ION Professional eLearning Program is administered by Continuing and Professional Education and the Center for Online Learning, Research, and Service at the University of Illinois Springfield.

Funding

ION Professional eLearning Program is partially funded by the University of Illinois Springfield to provide professional development in the area of online teaching and learning to faculty at partner community colleges in Illinois, the three campuses of the University of Illinois, and around the world.

History of ION Professional eLearning Programs

With the advent of the World Wide Web in 1992, colleges and universities recognized the potential of the internet to deliver learning opportunities globally. In Illinois, the University of Illinois system built upon their expertise in computer assisted instruction to lead in the early deployment of courses online. By 1997, the Illinois General Assembly recognized this leadership by funding the Illinois Online Network to be administered by the university.

Dr. Hoyet Hemphill

Dr. Hoyet Hemphill has been at Western Illinois University, as a professor of Instructional Design and Technology since 2002. He currently serves as Program Graduate Director. Professional background includes conducting research, demonstrations, and presentations in simulations and virtual learning environments.

ION Professional eLearning Programs Alumni

Michael Boyd

(Master Online Teacher and Master Online Leader & Administrator Certificates)

Both badges and certificates recognize achievements in professional development. Badges are typically awarded for smaller, "stackable" achievements, such as a course or workshop where learners master a specific skill. In ION, badges are awarded per course. Certificates are awarded when learners complete an entire program, or a series of courses that lead to certification of expertise in a certain subject area. ION certificates and badges are issued through Credly. 

Yes! Faculty and staff at Illinois community colleges and founding ION institutions can receive a discount on courses. Contact ION staff to receive the discount code before registering. Your account will be verified through your college email address. 

If you are an individual who does not qualify for institutional discounts, you can still receive a discount by enrolling in a certificate program rather than individual courses. 

This professional certificate program focuses on foundational information and specific skills for educators, instructional designers, and other staff who develop digital resources for courses.

The courses provide skills that satisfy the current WCAG standards upon which U.S., Canadian, and European Union accessibility guidelines, policies, and laws are based.

The OER professional certificate prepares participants to harness the power of high-quality, free educational resources to support student learning. This professional development certificate is offered completely online and is comprised of three 4-week courses and one 8-week course.   

Required Courses

You must complete the following courses to be eligible for the OER professional certificate:

This professional certificate prepares participants with knowledge related to online course design, online instruction, and other issues related to online teaching and learning. These competencies make a master online teacher.

To earn the Master Online Teaching professional certificate, you must successfully complete:

You can register people at your organization for courses in two ways. 

1. Set up a pre-paid account with ION. This allows institutions to put available funds in an account and spend it throughout the year on ION professional development courses. Contact us at ion@uis.edu to set up your account.
2. Send a list of participants to ION for enrollment. We can invoice an institutional contact.