Accessibility | Content Resources | Contacting Students
Peer Mentors | Proctored Exams | Course Evaluations
Grade Submission
Preparing to teach online at UIS involves several steps, including constructing the course components in the online environment using the Blackboard Learning Management System (LMS).
Take some time to read about the areas listed below, but COLRS also suggests at a minimum that you also review the Pedagological Considerations information.
Accessibility
As part of the course design process you will need to think about how to handle any accessibility issues that students may encounter in a online environment. Some of the resources listed below should provide you with some concrete solutions.
- Eliminating Accessibility Barriers in Online Education (pdf)
by David Barrow-Britton and Morgan Geddie (Sloan-C conference proceeding)
An excellent summary page on accessibility - Cal State System Discussion of 508 Compliance
- A New Age of Accessibility
by Laura Hudson
Great article summarizing section 508 - Web Accessibility in Mind
Posting regarding Capella lawsuit on WebCT accessibility
Screen Reader Tools
- Free Screen Reader from NaturalSoft
- PowerTalk speaks any presentation running in Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows.
Content Resources
Not all course content necessarily needs to be developed from scratch. There are many sources that provide relevant and valid content that you may either link to or import into Blackboard.
- ConneXions
“A place to view and share education material made of small knowledge chunks call modules” - Higher Ed Podcast Repository
“An international clearinghouse for the sharing of available lectures, conversations, speeches, and related podcasts for higher education worldwide” - MERLOT
A free resource with links to online learning materials, peer reviews, and assignments. Designed primarily for higher education. - Federal Resource for Educational Excellence
“Teaching and learning resources from federal agencies” - Wisconsin Online Learning Object Repository
“A digital library of Web-based learning resources called learning objects” - Center for Online Educators
Contains teaching resources as well as articles and teaching tips - Maricopa Learning Exchange
“An electronic warehouse of ideas, examples, and resources [...] that support student learning” at an Arizona community college. - Gateway to 21st Century Skills
Comprehensive resources for lesson planning. Designed for K-12 teachers. - Virtual Library Museums Pages
“A comprehensive directory of on-line museums and museum-related resources” - Virtual Labs and Simulations
Links to digital simulations of physics principles.
Contacting Students
It is very important for students to know where, when, and how to start their online class. COLRS has provided a sample letter that you may use to send to your students. All you have to do is copy the text below.
January 3 , 2005
Dear PAC 442 Class Member:
Welcome to our online class! We should have an interesting time this semester. I hope you will learn much about the Internet, methods and modes of communication through the ‘net, efficient ways to find what you are looking for on the ‘net, and possible futures for this medium of communication. I do not plan for our class to meet in person as a class. All of our lectures, discussions, office visits, and final presentations can be done online. But, of course, I am happy to meet with anyone who wants to come to campus to my office at HRB-78.
I have put our class syllabus, all of our class readings (via hyperlinks), our discussion board, and some announcements at our virtual classroom site at http://bb.uis.edu (Note that there is no “www” in that). You’ll need to login to the Blackboard server and gain access through the course catalog on that site or the hyperlink under the portal heading “My Classes”. Your username logon for Blackboard is your NetID. For more information on UIS NetIDs or to look up your NetID visit http://www.uis.edu/cts/netid/. If you have never established a Blackboard password, your password for Blackboard will be the same password that you establish for your NetID. Passwords can also be set from the same web site mentioned above, http://www.uis.edu/cts/netid/. If you have used Blackboard in the previous semester, the login and password you established will not have changed. If you need assistance with your NetID or Password, please contact UIS TechSupport .
The http://bb.uis.edu site will be our “home” on the web for the term. You will be expected to visit our site at least once every week during which classes are in session. All of the lectures and readings for the term are already posted. You are to “participate” in class by posting at least one response to each “question of the week” which I will place on the discussion board each Monday. For full participation credit, you are encouraged to make additional postings. You may post your responses anytime during the week (day or night; weekday or weekend). You will post your final paper on the discussion board as well.
I will be available to you in a variety of ways:
You may come to my office HRB-78 – note this is a recent change (I am generally in during regular office hours, though I have lots of meetings).
You may email me at schroeder.ray@uis.edu
You may “IM” (instant message) me at RaySchroed using the AOL Instant Messenger (free download at http://www.aol.com/aim )
You may telephone me at 217-206-7531.I really look forward to communicating with you this semester! Suggestions are always welcome. See you on the Internet!
—Ray Schroeder
Professor of Communication
Peer Mentors
The Peer Mentor program refers to a student modeling the role of the successful online student within an online class.
Online peer mentors are not simply representatives of the instructor but play a very distinctive role as peer mentors in classroom activities, sharing their experience, fostering discussion, and modeling the role of a successful student. In addition, they are asked not to perform any activities pertaining to grading.
See the Peer Mentoring website for addtional information.
Proctored Exams
Some UIS instructors may require proctored exams. When a UIS online student needs to take an exam, he or she will be required to make arrangements in advance for the exam to be proctored (supervised).
Printable Forms
Course Evaluations
Prior to the end of the semester you should receive and email prompting you to direct students to the online course evaluation. You may just want to copy the link into an Announcement. The evaluation is located at https://onlineevals.uis.edu/evaluation/
Grade Submission
Both on-campus and online courses have the same deadline for reporting student grades. Final grades must be entered in an online system called Banner.
To Enter Grades in Banner:
- Go to https://apps.uillinois.edu/selfservice/
- Click on UIS.
- Login with your UIS NetID/Password.
- Click on “Faculty & Advisor Services.”
- Then click “Faculty Services.”
- Click on “Final Grade Entry.”
- Select the desired semester and class.
- Enter your grades.
- Press “Submit” to complete the process.
