Academic Year 2023 - 2024

Global Program Information

Dear OPEN Participants,

Congratulations on being nominated by your Regional English Language Office or

local U.S. embassy to take a Global Online Course through the U.S. Department of
State's Online Professional English Network (OPEN) Program!

Please review important program and course information in this document.

Important Dates for AY 2023-2024

Please note that these term labels are based on seasonal dates used in the United
States. The season names may be different in your region.

Activity Fall 2023 Winter 2024 Spring 2024 Summer 2024

Registration
Aug. 7, 2023 Nov. 20, 2023 Feb. 19, 2024 May 13, 2024
Due

Course
Placement Aug. 18, 2023 Dec. 1, 2023 March 1, 2024 May 24, 2024
Confirmed

Orientation
Aug. 21, 2023 Dec. 4, 2023 March 4, 2024 May 28, 2024
Begins

Orientation
Sept. 15, 2023 Dec. 29, 2023 March 29, 2024 June 21, 2024
Ends

Course
Sept. 26, 2023 Jan. 9, 2024 April 9, 2024 July 2, 2024
Begins

Course Ends Nov. 20, 2023 March 4, 2024 June 3, 2024 Aug. 26, 2024

Certificates
Dec. 8, 2023 March 22, 2024 June 21, 2024 Sept. 13, 2024
Available After
Nominee Registration Webinar Dates

Fall 2023 Winter 2024 Spring 2024 Summer 2024

Aug. 2, 2023 Nov. 8, 2023 Feb. 13, 2024 May 8, 2024

Nominee registration webinars are live events that cover important program information, the
registration process, course login instructions, course policies, and tips for success. You will receive
an email invitation with a link for the term webinar the week before the webinar. We hope to see
you there! The most recent recording of one of these events is here on the OPEN website.
Eligibility Requirements:
To be eligible, a participant must:
Be a citizen of and reside in the nominating country at the time of the course
Not hold dual citizenship in the United States
Have the ability to complete academic work at a U.S. university level (an advanced level of
reading and writing in English, roughly equivalent to CEFR B2)
Have at least 8-10 hours per week available to complete coursework

Have regular access to a reliable, internet-enabled device

Have basic technology skills related to creating usernames and passwords, using credentials to
log in to secured websites, using email, searching the internet, and accessing and managing
electronic files

If you have been nominated for the program and don't meet one of the eligibility requirements,
please email [email protected].

IMPORTANT Registration Reminders

Nominees must create an @openenglishprograms.org username to log in to the
registration Portal (nomination.openenglishprograms.org).
After completing the online registration form, you will be automatically redirected to
OPEN's Canvas Learning Management System (LMS). You must log in with your OPEN
username to complete registration.
Participants must receive a confirmation of successful registration to be enrolled in a
Global Online Course.
This will be sent to you via email from [email protected].
Please add that email to your list of contacts so that it does not go to your spam or junk
mail.
To confirm that your registration is complete, please contact [email protected].
Mandatory Orientation Course
Global Program participants are required to participate in the self-paced, mandatory
Orientation Course. The Orientation Course will increase your confidence using the Canvas
learning platform and provide important information to prepare you for your approved
OPEN Program professional development course.

Orientation Course Topics and Skills

Navigating the Canvas LMS Learning about American academic culture
Citing sources in your assignments Using Open Educational Resources
Responding to instructor feedback Cascading new knowledge to others

Drops and Withdrawals

We hope you are able to enroll in and complete the course. You were selected for this
program because of your dedication to the field of education. However, if you need to
drop or withdraw from the course, here are the guidelines and policies.

How to drop before the course begins

If you wish to drop out of your professional development course before the course
start date, please contact [email protected] to request to drop the course.

If you drop out before the course start date, you will remain eligible for future OPEN
Program Global Online Course nomination.

How to withdraw after the course begins

If you wish to withdraw from your professional development course after the course
start date, you must contact [email protected] to formally request to withdraw
from the course.

Withdrawal requests made after the course start date will be considered on an
individual basis according to the OPEN Program withdrawal policy:

Eligible Withdrawals - Extenuating circumstances such as illness, family death,

hospitalization, natural disaster, government mandated training, military service.

Ineligible Withdrawals - Time constraints, too many work commitments. Ineligible

withdrawals are no longer eligible for future courses.
Course Descriptions
Most participants will be able to select their top three choices for course enrollment and be placed in
one of those top choices. Please see the list of courses with descriptions below. This information can
also be found at https://openenglishprograms.org/GOC_Information

Course Titles Provider

____________________________________________________________________________________
Teaching Grammar Communicatively (TGC)

________________________________________________________
Integrating Critical Thinking Skills into Exploration of Culture (ICT)

Using Educational Technology in the English Language

Classroom (ET)
________________________________________________________
Developing and Teaching Academic Writing (DATAW)

Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL)

________________________________________________________
Professional Development for Teacher Trainers (PDTT)

________________________________________________________
Creating and Implementing Online Courses (CIOC)

________________________________________________________
TESOL Methodology (TM)

________________________________________________________
Fostering Student Motivation and Engagement (FSME)

Teaching for the Future: English Teaching to Take on Climate Change (TFF)

OPEN Course Accessibility Information

OPEN courses are accessible to differently abled participants through a combination of features
available in the LMS and common web browsers, and various instructional design approaches used
to create OPEN courses.

Canvas is accessible on mobile devices and tablets through a web browser. Please note that the
Canvas app cannot be used to access OPEN's instance of Canvas.
Canvas is compatible with screen readers, and Canvas tests new features with common screen
reader and browser combinations. These optimal combinations along with other Canvas
accessibility features are posted and updated in the Canvas Community: What are the Canvas
Accessibility Standards?
Some of the instructional design approaches include making sure there are alt text descriptions
for images, providing scripts for videos, including closed captions for videos, using descriptive
hyperlink language, providing written descriptions of infographics, ensuring there is adequate
text color contrast, and making sure table set up is optimized for screen readers.
Certificate & Badge Eligibility
To earn a certificate and digital badge,
participants must be in active "student"
status in Canvas and earn a final score of
70% or higher.

Participant Virtual Graduation Ceremony Dates*

Fall 2023 Winter 2024 Spring 2024 Summer 2024

Dec. 13, 2023 Mar. 28, 2024 Jun. 25, 2024 Sept. 19, 2024
*Dates subject to change.

Participant virtual graduation ceremonies are live events for participants who successfully complete
their OPEN course. Participants will receive an invitation closer to the ceremony date, after grades
are confirmed.

OPEN Community of Practice (CoP)

Participants who successfully complete OPEN courses will be invited to the CoP after the course
ends. The CoP brings together OPEN alumni to continue their professional development and
learning together. Participants can explore the Discussion Forum, Resource Library and join
interest communities.
Login instructions to the CoP will be provided upon successful completion of an OPEN course.

Program Contacts
If you need information about... Contact Email Address

Registration Help or Course Questions FHI360 Support Team [email protected]

Orientation Questions or Help FHI360 Support Team [email protected]

Your Nominator at the

Certificate Questions (after successfully Regional English Language *Email addresses will vary.
completing the course) Office or Local U.S. Embassy

Accessing the Community of Practice FHI360 Alumni Team [email protected]