The hallmarks of the UIS online program includes:

• Integrated into the mainstream academic structure
  Requested and developed by the department, approved through the college and governance structures as part of the normal academic structure of the university.

• Same faculty teach on ground and online
  The same full-time tenured, and tenure- track faculty teach our face-to-face, blended, and fully online degree programs.

• Faculty development and support
  Pedagogical and technological orientation, development and support continuously provided online and in person in small group and individualized sessions

• Data Collection, analysis and research support
  Enlightening decision-making through comprehensive data collection and analysis; promoting best practices and encouraging discovery of new techniques and effective approaches through pro-active research support
  

• Online Program Coordinators
  Online Program Coordinators -- an essential role in the delivery of online programming at UIS -- provide support to online students, including student advocacy, problem solving, and informal advising. Giving online students a single point of contact improves their experience at UIS.

• Small class sizes
  Most UIS online classes are capped at 20. Small class sizes allow students and faculty to develop personal relationships over the fifteen week semester.

• Low-cost e-Tuition and technology fee
  All students who are enrolled in online-only degree programs and take only online courses pay e-Tuition plus a low per-credit hour technology fee.
  Support office exclusively for faculty teaching online
  The Office of Technology-Enhanced Learning provides broad support for faculty developing and teaching online for UIS. From pedagogy to technology to troubleshooting, the office is a hub for information regarding online teaching.

• Online student support
  The Career Development Center and Center for Teaching and Learning both offer extensive services for our online students.

• Entire degrees moved online, not individual courses
  Online courses are developed for degree-granting programs, rather than as stand-alone courses.