Many alternatively certified teachers, as was the case in this study, are employed as the teacher of record while simultaneously enrolled in education courses. Therefore, experiencing the collaborative, supportive, peer mentoring environmental elements that are present in many traditional "fieldwork" settings is not an option. By examining one university's initiative to support the alternatively certified educator via an online mentoring and professional development course offering, this study focused, in detail, upon the characteristics of the course itself, and evaluated from the course participants' perspective, the effectiveness of the newly re-designed course, as measured by the course goals and objectives. More specifically, this study sought to investigate four themes regarding participants' perceptions: peer mentoring and support; professional development in the area of pedagogy; effectiveness of the online course delivery format; and the effectiveness of course specific components. This study furthers the understanding of the methods by which teacher education programs can provide support and professional development opportunities for those educators who have entered the profession via alternative routes. The findings of this study lend support to the belief that teacher preparation programs can effectively utilize well-designed, appropriately structured online coursework to foster the development of professional learning communities designed to provide mentoring and peer support. By incorporating assignments that present content that is meaningful, relevant and applicable to the individual student, online courses of this type can support the professional development of the alternatively certified educator.