Online Degrees, Certificates, and Courses

News

Illinois graduates inaugural cohort of the Strategic Brand Communication master’s degree program | 11.30.2018

On October 27, 2018 the inaugural cohort of the Strategic Brand Communication program graduated. The SBC master's degree program is a collaboration between the College of Media, Gies College of Business, and the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning.

Read more about the graduating SBC class and learn more about the program.

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University of Illinois to Host Health Communication Conference | 11.26.2018

The University of Illinois' Health Communication Online Master of Science (HCOM) program will host the third annual, 100 percent online conference, titled: Health Communication Barriers, Breakthroughs, and Best Practices (HCB3), February 25 through March 1, 2019, and has issued a call for presentations from academics and professionals engaged in health communication.

The conference will be appropriate for professionals in many areas of healthcare, particularly those with an interest in the intersections between technology and patient experiences, health literacy, provider-patient communication, cultural health communication, e-health accessibility, and application of theory to real-world practice.

This year’s conference will host the inaugural Dale Brashers Memorial Lecture. Professor Brashers played a pivotal role in the Department of Communication for more than two decades. One of his many accomplishments during this time was his vision for the program at the University of Illinois. Sadly, he passed away just a few months prior to the program’s first class. Delivering the 2019 Dale Brashers Memorial Lecture is Dr. Susan Morgan, from the University of Miami.

“The Dale Brashers Memorial Lecture represents the very best in Health Communication scholarship. Following in the example provided to us by Dale, this year's presenter, Dr. Susan Morgan, continues to make significant contributions, both in theory and practice,” said Brian Quick, Director, Health Communication Online Master of Science Program, Department of Communication.

The open call for presentations invites participation from educators, graduate students, postdoctoral students, researchers, and professionals of all healthcare fields to submit presentations for this conference. As HCB3 will be online and asynchronous, a wide variety of presentation modes (video, PowerPoint presentations and Prezi) are encouraged to create a dynamic and interactive conference community. Prospective authors may submit their presentations via electronic submission process for consideration through January 15, 2019.

During the conference, each presentation will be rated by conference attendees and an award will be given to the top 10 best presentations (determined by number of views and average rating).

About the HCB3 Sponsor: The HCOM Program
The Health Communication Online Master of Science (HCOM) program provides a unique perspective and approach to health communication, recognizing that health outcomes depend significantly on communication processes. The HCOM program is asynchronous and offered 100 percent online with a comprehensive, interdisciplinary mix of health communication specializations including interpersonal, family, organizational, socially mediated, and cultural communication. These specializations appeal to interests in a wide variety of professional healthcare fields, including medicine, nursing, pharmaceuticals, public health, healthcare administration, and patient advocacy. The pace of the program accommodates the lifestyle of the working professional, enabling students to advance their expertise and education without sacrificing work or home life.

About Dr. Susan Morgan:
Dr. Susan E. Morgan (BA, University of Massachusetts, 1990; MA, University of Arizona, 1993; Ph.D., University of Arizona, 1997) is the Associate Provost for Research Development and Strategy at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, USA, where she also holds an appointment as Full Professor in the Communication Studies department. Until 2017, she served as Associate Dean for Research for the School of Communication as well as the Director for the Center for Communication, Culture, and Change.

Dr. Morgan’s research interests involve the design and evaluation of persuasive messages targeting health behavior change in multicultural populations. Her research has been supported by over $12 million in grant funding from state and national sources, including the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Dr. Morgan's current research uses qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to investigate message design features that increase the effectiveness of health-promotive campaigns. Her current area of primary interest is in cancer communication, particularly the development of multilevel interventions designed to improve clinical trial accrual. Much of her previous research involved developing and evaluating multimedia campaigns to promote organ donation in worksite and community settings. Additionally, Dr. Morgan has conducted large-scale studies of how the mass media frames organ donation and the effects of that framing on public attitudes and behaviors toward donor registration.

Dr. Morgan serves on the editorial boards of five journals and is an active reviewer for 15 journals. She has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in the area of health communication. Her research has appeared in medical and leading social science journals including Clinical Transplantation, Communication Monographs, Journal of Communication, Communication Theory, Journal of Applied Communication Research, Journal of Applied Social Psychology, Health Psychology, and the Journal of the National Medical Association. She is also the author of a book, From Numbers to Words: Reporting Statistical Results for the Social Sciences.

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University of Illinois launches Coursera for Illinois | 10.17.2018

The University of Illinois is pleased to launch Coursera for Illinois, a program specifically for the Urbana-Champaign campus community. All students, staff, and faculty now have free access to Illinois’ 60+ online courses and specializations offered on the Coursera platform.

Illinois’ courses on the Coursera platform, created by our colleges, and taught by Illinois faculty, feature material from their on-campus courses and scholarly work. The courses are developed using best practices in online course design to create engaging, effective learning experiences.

“Our land-grant mission is to enhance the lives of citizens in Illinois, across the nation, and around the world by providing transformative learning experiences. We want to give back to the Illinois community by allowing full access to these open courses at no cost for students, staff, and faculty at the Urbana-Champaign campus,” said Adam D. Fein, Assistant Provost for Educational Innovation.

The courses available via the Coursera for Illinois program enable you to advance your career, explore an interest, or expand your skill set. By completing a series of courses, you can earn a certificate which can be used to share your accomplishments, highlight a new skill, and gain knowledge to further share with employers and peers.

About Coursera

Coursera was founded in 2012 by two Stanford Computer Science professors who wanted to share their knowledge and skills with the world. Professors Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng put their courses online for anyone to take – and taught more learners in a few months than they could have in an entire lifetime in the classroom.

Since then, they’ve built a platform where anyone, anywhere can learn and earn credentials from the world’s top universities and education providers.

About Illinois Online

At the University of Illinois, we continue to lead and explore innovations in higher education that build on our academic reputation and proven strengths in online teaching and learning. Longevity and experience have made us a pioneer and leader in innovative distance and online education, and we are always integrating new best practices, regardless of the modality. Our world-renowned faculty and award-winning content developers have worked collaboratively to develop more than 90 online degree and certificate options and more than 1700 Online Course Sections for learners across the globe.

For more information about this Coursera for Illinois program, visit http://online.illinois.edu/online-courses/moocs/.

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Illinois Online offers short-format winter session courses | 10.11.2018

Urbana, IL – Illinois Online at the University of Illinois will be offering short-format online courses to current undergraduate students and non-degree students from around the globe this winter. The courses are rigorous, yet manageable, and provide students with the chance to either complete general education requirements, alleviate credit hours needed during the spring or fall semester, or increase their overall G.P.A.

Online courses offer the flexibility to learn from nationally recognized faculty wherever you are. A wide variety of courses are offered and use the same technology as we use in our everyday lives.

“The courses offered during winter session provide students numerous opportunities to learn from top-ranked faculty and benefit from the rich learning experiences offered at Illinois. Students can use this time to shorten their course load during the semester or take an extra course to get ahead,” said Michel Bellini, Director of the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning.

Check out our website to hear more about what students who have completed online courses had to say about their experience! For more information about winter courses at the University of Illinois, visit online.illinois.edu/winter.

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Events

Date	Event
12.12.2018	Last Day of Fall Semester Courses (?)
12.20.2018	Final Exams (12/14 - 12/20) (?)
12.20.2018	Deadline to Drop a Winter Course for 100% Refund (?)
12.21.2018	First Day of Winter Session Courses (?)
1.12.2019	Last Day of Winter Session Courses & Finals (?)
1.14.2019	First Day of Spring Semester (?)
1.21.2019	Martin Luther King Day (all-campus holiday) (?)

Online Illinois Calendar

Blogs

A look into Information, Accessibility, Design, and Policy at Illinois | 12.5.2018

In collaboration with the Division of Disability Resources and Educational Services, the College of Applied Health Sciences continues our pioneering efforts on behalf of the full inclusion of people with disabilities by developing the very first university-based professional certificate in Information Accessibility Design and Policy.

The person that transformed the University of Illinois’ policies for people with disabilities: Tim Nugent. “Tim Nugent was a pioneer for disability rights and accessibility, founding a first-of-its-kind program at the University of Illinois, leading research efforts, and advocating for changes that would have influence well beyond the campus ”(Illinois News Bureau).

To honor Nugent and his many innovations, we are Introducing the Timeline of Disability & Accessibility by IADP at Illinois. Dr. Nugent achieved a number of significant “firsts” in serving people with disabilities at the University of Illinois.

1949: First National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament & Founded NWBA
Nugent created the first National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament which lead to the creation of the NWBA to provide a year-round structure to wheelchair basketball” (NWBA).

1950: The first curb cuts at a post-secondary institution
“Curb cuts on campus promote accessibility for people in wheelchairs and can also serve as a directional guide for the blind” (Illinois Archives).

1952: The first fixed-routine buses with wheelchair lifts.
“When students first came to the Champaign-Urbana campus, there were two transportation options available: push to class or schedule a ride with someone who had a car. In 1952, that changed when the "Blue Bulls," two buses with hydraulic lifts, made their debut. Seats on one side were removed to allow wheelchair access to the remaining row of seats and to accommodate storage. These buses laid the groundwork for accessible metropolitan transportation systems now available nationwide” (Illinois Archives).

1959: The first and still only residential program to serve students with severe disabilities who require assistance in performing daily living tasks and the first state-of-the-art residential hall integrating students with and without disabilities in a unique living-learning community. Otherwise known as the “Illinois Program Model.”

“Division of Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) and the Greenbrier Nursing Home of Champaign built the hall Tanbier. Disability support services personnel at the University of Illinois sought to create a means by which students who needed assistance with activities of daily living could move away from home, reside in the Champaign-Urbana community, attend the University of Illinois, and become better prepared to manage their disability-related needs and move to the locale of the best available employment opportunity after graduation” (An Exploration into the Barriers and Facilitators Experienced by University Graduates with Disabilities Requiring Personal Assistance Services). Photo: Tim Nugent Hall is a LEED certified hall and houses mostly upper-division undergraduates, and the first floor is home to the Beckwith Residential Community program for students with severe physical disabilities.

1961: The first study abroad program for students with disabilities
Sweden’s Central Committee on Rehabilitation awarded Nugent as an “outstanding expert in rehabilitation.” This funded Illinois’ DRES program to fund the first post-secondary institution to organize national and international trips for individuals with disabilities, host workshops, and provide demos dispelling negative, stereotypical attitudes & beliefs about persons with disabilities” (The History of Discrimination in U.S. Education).

1962: 18 wheelchair-using students and alumni traveled to South Africa in 1962 to show what these students with disabilities and alumni had accomplished.

1965: The University of Illinois piloted its first study abroad program to Auix-en-Providence, France, for disabled university students.

1973: Tim Nugent is inducted into the Wheelchair Basketball Hall of Fame.
“Always a visionary, Dr. Nugent expanded wheelchair basketball beyond the VA hospitals to bring structure to the sport and create worldwide adoption and acceptance for wheelchair basketball. That acceptance has seen the sport grow into one that is now competed on the program of the Paralympic Games and Parapan Am Games, and which has been enjoyed by millions of people.”

1984: The first college-level adapted sports and recreation program. This produced the first wheelchair athlete in the world to win the Olympics. Sharon Hedrick, won a gold track medal at the Olympic Games by breaking the world record. She finished with a time of 2:15.73 in the 800m wheelchair. She successfully defended this title at the following games in South Korea.

About Illinois Online
At Illinois, we understand that today’s learners want and need options for their education and we are leading the way in innovative higher education delivery modalities. From high school students pursuing online math programs to residential students taking an online course to improve their time to degree to working professionals who want or need certifications, to career changers pursuing a fully online degree, to personal curiosity from someone who wants to explore a subject area. Illinois offers an extensive range of online academic options to students around the globe including 90+ Online Degree, Certificate and Endorsement Programs, 1700+ Online Course Sections, Online Learners from Across the Globe and 3.2 million MOOC Learners (Massive Open Online Courses). For more information visit: https://online.illinois.edu/.

About IADP
Through the professional certificate program in Information Accessibility Design and Policy (IADP), website developers, programmers, designers, information technology specialists, compliance officers, educators, and disability service providers will learn about the following: Principles of accessible information architecture and universal design information technologies used in educational, healthcare, corporate, and employment settings. Federal and state legal mandates governing information technology accessibility and their relationship to the civil rights of people with disabilities. Information technology accessibility standards, design practices that enable adherence to those standards, and tools that support validation and evidence of compliance to those standards. Each certificate requires the completion of three graduate courses (2 hours each, a total of 6 hours). For more information visit: http://iadp.ahs.illinois.edu/.

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Take Online Courses This Winter Break | 10.26.2018

It seems like the school year just began, but the end of the semester is starting to creep up on us. During this time, students are beginning to decide what they want to do during their winter break. If you have no plans, or even if you do, consider taking an online course during your time off! Winter courses allow students to stay on track or get ahead by providing them with a flexible and beneficial learning experience while learning valuable skills such as time management and goal setting. These courses run from December 21 through January 12 can fulfill requirements for your major or allow you to maximize your time with an interesting course! Below are a few, but not all, of the courses you can take this winter!

Econ 102 & 103: Economics 102 and 103 are courses that many majors on campus require for graduation. ECON 102 (Microeconomics) offers an introduction to the functions of individualistic decision makers, both consumers and producers, within the larger economic systems. ECON 103 (Macroeconomics) provides students with a much broader overview of economics including an introduction to the theory of determination of total or aggregate income, employment, output, price levels, and the role of money in the economy. If you’re looking to get one of these courses out of the way, or simply want to take an interesting and useful general education class, consider taking one of these this winter break.

ASTR 100: If you were one of the many kids who dreamt of being an astronaut one day, then this course is for you! ASTR 100 introduces students to the basic topics of modern astronomy including the night sky, the solar system and its origin, the nature and evolution of stars, and even black holes. This course not only satisfies a gen ed requirement but also provides you with interesting and useful material that you can use to impress your friends for years to come.

BADM Courses: Illinois offers a number of Business Administration courses during the winter semester including BADM 310, 320, 380, and more! A number of majors require or recommend their students take a BADM course, and the winter session is a great way for students to use their free time over winter break to accomplish this. BADM courses are also highly beneficial for any major on campus and will provide interesting material for any student. Check out all of the BADM courses offered this winter break here.

GEOG 204: If you’re stuck at home this winter break, let GEOG 204 take you around the world! This course examines ten major regions of the world, allowing students to explore the significant urban patterns and processes, built and natural environments, and social, economic, and cultural landscapes of each. Don’t let your winter break go to waste! Register for GEOG 204 and explore the world.

The courses listed above are just a few of the many courses that we offer during winter break! Visit our website to view our course catalog, and to learn more about why you should choose Illinois Online this winter break. Whether you want to get ahead, stay on track, or simply take an interesting course, our winter session is perfect for you.

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Illinois Online Educates Students About Online Learning at Quad Day | 9.7.2018

With the start of a new semester comes thousands of incoming students eager to explore what the University of Illinois has to offer. Quad day allows students to explore hundreds of student-run clubs and local organizations. Whether you want to bond over your love of Shrek (Yes, there’s a Shrek fan club), join a service fraternity to give back to the community, or learn about the amazing resources that Illinois has to offer, then Quad Day is the place to be!

On August 26^th, several members of the Illinois Online team attended Quad Day to help spread the word about Illinois Online courses and programs. Armed with Illinois Online branded fans (it was a hot one) and bags of chips, we set out to answer any questions students might have about online learning at Illinois. We were glad to educate students about the amazing opportunity they have to take online courses while attending the University of Illinois.

If you missed us at Quad Day this year, feel free to check out our website for more information on online learning at Illinois! Have an amazing semester, Illini.

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Interesting Online Classes to Take This Fall | 7.30.2018

It may feel like summer only began a couple of weeks ago, but the start of a new school year is quickly approaching. While many students have finalized their schedules for the fall, there are still some stragglers looking to pick up a course or two. Whether you need to add an extra class to graduate on time or are just looking for something unusual, online courses are an excellent option for you to add a program that allows you to learn at times that are convenient for your schedule. With hundreds of online classes to choose from, we understand that finding an online course that peaks your interest can be challenging. Below we have outlined some of the most popular online classes from last fall to make your life as a student a little easier!

Theatre 101: Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears as I tell you about the exciting course that is Theatre 101! This class will give you an introduction into the art of theatre including acting, design, directing, dramaturgy, and play-writing, with a survey of the theatrical history, Minority Theater, and plays by women. This course also gives students the unique opportunity to attend theatrical performances put on by the University. As a former student in this class, I can attest to the fact that the performances put on by the University are both fascinating and magnificent and will not disappoint. As a bonus, this class satisfies the general education requirement for Humanities: Literature & the Arts.

Kin 247: If you’ve ever quit a sports team because of a bad experience with a coach, then you already have some idea about the effects a poor coaching style can have on an athlete’s performance and enjoyment. In this course, students will study how personality and situational variables affect motivation, anxiety, and aggression in sport. Attention is given to the psychological skills needed by coaches and athletes for successful and enjoyable sports participation. If your dream is to one day coach your son’s little league team to a World Series, then this course will give you the skills necessary to be the best coach you can be.

CHLH 243: This course introduces students to the biological, psychological, pharmacological, and legal aspects of drug use and abuse. Students will survey community and university resources concentered with drug use and abuse and learn about personal and social actions for responsible drug use. Issues related to drug use and abuse may never directly affect you, but learning about the effects of excessive drug use on the body can be both interesting and valuable. This course also allows students to draw inspiration from learning about those who have overcome their battle with addiction.

Stat 100: This course provides students with an introduction to elementary statistics. It is the first course in probability and statistics at a pre-calculus level. Statistics 100 emphasizes basic concepts including descriptive statistics, elementary probability, estimation, and hypothesis testing in both nonparametric and standard models. This course will teach students incredibly useful statistical skills that they can apply to situations in their everyday lives. It will also provide students from any college with a scientific base from which they can build upon as they continue to complete their degree.

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University of Illinois Illinois Online University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Coursera for Illinois

Winter Session 2018-2019

New Digital Marketing Certificate

New Instructional Design Certificate

New Master of Science in Strategic Brand Communication

News

About the HCB3 Sponsor: The HCOM Program

About Dr. Susan Morgan:

Events

Blogs