Case Study: Southern Illinois University Carbondale achieves inclusive, efficient ITA onboarding with D2L Brightspace

Southern Illinois University - Customer Case Study

Southern Illinois University Carbondale faced a challenging international teaching assistant (ITA) onboarding process shaped by tight visa timelines, language proficiency requirements, and a burdensome 120-hour logistical effort for evaluations. The university wanted a more inclusive, less stressful experience for ITAs and faculty, and worked with D2L Brightspace and Bongo to modernize the process.

D2L Brightspace helped SIU Carbondale create a tailored, pre-arrival onboarding course with resources, practice sessions, asynchronous interviews, and automated review workflows. The result was a 64% drop in ITA stress, a 55% reduction in oral proficiency evaluation time, 80% fewer personnel hours, 74% lower personnel costs, a 41% increase in staff and faculty satisfaction, and a 4% increase in fall-to-spring retention.

Southern Illinois University

Karen Jones

Associate Dean and Director