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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!

On this page:

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 (completed through the Curriculum Council)
  • LMS Approval (must be approved for each new online course offering)
  • Instructor Approval (approved once, regardless of how many online courses are being taught)

Methods of Approval

LMS and Instructor Approval can be acheived through one of the following two methods:

  1. Participation in the IWU Online Cohort (preferred)
  2. Completion of Evidence-Based Evaluation Method (alternative)
IWU Online Cohort (preferred method):

Both the Canvas course LMS and Instructor are approved upon successful completion of the IWU Online Course Development Cohort: The Design and Practice of Online Teaching. The next cohort will be offered in Spring 2026 in the Thorpe Center. Complete our Interest Form if you would like 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.

Evidence-Based Evaluation (alternative method):

For this option, the instructor and the course LMS are approved separately by submitting evidence of excellence in online teaching.

LMS Approval: The Canvas course LMS approval form is based on the IWU Online Course Standards and is submitted to the Thorpe Center.  (preview the LMS Approval Rubric here).

Instructor Approval: The instructor approval form includes providing evidence of acting as the lead  instructor within the last 5 years of at least 1 fully online course, along with a self-evaluation of recent (within the last 5 years) online teaching experiences. 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. (preview the Instructor Approval Form here). 

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

Next Steps

If you are interested in teaching an online course, please select the option below that best fits your needs:

Submit my course to CC for approvalSign up for the next cohortSubmit my course LMS approval form Submit my Instructor approval form

 

FAQs

Below are some of the most frequently asked questions about the online teaching approval process. If you have any additional questions, please reach out to us for further support.

Online courses require additional approval because they represent a fundamentally different mode of instruction that must meet specific accreditation standards set by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). 

Today's quality online courses bear little resemblance to the old correspondence courses you might remember, where students received materials by mail and worked in isolation with minimal instructor contact. Modern online courses are dynamic, interactive learning environments that require:

  • Regular and substantive interaction between instructors and students, and among students themselves
  • Intentional course design that leverages digital tools for engagement and learning
  • Clear pathways for students to access help, resources, and community
  • Demonstrated instructor expertise in facilitating learning in an online environment

In short: the different process protects our accreditation, ensures quality for our students, and recognizes that online teaching is a distinct pedagogical approach requiring its own set of competencies.

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. The expected workload includes a 1 hour in-person meeting and 1 hour of asynchronous work each week.

The Spring 2026 Cohort will run for six weeks with date and time TBD in the Thorpe Center. 

Complete our Cohort Interest Form

Federal Regulations require online courses to include 'Regular and Substantive Interaction.” Understanding these elements has important implications for federal financial aid eligibility.

Regular Interaction

Regular interaction includes engagement between a student and instructor(s) by, prior to the student’s completion of a course:

  • Providing the opportunity for substantive interactions with the student on a predictable and scheduled basis commensurate with the length of time and the amount of content in the course or competency; and
  • Monitoring the student’s academic engagement and success and ensuring that an instructor is responsible for promptly and proactively engaging in substantive interaction with the student when needed, on the basis of such monitoring, or upon request by the student.

Substantive Interaction

Substantive interaction is engaging students in teaching, learning, and assessment, consistent with the content under discussion, and also includes at least two of the following:

  • Providing direct instruction
  • Assessing or providing feedback on a student’s coursework
  • Providing information or responding to questions about the content of a course or competency
  • Facilitating a group discussion regarding the content of a course or competency
  • Other instructional activities approved by the institution’s or program’s accrediting agency.

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 Workshop. Check our Event page for upcoming dates.

  4. Schedule a meeting with the Instructional Design team.