- Spring Meet & Greets
- Important Update to Online Teaching Recertification and Final OTRS Session
- Anthology Ally Coming Soon
- Columbia Missourian Explores the Impact of COVID-19 on Academic Technology
- Create Interactive Works with Pressbooks in Canvas
- Harmonize and Kritik Pilots Ending
- About Us
Spring Meet and Greets Dates Announced
Missouri Online is hosting Meet and Greet events on all four campuses throughout April! Drop in at any time during the event to participate in collaborative conversations, pick up some Missouri Online swag, enjoy some refreshments, enter a drawing for prizes, ask questions and talk about your teaching goals.
Join us for the following events:
- University of Missouri-Columbia (Mizzou): Tuesday, April 8
- University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC): Wednesday, April 16
- Missouri University of Science and Technology: Thursday, April 17
- University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL): Wednesday, April 9
Important Update to Online Teaching Recertification and Final OTRS Session
This is a reminder about an important update to online teaching recertification. The 3-week Online Teaching Recertification Seminar (OTRS) has been paused, with its final offering taking place from April 7–28. Faculty with expiring online teaching certification will now need to complete recertification through the Flexible Online Teaching Recertification program.
What's Changing?
Instead of the previous cohort-based model, instructors will now complete recertification by engaging in a self-paced, customizable learning experience designed to fit their needs:
- Teaching Essentials Sprint - a foundational mini-course that includes Quality Course Review (QCR) materials plus insights from emerging trends in higher education.
- Two additional sprints of your choice - select from a catalog of nearly 20 sprints covering course design, assessment, community building and inclusion topics.
- Total time commitment - approximately 9 hours, completed at your own pace.
Next Steps
If your online teaching certification expires soon, you must register for either the new Flexible Online Teaching Recertification (FOTR) program or the final April OTRS cohort session. The deadline to sign up for the final April OTRS cohort session is April 7. We encourage you to sign up as quickly as possible to ensure a smooth transition.
Registration is also open for the Flexible Online Teaching Recertification (FOTR) program.
We appreciate your commitment to high-quality online teaching and look forward to supporting you through this recertification process. If you have any questions, please reach out to teachingonline@umsystem.edu.
Anthology Ally Coming Soon
Missouri Online is in the process of adopting a new tool, Anthology Ally. Ally is an integrated and seamless approach to creating more accessible content, ensuring course content meets the ADA Title II regulations that go into effect in April 2026. We will be implementing Ally in the coming months, and it will replace UDOIT Advantage.
Don’t worry if you have been using UDOIT. The work you have already done to make your content more accessible will not be lost. Ally is a more robust tool and will provide additional functionality not found in UDOIT. We encourage you to continue using tools we currently offer to make progress in making your course more accessible.
Columbia Missourian Explores the Impact of COVID-19 on Academic Technology
Looking back at the evolution of academic and health technology since the COVID-19 era, the Columbia Missourian asked Danna Wren, senior director of academic technology at Missouri Online, to describe the Spring 2020 accelerated launch of critical platform infrastructure and course design consulting services. As instructors across the four campuses of the University of Missouri System adapted to online modality, Wren observed their perseverance and flexibility. “As terrible and as chaotic a time during the pandemic as it was, I think it also helped faculty members sometimes try out different tools that maybe they wouldn’t have tried otherwise, and I think it helped their comfort level,” she told the Missourian.
Now five years after the pandemic’s initial impact, academic technology needs continue to change. In April 2026, updated Title II regulations on digital accessibility will take effect, which require all digital content, like online courses and other materials delivered electronically, to be usable by everyone, including those with disabilities. Wren and her team of academic technologists remain committed to helping instructors navigate these ever-evolving challenges.
“Our response to COVID-19 relied on teamwork,” she said. “We all pitched in resources, knowledge and put in hours of support to help instructors make the transition to online, which was critical. While the new challenge of ensuring that all courses System-wide meet digital accessibility requirements isn’t quite as difficult, we’ll use the power of teamwork and community to give instructors the assistance and support they need.”
Read the original story on the Missourian website.
Find resources for digital accessibility on the Missouri Online website.
Create Interactive Works with Pressbooks in Canvas
Create, adapt and publish open educational resources (OER) with Pressbooks, available through Canvas. Resources created with Pressbooks can be viewed online, exported as an epub or pdf document or integrated with Canvas. Faculty, staff and students can all use Pressbooks to create and share books, manuals, instruction guides and other interactive works.
Join us for a free, virtual Pressbooks Overview session on April 17 or explore the training sessions Pressbooks has to offer.
Harmonize and Kritik Pilots Ending
Missouri Online began piloting Harmonize and Kritik in January 2024. What began as a semester-long pilot lasted three semesters. Unfortunately, we did not have enough adoption of either of these tools to warrant purchasing a System-wide license. Kritik can still be used as a student pay option, with arrangements made through the bookstore. If you would like to explore using Harmonize with a student pay model, please contact Missouri Online at teachingtools@umsystem.edu.
About Us
Missouri Online supports UM System campuses with digital education services. These include academic technology, instructional and experience design, program coordination and student recruitment for online programs. Our dedicated teams of expert professionals are here to assist you.