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The Thorpe Center

Online Teaching

The Dean of Curricular and Faculty Development, along with Thorpe's Instructional Design team, coordinate routinely with Faculty to develop IWU's approach to online teaching. As online learning becomes more prevalent, it is more important than ever to encourage best practices for all instructional modalities. We are here to support you in that endeavor!

Online Learning at IWU

To ensure IWU meets HLC Accreditation standards and Title IV funding requirements for online learning, all online learning courses must include the following three components:

  • Course Approval
  • LMS Approval
  • Instructor Approval

Methods of Approval

Each of the components can be completed in any order within one of the following two methods of approval:

Preferred Method: IWU Online Cohort

  • Course Approval: The course content/proposal is approved by CC for the curriculum. 
  • LMS and Instructor Approval: The Canvas course LMS and Instructor are approved upon successful completion of the IWU Online Course Development Cohort. Visit our Events and Workshops section to see when the next cohort is scheduled and register to participate.

Note: LMS approval is given for the course in development during the cohort only. Additional LMS approvals will need to follow the alternative method for approval.

Alternative Method: Evidence-Based Evaluation

  • Course Approval: The course content/proposal is approved by CC for the curriculum. 
  • LMS Approval: The Canvas course LMS is approved by the Thorpe Center for use in online instruction, based on the IWU Online Course standards. See a preview or complete the LMS Approval Form.
  • Instructor Approval: The instructor is approved upon successful submission of the Excellence in Online Teaching Evaluation, which includes both of the following:
    1. Evidence of acting as the lead instructor within the last 5 years of at least 1 fully online course  
    2. A self-evaluation of recent (within the last 5 years) online teaching experiences.

The self-evaluation portion asks the instructor to describe how measurable, regular and substantive interaction is facilitated in their online course. The Provost Office/Thorpe Center collects the evidence of online teaching development for each instructor and adds it to the permanent faculty file, which is required for online teaching accreditation. See a preview or complete the Instructor Approval Form.

Note: Exceptions to this process may be made in extenuating circumstances. Please direct questions to the Dean of Curricular and Faculty Development.

Course Approval ProcessLMS Approval FormInstructor Approval Form

FAQs

The Thorpe Center offers an annual Online Course Development Cohort, The Design and Practice of Online Teaching, and is the preferred method for completing instructor approval to teach online at IWU. Details and registration can be found under Events and Workshops.

The stipend for the Spring 2025 cohort is $500 for completion of the 12-week cohort course. The expected workload includes a 1 hour in-person meeting and 1 hour of asynchronous work each week.

Please note: Stipends for future semesters have not been determined.

There are four ways to get support with Canvas courses.

  1. Complete the asynchronous Canvas Course, IWU Designing and Teaching for Impact in Online Courses, which includes self-paced modules with content, activities, and examples. While no feedback is given throughout the modules, they can be used for self-evaluation.

  2. Access both instructor and student Canvas Support through these Instructure Community Guides.

  3. Attend a Canvas Support Pop Up Event. Check our Event page for upcoming dates.

  4. Schedule a meeting with the Instructional Design team.