Our Services
Providing academic outreach since 1913
Our mission is to provide exemplary leadership and support in the planning, development, promotion and delivery of high-quality online, off-campus and blended courses and programs offered through distance education.
Online Course & Program Development
- Initiate contact with departments and professors to encourage the development of distance and continuing education courses and programs. Identify market opportunities and strategies to meet educational needs that exist beyond traditional on-campus offerings.
- Obtain approval for course offerings by instructor, academic department head, college dean and graduate dean (if a graduate level course).
- Assist faculty and departments with the planning and coordination of curriculum. Assess the demand for courses and programs and estimate the costs of delivery. Coordinate scheduling and monitor program delivery.
- Promote course and program offerings through the Online & Distance Education website, targeted mailings, e-marketing and media advertising. Track interest in programs and courses.
- Pay course expenses, including instructor overload salaries. Compile revenues and expenses for each course.
Student Support
- Schedule video conferencing sessions and provide technical support services.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for distance education students in accessing support services available from the university. Advocate for the needs of distance education students and seek continuous improvement in serving this population.
- Receive, review and approve registration submissions.
- Provide course information and materials to students, including information about textbooks/course packets, UIDs, instructions about online services.
- Arrange and pay for exam proctors, as needed.
- Enter course information, including tuition and fees, on the student information system. Reconcile billings.
- Provide an opportunity for student assessments. Assess student support services each semester.
Professional Development & Faculty Support
- Provide comprehensive instructional development assistance and professional development for courses taught via video conferencing and Blackboard.
- Lead efforts to implement Quality Matters as the university's framework for online course development.
- Provide a primary point of contact for all distance education inquiries from departmental offices, instructors, students, and the Iowa Board of Regents.
- Represent UNI in distance education organizations around the state, including the Western Iowa Regents Resource Center and the Iowa Lakeside Laboratory.
- Compile distance and continuing education data (e.g., the course offerings and semester enrollment reports, as well as the annual Board of Regents Distance Education report and the Higher Learning Commission).