meeting my contributing often. 

Module 3: Critical Thinking

• Summary: Understand how to problem solve autonomously, including finding resources for solutions, earning trust, and filtering information. 
• Objectives: List of resources are credible. Solution steps are clearly and accurately outlined. Resolution is succinctly summarized. 

Module 4: Workflow

• Summary: Understand the processes of task management, including projects, delegation, goals, and tracking.
• Objectives: Project management tool successfully set up. Project includes discrete tasks, timeline, dependent tasks, and participants. Can update project regularly.

Module 5: Productivity and Time Management

• Summary: Evaluate the strategies for effective independent personal management, including productivity, motivation, and scheduling.
• Objective: Tracks time including detailed information. Daily priorities match task/project/team priorities. Schedule shows effective time management.

Module 6: Teamwork

• Summary: Learn about how teamwork occurs in a virtual work environment, including trust, project collaboration, and "netiquette."
• Objectives: All phases of team collaboration are completed and collaborative task is finished. Participated actively and facilitated others' involvement.

Module 7: Compliance & Online Security

• Summary: Discuss the legal precautions of working online, including information security, risk prevention, and office compliance.
• Objectives: Password manager installed. Security checklist is complete and accurate. Can identify common security risks.

Module 8: Building a Virtual Career

• Summary: Evaluate and prepare for virtual career options, including personal branding, virtual job search processes, and remote industry options.
• Objectives: Format for portfolio is clear; work portfolio is complete; work portfolio has been successfully shared and reviewed.

Module 9: Remote Job Development

• Summary: Design the remote career of your choice and prepare a proposal for your Program Specialist.
• Objectives: Program outcomes for all modules have been reviewed and evaluated; agenda for meeting with Program Specialist is clear and complete.

View the full course rubric.

The online courses are hosted by Utah State University and facilitated using Canvas, USU's learning management system.

The program includes four live, interactive workshops, hosted via video call using Zoom, a free video conferencing software. Workshops provide an opportunity for students to discuss career goals and review content from the modules in a virtual environment that mimics a real remote team.

Because the workshops are virtual, you can attend them from any location with internet access. The workshops are usually held on Thursdays (except in June and November), with two meeting time options to choose from: 1-2 p.m. or 6-7 p.m. U.S. mountain time (3-4 p.m. or 8-9 p.m. ET).

June and November Only
In June and November the workshops are on Wednesdays. In June, the workshop times are still at 1 p.m or 6 p.m. MT and run for one hour. In November, you may attend from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. or from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Mountain Time (12 p.m. to 1 p.m. or 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET). Attend the time that best suits your schedule.

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.

Throughout the course, the assignments and modules you complete are designed to prepare you for a virtual career by producing results applicable in the virtual business world, including:

• Designing a digital work portfolio
• Mapping a career development plan
• Coordinating a virtual meeting
• Preparing a cloud-based agenda and meeting report
• Strategizing a project and workflow plan
• Using a problem-solving checklist

The following is a list of remote-friendly tools that are integral in distributed company operations that students are introduced to during the certification:

• Time Zone Conversion (e.g., World Time Buddy)
• Internet Speed Test (e.g., Speedtest)
• Email (e.g., Gmail)
• Chat & Messaging (e.g., Slack)
• Video call (e.g., Google Meet or Zoom)
• Project Management (e.g., Trello or Asana)
• Spreadsheets (e.g., Google Sheets)
• Calendar (e.g., Google Calendar)
• Time Tracking (e.g., Harvest)
• File Sharing (e.g., Dropbox)
• Video conference (e.g., Zoom)
• VPN (e.g., Windscribe)
• Password managers (e.g., 1Password)
• Help function (e.g., Google Drive Support)
• Research (e.g., Google Search)
• Professional Networking (e.g., LinkedIn)
• Website Development (e.g., Wix)
• Freelancer Markets (e.g., Upwork)
• Education Platforms (e.g., Skillshare, Pluralsight)
• Virtual Job Board (e.g., FlexJobs)

In addition to hard skills, participants are also trained on the soft skills that are vital to success when working autonomously and with long-distance teams, such as:

• Written communication
• Verbal communication
• Problem solving
• Critical thinking
• Time management
• Accountability
• Flexibility
• Attention to detail
• Knowledge management
• Risk management
• Collaboration
• Goal setting
• Emotional intelligence
• Organization

Upon graduation, each student will be presented with a certification of completion to add to their work portfolio, and will then be supported by Rural Online Initiative program specialists as students start to develop the virtual career of their choice.

Although the Certified Remote Work Professional online certification program is a non-credit course, periodic online assessments are used to confirm and measure learning. The online assessments can be repeated if you need to improve a score on a particular element. To successfully complete the course and earn the certificate, you will need to do the following:

1. Complete all of the modules, including any assignments contained within each module.
2. Pass each assessment with a minimum score of 80 percent.
3. Attend four interactive workshops.

Upon successful completion of all requirements, you will receive a digital Certificate of Completion to add to your work portfolio. You will also be supported by Rural Online Initiative program specialists as you move forward through the Rural Online Initiative program and start to develop the virtual career of your choice.

Depending on where you live, the course fee is $40, $99 or $149. See the tab above labeled "Course Fees"

The program consists of nine core modules, delivered in a self-paced, online format.

• Module 1: Workday
• Module 2: Communication
• Module 3: Critical Thinking
• Module 4: Workflow
• Module 5: Productivity & Time Management
• Module 6: Teamwork
• Module 7: Compliance & Online Security
• Module 8: Virtual Careers
• Module 9: Remote Job Development

The program includes four live, interactive workshops, hosted via video call using Zoom, a free conferencing software. You can attend the workshops from any location with internet access. Workshops provide an opportunity for you to discuss career goals and review content from the modules in a virtual environment that mimics a real distributed team. Our workshops are held weekly with the option of an afternoon session or an evening session.

Participation in all four workshops is mandatory for this course. Please check the course dates to make the necessary arrangements to attend the required workshops.

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

1. Complete all of the modules, including any assignments contained within each module
2. Pass each assessment with a minimum score of 80 percent
3. Attend four interactive workshops

You will be assigned to a Program Specialist based upon where you live. The program specialists will help guide you through the Canvas course, share hosting responsibilities for the workshops, and provide mentoring and resources to help you successfully prepare for remote work and freelancing.

Students should expect to spend approximately 30 hours total to complete the course over a 4 week period.

The first week is designed to allow students to practice logging on to Canvas, review the syllabus, introduce themselves to the class, join the course Slack channel, and decide which workshop (afternoon or evening session) they would like to attend. 

Instructions for logging into Canvas will be sent to you by email the week before the first workshop.

Instructions for joining Slack and Zoom are in Module 0 in Canvas.
Students should complete Module 0 prior to attending the first workshop. 

Assignment due dates will be on the syllabus and reviewed during the first workshop.

1. Go to the Canvas Course homepage
2. Click "Start Here"
3. Read the instructions on the Start Here page
4. If you are still having issues, watch this video