A: Yes, all Happy Teacher courses are self-paced and all lessons are online. Most of our courses are designed to be completed in a month, using practical assignments for your classroom to meet the credit-hour requirements. We also offer project-based courses and book studies, which you can take a full semester (or less!) to complete.

A: Happy Teacher offers three types of courses: our regular courses offered monthly as well as project-based courses and book studies offered semesterly.

Regular Courses

These monthly courses are structured into clear, easy-to-follow modules that include a mix of short, engaging video lessons, relevant readings, and practical, classroom-based assignments. The assignments are designed to be meaningful and relevant to your work as an educator, such as:

• Reflective questions
• Interactive discussions
• Lesson planning activities
• Classroom strategy applications
• Written assignments

Project-Based Courses

Offered each semester, these courses are centered around a practical, classroom-based project and, in most cases, a log detailing your time on the project. These courses are self-paced, meaning you can take the entire semester to complete the project or you can work to quickly complete the project to receive your certificate and transcript.

Book Studies

Offered each semester, these courses are centered around an educational book. These courses are self-paced, meaning you can take the entire semester to complete the book and necessary assignment, or you can work to quickly complete the book to receive your certificate and transcript.

A: Our courses are a mixture of online lectures and resources delivered through the Schoology platform. 

Assignments are a mixture of discussions, quizzes, and hands-on projects. We pride ourselves on having relevant, meaningful course work that you’ll feel excited to implement in your classroom and your life.

A: Happy Teacher offers three types of courses: our regular courses offered monthly as well as project-based courses and book studies offered semesterly. Our rolling open enrollment means you can join a course at pretty much any time, and because the courses are self-paced, as long as you finish before the end of the designated course period (see below), you will earn your certificate and/or transcript.

Monthly Courses

Our regular courses are offered monthly, with registration beginning on the first day of the month and ending on the 21st. You can take the full month to complete the course or complete it over the final ten days of the month, allowing you to earn your certificate or transcript in a timely manner. 

Semester-Long Courses

We offer three semesters for our project-based courses and book studies. When you finish the requirements for the course, you do not need to wait until the end of the semester to process your grades, certificate, or transcript.

• Spring Semester: January - April (must be completed by April 30)
• Summer Semester: May - August (must be completed by August 31)
• Fall Semester: September - December (must be completed by December 31)

A: While every student is different, we recommend allowing for the following time allotments:

• 1-credit course = 15 hours
• 2-credit course = 30 hours
• 3-credit course = 45 hours
  

For Happy Teacher to maintain its accreditation, our courses must meet certain standards in terms of “clock hours” our students spend learning, which is why monthly registrations cut off on the 21st. Over 99.4% of Happy Teachers finish the course on time! The secret is using practical assignments for you to implement in your classroom, which count toward your hours. Each of our regular monthly courses is designed to be completed within the month you sign up, and our semester courses can be completed just as quickly (unless you prefer to pace them out over the full semester).

A: If you need more time to complete your Happy Teacher course, you can pay a $15 transfer fee to move your registration to the following month. Visit your course dashboard and change your start date by selecting “Change Start Date.”

• A: If you’re unsure whether professional development is the right investment, start with our free 5-day mini course to explore what it takes to move up the pay scale and what the return on your investment might be.
• If you’re committed to professional development but need to know if Happy Teacher is the right fit, start with our 1-credit Online Workshop, which addresses the core challenges teachers face, including heavy workloads, low pay, stress, and burnout.

If you’re ready to start moving up the payscale, check out the collection of our most popular courses. We put a lot of work into each and every class, so you can’t go wrong

A: We know it’s important to feel confident that Happy Teacher’s online courses will work for you. Our 1-credit courses are only $90, and you can earn your certificate of completion in just 15 hours of work.

A: To access your Happy Teacher course:

• Log into Happy Teacher
• Click on “My Courses”  
• Click on "Course Details"
• Click on “Go to My Course"

This will take you directly to your course without having to log into Schoology. No course code is required.

A: If you have a Schoology account associated with your teaching position or a parent account, you will first need to log out of Schoology, then log into the Happy Teacher website. Your courses should appear. If they do not, please contact us.

A: Happy Teacher partners with Upper Iowa University and Adams State University, both of which have regional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission, the gold standard held by most universities. This means our credits are transferrable and widely accepted by schools and school districts nationwide.

A. Regardless of whether you request your transcript from Upper Iowa University and Adams State University, your transcript will show a letter grade for your course:

• 90-100% = A
• 80-89% = B 
• <80 = F

A: When you finish your Happy Teacher course and your assignments have been graded, select “Complete Course” on your course dashboard. Completing the required course evaluation will trigger an email with your certificate of completion (please allow for 24 hours for us to verify you have met the requirements). You will also be able access the certificate from your dashboard at any time.

A: Upper Iowa University

When you finish your Happy Teacher course and your assignments have been graded, select “Complete Course” on your course dashboard. After completing the required course evaluation, your grades will automatically be sent to Upper Iowa University. Once they have posted your grade, you will get an email that your transcript is ready to order. You can order your digital transcript from the National Student Clearinghouse for $10. If you are taking multiple courses, wait until all grades have been posted so you only have to pay this fee once.

Adams State University

If you would like to receive your transcript from Adams State University, please purchase your course without graduate credit, as Adams State requires you to pay directly for your transcript. After you complete the course, email your instructor for the most up-to-date Adams State link. Adams State sends us grade sheets on the 1st and 15th of every month, and they will mail you a complimentary transcript 10-14 days after posting your grade. If you need a digital copy, you can order a digital copy for $16 from Parchment.

A: Yes, you have the option to add on graduate-level credit after completing any Happy Teacher course. Visit your course dashboard and select “purchase graduate-level credit” to send your grade to Upper Iowa University. If you would like to purchase a transcript from Adams State University, please contact your instructor for the most up-to-date link.

A: Yes, we partner with Upper Iowa University on an online Master’s in Education program. You can apply up to 12 Happy Teacher credits towards a M.Ed from the Upper Iowa University and save $2,840 on the cost of the degree. Visit our Master’s in Education page for more information

A: Because you receive immediate access to your course and can start learning right away, Happy Teacher does not offer refunds. Please check with your district and state before you purchase a class.

A: Yes, if you would like Happy Teacher to invoice your school or district, please contact us at classes@happyteacherpd.com.

A: Happy Teacher Cash is added to your account in the form of rewards points, which you can redeem for cash (similar to how credit card rewards work). The math isn’t complicated, 1 point = $1 of cash.

For example, you receive:

• $10 Happy Teacher cash for EVERY class you complete  
• $50 Happy Teacher cash for EVERY new friend or colleague you refer
• $5 for each: following us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube
• $10 on your birthday
  
  

When you’re ready to redeem your points, you have two options:

1. Redeem your points and any other available discounts during the checkout process.

Sign into your Happy Teacher account, visit the Rewards Portal, and scroll to the bottom of the page. Enter the number of points you want to redeem, and the portal will generate a unique discount code for you to use at checkout.

A:

• Sign into your Happy Teacher account and visit the Rewards Portal.
• Scroll down to find your unique referral URL under Refer Friends.
• Share your URL with friends and colleagues via email or social media. 
• All they need to do for now is click the link and enter their email.
• Once they purchase their first course, they’ll receive $50.
• Once we verify the referral is a new customer, you will receive $50.

A: Some rewards are awarded instantaneously, try refreshing the rewards page first. Other rewards may take up to 24 hours to process, such as your rewards for completing a course. As for referral rewards, we must manually review each referral to verify that it’s a new student; we typically turn these approvals around in 24-48 business hours. Your points are valid for 1 year and can be redeemed at any time for a unique discount code. Once redeemed, the points will be subtracted from your account.

A: To redeem your rewards for Happy Teacher gear, please contact us at classes@happyteacherpd.com. Tell us the gear you want and the address you’d like it shipped to, and we’ll handle the rest.

A: You can contact “classes@happyteacherpd.com” for any questions or additional information.