The Center for Online Learning, Research, and Service (COLRS) supports UIS faculty, instructors, teaching assistants, and staff.

Note: Instructional design and multimedia projects will be approved and completed based on the availability of COLRS staff and institutional priorities.

Instructional Design Process for Courses

The instructional designers on the COLRS Team work together with instructors as subject matter experts (SMEs) to develop online courses using best practices in course design and teaching practices. Courses developed with COLRS will meet Quality Matters standards. Please review these videos to learn more about the specialized design work that the COLRS team offers.

Transforming Course Content

Refreshing Formative Assessments

Schedule Workshops for Departments/Units

We offer individual or small group (departmental) workshops on teaching and instructional technology across the spectrum of learning modalities -- online, blended, remote, and synchronous. Here are some possible workshop topics, but custom workshop topics are always welcome! Reach out to plan the right workshop for your unit. We've presented at department meetings, all-college meetings, and unit retreats, as well as special interest groups and committee meetings.

  • UDOIT for course accessibility
  • TidyUP for cleaning up unused course materials
  • DesignPlus topics (syllabus and page templates)
  • Canvas outcomes
  • Canvas basics
  • Building a course template 
  • UDL -- universal design for learning
  • Effective home page design
  • Quality assurance rubric
  • Backwards design
  • Writing learning outcomes
  • Rubrics/equity in grading
  • Best practices in online, blended, hyflex, or synchronous course design
  • Assessment, grading, and feedback strategies
  • Collaborative learning

Consultations on Specific Course

Instructional Design Consultations

Teaching consultations may be one-time or a series of sessions, depending on the needs of the individual instructor or small group (department). Consultations begin with a conversation about the goals of the instructor(s) and learning objectives for the course. COLRS staff provides resources and support, as available.

Teaching consultation may be on any topic. Some common requests are:

  • Online, blended, or hyflex teaching strategies
  • Authentic assessment methods
  • Active learning strategies
  • Collaborative learning (group work)
  • Problem-based learning
  • Grading and feedback strategies
  • Program assessment
  • Course organization structures
  • Effective home page design

Learning Technologies Consultations

COLRS works with faculty to select and integrate technologies that meet or enhance the learning outcomes for the course. Our staff will ask you what you need the technology to do pedagogically, and then direct you to tools and resources that will meet your established learning outcomes.

We are open to exploring new technologies with you, providing they meet the university's accessibility and FERPA standards.

  • Creating an accessible syllabus 
  • Tools for formative assessments in online classes
  • Creating and integrating videos and multimedia for teaching
  • Using Harmonize discussion, peer review, multimedia, platform
  • Textbook resource integration
  • Grading and testing online
  • Managing a course using Canvas
  • Adapting course materials for online learning
  • Developing online discussions
  • Identifying additional campus resources for teaching with technology