Fall Short Courses 2026
Earn a Certificate!
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This summer, we piloted our short course certificate program, with 17 instructors earning certificates of completion. Certificates are a great way to show tangible evidence of an instructor’s commitment to teaching excellence that serves as a record of continuous improvement.
Earning a certificate requires three steps:
- Prepare: Complete any brief pre-work to help kick off the conversation. This might be a survey or an introductory post.
- Attend: Participate in each session or required short course activity.
- Apply: Submit the required teaching artifact you developed during or after the short course, demonstrating the application of course concepts within your teaching context. This is something you can immediately use in your teaching.
Each course is different, so be sure to review the specific requirements on the course’s landing page.
This fall, you can earn a certificate in the following short courses:
Asynchronous Courses: Design to Delivery
While asynchronous courses lack real-time interactions, intentional planning can ensure they remain highly engaging. In this completely asynchronous short course facilitated in Canvas, instructors will design engaging online learning experiences for their students while exploring many of the key Canvas features that support learning. At the end of this four-week course, instructors will have a plan for a fully aligned unit or assignment, plus effective facilitation strategies that boost instructor presence and support community building within asynchronous courses.
Beginning on Monday, September 14, 2026, and closing on Monday, October 12, 2026, instructors will complete 2-4 hours of work each week (including reading, watching videos, posting, and submitting drafts).
Enroll by Friday, September 4, 2026, to reserve your spot!
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Building Better Exams
Exams are more than just an assessment of learning; they also communicate to students what matters most in the course. In this new synchronous short course on Zoom, instructors will learn how to develop intentional, fair, and rigorous assessments that align with the learning objectives for their course. During this three-session series, participants will work alongside other UIC instructors to design, evaluate, and refine their exams. We’ll cover a variety of question types and offer clear frameworks for creating exam questions that will help instructors facilitate and assess meaningful learning.
Instructors will meet once a week on Zoom from 3:00-4:00 pm on the following Thursdays: October 29, November 5th, and November 12th.
Enroll by Thursday, October 22, 2026, to participate.