Online Learning Opportunities for International Students in Summer and Fall 2020

I am contacting you to let you know that due to the COVID-19 situation and possible travel restrictions and visa applications, the School of Graduate Studies is encouraging graduate programs to reach out to new accepted international students to let them know they now have the option of registering for available online courses this summer and fall. Students can register now for these courses rather than waiting until August. 

Below is the process for an international student to change their status to taking online-only courses:

1.  The student must notify the graduate advisor (hh-hemphill@wiu.edu) of their desire to change to online-only for summer or fall semester.

2.  The Graduate Advisor will email a request to Sheryl Harty (sd-harty@wiu.edu) in International Admissions to make this change.

3.  The student and Graduate Advisor will receive an email notification from our office once the registration hold has been removed and the student is clear to register. Students should register themselves via STARS.

Please review the FAQs for international students interested in taking online-only classes. Some important points to know:

-  Students meeting eligibility requirements, including being a full-time student, will receive the International Commitment Scholarships as online-only students for the fall semester.

-  A student who is accepted pending the submission of financial documents, is eligible to take online courses without providing this documentation. However, it will be required to further the admission process to attend on-campus in the future. An I-20 is not required for a student to take online classes.

-  Students taking online-only courses will be assessed tuition at the Distance and Outreach rate, which is currently $339.82 per s.h. (this rate plan ends SU20; fall rates are pending BOT approval). Once they transition to an on-campus student in a future term, the rate will adjust to International Student which is currently $602.51 per s.h. for graduate students (this plan ends SU20).

Online IDT courses for the summer include the following:

June:

IDT 525 Grant Writing (only taught in the summer)

IDT 550 Advanced Instruction Design (IDT 510 prerequisite is waived; this course is only taught every two years)

July:

IDT 505 Introduction to the Design and Technology Field (a core course)

IDT 538 Imaging Technology (online version taught in the summer)

Fall semester schedule is available on wiu.edu/stars, enter fall 2020 and department/program is IDT.

Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Hoyet H. Hemphill, Ph.D.
IDT Program Coordinator and Graduate Advisor
Instructional Design and Technology
HH-Hemphill@wiu.edu