EIU Faculty Development and Innovation Center

Excellence in Online Instruction

Welcome to Excellence in Online Instruction from the Faculty Development and Innovation Center. This suite of certification courses and resources are available to EIU faculty to provide professional development opportunities to engage with best practices in online course development, design, and pedagogy. There are several pathways to access and complete these courses and access their resources. This Pathways to Excellence in Online Instruction chart details where to begin depending on an individual's previous training and certifications. 

The Excellence in Online Instruction suite of opportunities includes:

• Online Course Development

  • Online Course Development Institute (OCDi)

    • The Online Course Development Institute was established to provide faculty at Eastern Illinois University a professional development opportunity to experience best practices in online teaching and guidance in quality online course development. The OCDi is for EIU faculty developing or redesigning an online course and teaching online for the first time at EIU.

  • Online Course Development Resources (OCDr)

    • The Online Course Development Resources site was established to provide faculty at Eastern Illinois University with resources for best practices in online teaching and guidance in quality online course development. The resources are for EIU faculty that have already completed the OCDi (Online Course Development Institute) or met the Online Course Policy requirement by some other means.

• Online Teaching Certificate

  • The FDIC created the Online Teaching Certificate to provide faculty at Eastern Illinois University professional development opportunities to engage with best practices in online course design and pedagogy. The Online Teaching Certificate is for EIU faculty who have completed the Online Course Development Institute (OCDi) or met EIU’s Online Course Policy requirement by another means, and who have been teaching an online course(s) at EIU. The Online Teaching Certificate includes two distinct courses: the Quality Online Design Institute and the Online Teaching Strategies Institute.

    • Quality Online Design Institute (QODi)

      • QODi was established to provide faculty at EIU with a professional development opportunity to improve the quality of online education and student learning. QODi incorporates the Quality Matters Standards therefore will help faculty prepare their course for the Quality Online Course Certification in addition to the first course in earning the Online Teaching Certificate.

    • Online Teaching Strategies Institute (OTSi)

      • OTSi is for EIU faculty that have completed the Quality Online Design Institute (QODi) or have earned the Quality Online Course Certification (QOC) within the past three years and have taught at least one online course. As you complete the OTSi, you will redesign portions of your online course(s) using concepts presented for effective teaching strategies. OTSi is focused on the best practices for online pedagogy and the science of learning and includes valuable resources from well-established applications.

• Quality Online Course (QOC) Certification

  • The FDIC recognizes the hard work and dedication of EIU faculty for their excellence in online education and quality online course design. To recognize these efforts, the FDIC will award a certificate for quality online courses. Certificates will be awarded based on an internal course review using the Quality Matters Higher Education Rubric.