Meet Michele

With over 27 years of dedicated experience in academic affairs at both university and community college levels, I bring a wealth of expertise in multiple facets of the education field. My journey spans teaching and research, service as an online learning administrator, professional development programming, and providing faculty consultations on technology, pedagogy, and online learning research. My commitment to higher education is complemented by a passion for data-driven decision-making. 

As the Director of the Center for Online Learning, Research, and Service (COLRS), collaboration is at the core of my work.  I partner with deans, faculty, and staff to ensure the success of online learning at UIS and elevate the quality of online course content and delivery. I provide vital support to the COLRS team in establishing online learning support structures that empower faculty innovation using technology and sound pedagogy. We believe in continuous improvement, offering development opportunities and resources that promote the latest pedagogical research and best practices to promote student learning. We administer the Learning Management System and oversee the Digital Accessibility Remediation Team which serves to help the university remediate digital content for accessibility.

As the Director, I lead the strategic planning of COLRS and contribute to the development of university policies related to online education. I represent COLRS while actively participating in several campus and system committees, including the Campus Senate, the Deans & Directors Council, the Academic Technology Committee, and the Digital Risk Council. I am also responsible for the design and analysis of data reports and surveys related to online education including the reporting of out-of-state learning placements data for NC-SARA and professional licensure disclosures. I also provide oversight of financial and human resources, including a team of four full-time employees and ten student workers, to ensure our unit operates efficiently and effectively.

Sharing insights and successes with the broader educational community is a significant part of the COLRS mission. I oversee the OPEL/COLRS Faculty Fellows Program where we encourage and support faculty in their research and service endeavors. This program fosters a culture of scholarly inquiry and dissemination. I am personally engaged in promoting the excellence of UIS Online through my own conference presentations and the publication of research-based practices on a variety of online learning topics including pedagogy, best practices, emerging technologies, and academic integrity. My research has been published in the British Journal of Educational Technology, Online Learning Journal, Journal of Information Technology, Communications of the Association for Information Systems, Electronic Markets, and International Journal of Management Theory and Practices. I have co-authored two book chapters and have delivered more than sixty presentations at international, national, and regional conferences. 

I served as the Vice Chair for the Online Administration Network of the University Professional & Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) and currently serve on the Conference Planning Committee for the UPCEA Central Region. I served as the Treasurer of the Illinois Council on Continuing Higher Education for six years and received ICCHE's Past-Presidents' Award for Service. 

Before joining COLRS, I taught in the Department of Management Information Systems at UIS, taught in the Department of Business Administration at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), and was employed by Lake Land College as a Computer Training Specialist in their Center for Business & Industry.  I earned an Ed.D. in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University-Bloomington, an M.B.A. from Eastern Illinois University, and a B.S. in Finance from Illinois State University. I also completed all the doctoral coursework required for a Ph.D. in Business Administration (Information Systems Concentration) from UIUC.  I am a Certified Online Learning Administrator and have been on the project team for two Massive-Open Online Courses (MOOCs) offered by UIS.