OSU Institute of Technology programs are guided by industry experts who are passionate about teaching and their program of study. With extensive real-world experience, OSUIT's instructors teach the current best practices based on industry standards.

Meet Bill Cox, an adjunct instructor for OSUIT's Information Technology programs. Cox has been with OSUIT since 2019 and teaches Web Design, Server-Side Web Programming and Hardware System Support online.

"I totally, totally enjoy teaching for OSUIT," said Cox. "I know that I will have all the support and guidance I need to make each semester rewarding for students and personally rewarding for me. The students are my favorite part of teaching.  I know by the comments they make when submitting assignments that they are very proud of what they have accomplished. Their success is my reward."

He has worked in higher education since 1980 and online since about 2005. Cox spent 25 years teaching Computer Technology courses for several community colleges in Illinois. He also spent several years as a network specialist, information technology manager, and faculty instructor for the University of Illinois at Springfield.

Cox has a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Science from The University of Illinois - Springfield in Management Information Systems. He is a Certified Cisco Academy Instructor for Cisco NetAcademy. Cox's experience also includes web development, software development, technical support, customer service and network design. He also spent several years installing servers and secure network systems in the Illinois Prison System.

His teaching approach comes from experience. He earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees online.

"I know how hard it is to schedule time, how much of a time commitment it takes to work full-time and complete online classes at the oddest hours of the day. I have fallen asleep while completing assignments at 4 a.m. only to wake up, take a shower, and go to work."

Cox said that teaching online courses means making yourself available when your students are. He tries to relate to the students by letting them know he has been down a similar path and the rewards of earning the degree are worth it.

"To teach in the online arena, you must understand and be receptive to student questions and educational needs seven days a week. My students know that they will get a response from me on Saturday and Sunday when they have questions. They know I will be receptive to creative time structures when 'life gets in the way of education.'"

For Cox, it's important that he does everything possible to make a student's educational experience rewarding.

"I always try to make a positive comment as feedback to the students along with guidance on formatting and structure issues," said Cox. "It's important that someone say, 'Woo-hoo, that is awesome work!' I care about the quality of instruction I deliver."

Cox is thankful for the opportunity to teach at OSUIT and said he knew immediately the school and program were a perfect match.

"The support I receive from the School of Creative & Information Technologies exceeds my expectations," he said. "To Christian, Eileen, Howard, Jim, Mark, Michael and Kim - thank you for the opportunity to teach."