Illinois AnyWare (Virtual Computer Lab)
A virtual desktop environment that provides secure, remote access to over 100 academic software applications (such as Adobe CC, MATLAB, SPSS, and Microsoft Office) on any device without the need to install them locally.
To use, navigate to anyware.illinois.edu. You can connect through your web browser or by downloading the Citrix Workspace app. Log in using your Net ID and your password. More information can be found here.
Includes general-purpose desktop and graphics-enabled desktop software for classes and research. The list of available software is available here.
Qualtrics (Online Survey Platform)
Qualtrics is an online survey platform used to create, distribute, and analyze surveys, forms, and research data. It is widely used to create everything from simple forms to surveys for academic research. The University of Illinois provides a campus-wide license for all current faculty, staff, and students.
One can access it directly at illinois.qualtrics.com. Refer to the CITL website for more information and a guide.
Qualitative Data Analysis
MAXQDA
A robust software package for analyzing qualitative and mixed-methods data, including text, media, and survey responses. The university provides concurrent licensing for free via Illinois Computers.
You can download and install the software on your personal computer. Note: You must be connected to the campus network or using the CISCO VPN to access the concurrent licenses. More information can be found here.
CISCO VPN
The Cisco Secure Client (AnyConnect) Virtual Private Network securely connects remote computers to the campus network. It is required to access restricted, on-campus digital resources when working off-campus. More information can be found here.
Taguette
A free, open-source, web-based document tagging tool designed for textual qualitative data analysis. It allows users to import PDFs and Word documents, highlight and tag data, and collaborate with other researchers in real-time.
QualCoder
A free, open-source desktop application for qualitative coding of text and images. It operates entirely offline and includes transparent AI-assisted features for exploring data and generating visualizations.
Library & Academic Resources
Linguistics Library Guide: Second Language Acquisition
A specialized Library Guide (LibGuide) curated by the university’s subject librarians. It serves as a central hub for researchers to find tailored databases, journals, books, and citation management tools specifically for SLA and applied linguistics.
Coursera:
Through the "Illinois on Coursera" partnership, U of I students, faculty, and staff receive free access to over 170 non-credit online courses and specializations created by Illinois faculty. Users can earn course completion certificates at no cost.
New York Times (NYT)
While the Collegiate Readership Program ended in 2025, the U of I community still has free digital access to current and archived New York Times articles.
Main Library Loanable Technology
The central hub for checking out technology equipment, including camcorders, digital cameras, microphones, tripods, and adapters.
Savvy Researcher Workshop Series
Sponsored by the University Library, this series offers over 60 hands-on workshops each semester. Topics cover advanced research strategies, literature reviews, data analysis software (like MAXQDA and Taguette), and citation management. View the current workshop calendar.
Campus Technology & Graduate Support
Illinois Chat
An official, secure generative artificial intelligence tool developed by the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) and Illinois Computes. It allows the campus community to build personalized large language model (LLM) chatbots trained on local data and documents without exposing sensitive information to public AI platforms.
Revised Thesis Format
The official guidelines provided by the U of I Graduate College dictating the formatting, submission, and deposit requirements for master's theses and doctoral dissertations, ensuring all academic manuscripts meet the university's publication standards.