Online & Distance Education (ODE), in cooperation with ITS-Educational Technology and the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, provides comprehensive instructional support for faculty members who wish to develop online courses. instructional developers work individually with faculty and staff using Blackboard, Our online learning management system, to develop courses in an online format. No prior experience with Blackboard or specialized knowledge of the Internet is required. 

Instructional Development Support

As you consider developing a new course online or revising an existing one, our Instructional Development (ID) team is ready to help you with all aspects of the online course development process – from implementation or revision to developing interesting and engaging course activities, and anything in between.

Let us help you...

  • Convert course content to an online format within Blackboard
  • Develop engaging and interactive course materials and activities
  • Design exams using best practices for online exams
  • Effectively use tools such as Blackboard, Panopto, Zoom, Turnitin and VoiceThread
  • Troubleshoot technical issues as the course progresses
  • Become familiar with the Blackboard environment and its instructional features
  • Identify course options and provide course content design recommendations

Prior to converting course materials online, we ask that instructors do the following:

  • Review ODE’s operational procedures for online courses
  • Consult with ODE to share course objectives
  • Provide course content electronically, so your assigned instructional developer can place it into Blackboard
  • Participate in one of Quality Matters’ (QM) professional development trainings for online teaching and development

Meet the Instructional Development Team

Michelle Kosalka headshot

Michelle Kosalka

Instructional Support Services Manager

michelle.kosalka@uni.edu
319-273-7203

Caran Howard headshot

Caran Howard

Lead Instructional Development Specialist

caran.howard@uni.edu
319-273-7639

Kara Guyer headshot

Kara Guyer

Instructional Development Specialist

kara.guyer@uni.edu
319-273-6736

purple box with person icon

Christine Hilger

Instructional Development Specialist

christine.hilger@uni.edu
319-273-7885

professional photo of Kristin Johnson

Kristin Johnson

Instructional Development Specialist

kristin.johnson1@uni.edu
319-273-2400

Online Teaching and Design Resources

Designing an online course comes with its own set of particular benefits and challenges, and teaching online also presents benefits and challenges. To help make your course as engaging and effective as possible, here are some helpful resources: