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According to a study conducted by researchers at Grand Canyon University in 2013 (pdf), “full-time online faculty reported spending the majority of their time on two teaching tasks: grading papers and assignments (36.93% of weekly time) and facilitating discussion threads (14.73% of instructional time).” We recognize the hard work and effort instructors spend on giving their students meaningful feedback, but we also recognize the need to streamline the grading process so your time can be spent elsewhere.

book with arms for pages and text Open Educational Resources

The FY24 budget for the state of Illinois appropriated $3 million in funding that the Illinois State Library has made for authoring, revising/remixing, updating, or creating ancillary materials for OER textbooks. The Open Educational Resource grant has a close turnaround time, with a maximum award of $150,000. Multiple grants can be submitted from the same institution. Applications are due to the Illinois State Library by April 1, 2024.

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Syllabus Statements

Whether you want to encourage or discourage students' use of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools in your course, syllabus statements are a great way to frame the conversation about generative AI with your students. COLRS has created a common document for UIS instructors to share the generative AI syllabus statements. Please email your AI syllabus language to COLRS for it to be added on your behalf.

Improved Course Navigation

For students in online courses, Canvas course sites are their experience of our university. An organized and consistent layout that specifically directs student attention scaffolds success. A carefully designed course homepage is a great first step in guiding your students through the materials and experiences you've designed in your course.

canvas course home page

Just before our winter break, we shared with you some information about adding a homepage to your Canvas courses. However, if that information got lost in the commotion of finals week and the winter break, or if you’re thinking of ways to employ “plus-one” thinking into your courses this term, then utilizing DesignPLUS for your course homepage is a great place to start!

Synchronous eLearning

Synchronous eLearning is learning that takes place online in real-time and enables students and instructors to ask and answer questions immediately. Tools like online text chat or videoconferencing are considered synchronous learning.

Zoom is a robust web conferencing platform integrated with Canvas at UIS. Faculty can schedule and start Zoom meetings from within Canvas. Students can easily join Zoom meetings and access cloud recordings through the Zoom menu in Canvas courses.

plus one approach

The "Plus One" strategy revolves around consistently adding one new element, feature, or improvement to your course to continually enhance its quality. Here's how to apply this approach effectively:

Kaltura (My Media) Videos

Kaltura Media is the video management solution at UIS. Kaltura is accessed through the My Media link in Canvas courses. Faculty and students may upload videos created on devices (camcorders, phones, etc.) or record webcam or screen capture videos through Kaltura.  

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Key Dates

  • New to Canvas? Learn with us. Join the Canvas Basics Zoom workshop on January 11th at Noon.
  • Students added to Canvas on Friday, January 5th
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