ICON—short for Iowa Courses Online—is the course-management system students and instructors use to share course materials, submit assignments, have discussions, take quizzes, and more. A newly launched award recognizes instructors who create stand-out course sites to enhance teaching and learning. 

ICON offers robust customization options that empower instructors to tailor their course environments to create structured learning paths for students. For instance, instructors can organize course content into modules, adding, rearranging, or removing items such as files, assignments, quizzes, and discussions. 

Customization even extends to discussion boards, where instructors can create forums, threads, and topics relevant to the course where students can interact with each other, posting their comments and messages. In 2023, 37,309 University of Iowa students logged into ICON and 8,761 courses had some activity in ICON. 

The Office of Teaching, Learning, and Technology (OTLT) collected 63 nominations for the ICON All-Star Awards from students across the university. A panel of experts from Student Disability Services; Distance and Online Education; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; OTLT, and students from the Student Instructional Technology Assistant (SITA) program reviewed the sites. The reviewers looked for specific criteria including site organization, user-friendliness, accessibility, opportunities for interaction (both peer-to-peer and instructor-to-student), and communication (such as announcements and assignment feedback). 

While all the sites were stellar examples of how academic technology can promote student engagement and learning, three stood out as all-stars:  

The inaugural ICON All Star Awards were presented at ICON Day, which celebrated the strides University of Iowa instructors have made in using instructional technology to deliver education that is engaging and effective.  

“There were so many amazing moments during the conference,” says Vicky Maloy, associate director of OTLT Academic Technologies, who organized the event. “But having the Undergraduate Student Government President join us to present the ICON All Star Awards and hearing him reiterate how much students appreciate instructors’ efforts to make welcoming ICON sites was a highlight.” 

The nomination for Farthing’s course drew attention to her use of announcements and weekly overviews to support student learning. A student wrote, “With direct instructions on how to succeed in this class, I was able to easily see what needed to be done (and when) and access the resources that would help me get each assignment done!” 

“The fact that students nominated me for the award was the best aspect,” says Farthing. “It’s gratifying to know that one of my students took the time to show their appreciation.” 

Hall’s site exemplified how organization in an ICON site can foster student engagement. A student wrote, “His ICON site is clear, easy to use, and set students up for success. I do not have to hunt for which area to click on for assignments, tests, or communications.” 

“I try to provide a positive student experience and be as student friendly as possible in every aspect of my instruction,” says Hall. “Having a student nominate me was validation that the site works to make the student experience a positive one.” 

Creating an inviting course homepage to foster student success earned Lockman an ICON All Star Award. The student’s nomination included, “She provides a helpful description and purpose statement about the course on the homepage, with links explaining first steps and showing the class calendar. Even someone that has never used ICON before could easily follow it, thanks to her design and care she put into this website.” 

“I felt a sense of meaning and fulfillment that my efforts are valued, especially when I saw that the award highlights ICON course sites that make students’ lives easier and promote their learning,” says Lockman. “I view these responsibilities as the central purpose of my work.”  

More than 150 faculty, staff, and administrators took part in ICON Day 2023, including instructors and staff from Iowa State University and the Iowa City Community School District.