CTL Update Letters

Spring 2025

CTL Update Letter Spring 2025


What’s coming up. 

January Just in Time Sessions

AI for Teaching and Professional Practice: Faculty Learning Series

TILT Your Teaching: Designing Transparent Assignments 

Equitable (Alternative) Grading  Workshop

CTL Fundamentals and Tools Course

Register for the NEIU Libraries "Introductory AI Workshop Preview: Using GenAI Effectively"

A “How to” on Panopto Video Hosting Platform

In Case You Missed It

Stay Tuned for Other Offerings!




CTL Workshops and Learning Opportunities

January Just in Time Sessions


Back by Popular Demand! AI for Teaching and Professional Practice: Faculty Learning Series

Explore the future of education! Join our AI book club! AI is transforming how we learn, work, and think. Stay ahead by joining our interactive, virtual book club sessions to explore AI's impact on pedagogy and professional practice through Bowen and Watson's "Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning."

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) has secured copies of Bowen and Watson’s (2024) Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning" (2024), available for pick-up at the CTL office (LIB 312) or at the Library Reference Desk. Additionally, participants can access the electronic version of the text.  

Preparation and Incentives:


Presenter: Jen Banas, Ed.D.

When and Where:

Sessions will be held on Zoom on the following dates and times:


Registration is required no later than Tuesday, December 17, 2024


TILT Your Teaching: Designing Transparent Assignments 

Join us for a semester-long workshop on using the Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) framework to develop student assignments. TILT focuses on clarifying the purpose, tasks, and criteria of assignments to more substantively support and measure student learning. This workshop is ideal for faculty across all disciplines seeking to improve student outcomes and promote equity in their classrooms.

Participants will develop skills in:


Participants who successfully complete the workshop will earn a $500 stipend. 

When: January 27–May 23, 2025 with a required synchronous orientation meeting on Monday, January 27 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. via Zoom

Facilitator: Dr. Elizabeth Rodriguez, CTL

How: Asynchronous, bi-weekly activities via D2L

Register online by January 23, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. Spots are limited to 15 participants.


Equitable Grading  Workshop

Rarely do instructors have the time to interrogate their grading practices. Yet, one’s grading policies can inadvertently create unnecessary roadblocks to student success and retention. Join us in activities and conversations intended to help unpack our grading. Instructors will come away with principles and examples they can apply to their grading. A $100.00 stipend is offered to those who submit a final change in their grading practice. Please complete this Registration Form asap! 


When: Friday, Feb 14 (10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.)

Where: CTL PD Room (LIB 310)


CTL Fundamentals and Tools Course

“Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools” is a non-credit professional development course designed and taught by Dr. Elizabeth Rodriguez in the Center for Teaching and Learning. Faculty will be introduced to the fundamentals of online pedagogy and course delivery: faculty presence, effective online communication, student-centered learning activities, and intentional integration of technology. This asynchronous course has no set meeting times, but there are weekly due dates to meet. Participants should expect to spend 5-6 hours per week reviewing instructional materials, participating in online discussions, and working on individual assignments that apply course materials to their teaching practice.


A $500.00 stipend is available for up to 20 faculty who meet the following eligibility requirements:


The class runs Tuesday, February 4–Monday, March 3. See the Frequently Asked Questions for more information on this course. Register online by Monday, February 3 at 5 p.m.


Register for the NEIU Libraries "Introductory AI Workshop Preview: Using GenAI Effectively"

Are you already using AI in your teaching or coursework, or thinking about it? The NEIU Libraries invite you to a preview session of our new 45-minute workshop, designed to help students use Generative AI (GenAI) tools effectively in their coursework. This overview will introduce faculty to the content and structure of this student workshop, which instructs new AI users in creating effective prompts and critically evaluating AI-generated content. 

This student workshop covers:

This preview is an opportunity to see how NEIU Librarians are supporting students in navigating the ethical and practical aspects of AI in their learning.


When: Wednesday, January 29, 11am-noon

Register here for a Zoom link. 

For more information or questions, contact librarians Lisa Wallis or Robin Harris.



In Case You Missed It

(Re) Introduction to Turnitin for Faculty 

Our September 2024 training offered guidance on Brightspace settings, interpreting the similarity report, Turnitin’s grading and feedback tools, and provided a walkthrough of the AI writing report. If you missed it, here is the link to the session video. 


A “How to” on Panopto Video Hosting Platform

Panopto is our media-streaming and video capture platform integrated into our Brightspace/D2L learning management system. It offers instructors a secure method of sharing video content. This platform allows users to capture and edit videos, add captions, create video assignments, and insert interactive video quizzes and short response activities. If you want to “flip” the classroom or need to create content for online or hybrid courses or have your students do so, this is the tool for you. Come and learn how!

When: Mondays 2 - 3 p.m. Registration via Zoom Link

When: Wednesdays 2 -3 p.m. Registration via Zoom link 


Celebrating Affordable Course Materials Efforts

The Affordable Course Materials (ACM) initiative completed its Summer 2024 program with 11 faculty participating. These individuals redesigned an existing course and reduced the cost of course materials to $40.00 or less using open educational resources and other low-cost resources. The great news is that since 2022-2024 the ACM Initiative has saved students over $105,000 in estimated textbook costs in one semester!

Stay Tuned for Other Offerings!

Plans are underway to bring back The Discussion Project, Jackie Taylor of the Black Ensemble Theatre and MORE!!!!!


Fall 2024

Updates from the CTL

August 2024

In this issue….

Faculty Institute 2024!

Increasing Student Retention Through Co-Curricular Planning

CTL AI for Teaching and Professional Practice: Faculty Learning Series

(Re) Introduction to Turnitin for Faculty 

Applying a Cultural Lens to Online Teaching: Special Speaker!


Equitable Grading Workshop 

CTL’s Magna DEI Digital Credential Initiative

A “How to” on Panopto Video Hosting Platform

D2L Purge Party

Turn Reading into Vibrant Discussion with Hypothesis

CTL Workshops and Learning Opportunities


Faculty Institute 2024 

Have you registered yet?  This year’s Faculty Institute, “Inspiring Student Learning Through Passion, Purpose and Partnership,” takes place from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 22. Registration has been extended to August 9th, but we need to order lunches for participants so please don’t wait!. There is a “no lunch” option we encourage you to use if, in fact, you do not intend for us to order (and pay for) lunch. 

Please use this Faculty Institute 2024 Registration link and be sure to change the Quantity to “1.

Increasing Student Retention Through Co-Curricular Planning

Participation in co-curricular activities strengthens student retention and persistence which can help them stay engaged in school and reach graduation. (Erickson 2022; Vaughan 2020). Furthermore, according to a Spring 2022 Student Survey, NEIU commuter students indicated they are most likely to attend a co-curricular activity if it was assigned in a course they are already taking that term. Are you able to connect your curriculum to an NEIU campus event this fall? Let us buy you a book of your choice (at a cost under $40.00). Submit your syllabus, demonstrating an assignment that makes an explicit connection between course content and a co-curricular activity (not an extra credit assignment) to CTL@neiu.edu no later than August 30, 2024.


CTL AI for Teaching and Professional Practice: Faculty Learning Series

Explore the future of education! Join our AI book club! AI is transforming how we learn, work, and think. Stay ahead by joining our interactive, virtual book club sessions to explore AI's impact on pedagogy and professional practice through Bowen and Watson's "Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning."

Why Participate?

What to Expect:

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) has secured 40 copies of Bowen and Watson’s (2024) Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning" (2024), available for pick-up at the CTL office (LIB 312). Additionally, participants can access the electronic version of the text.  

Preparation and Incentives:


Join us to explore the future of education and gain essential AI skills for you and your students.

Presenter:

Jen Banas, Ph.D.

Jennifer Banas is a professor in the College of Education at Northeastern Illinois University. She holds an EdD in Instructional Design & Technology, an MSEd in Curriculum & Instruction, and an MPH in Community Health. Her research relates to instructional design and curriculum development, K-12 school health, educational technology, biblio-guidance/bibliotherapy, health literacy, and adult learning. 

Dr. Banas has presented and published on topics related to technology integration and teacher training, Additionally, she co-edited a book on the flipped classroom learning model and authored book chapters on motivation and technology use in education. She has served as an instructional designer for multiple institutions and as President of the Teacher Education Division within the Association for Educational Communication and Technology. 

Discussant:

Liz Rodriguez, Ph.D., Coordinator of Learning Innovations

When and Where:

Sessions will be held on Zoom on the following dates and times:


Registration is required no later than Monday, Sept 16, 2024



(Re) Introduction to Turnitin for Faculty 

Join us for an online training, and learn how you can get the most out of Turnitin. We will discuss how to utilize Turnitin as a formative writing tool and what feedback we can give to students on their writing to have the most impact on student improvement.

The training will offer guidance on Brightspace settings, interpreting the similarity report, Turnitin’s grading and feedback tools, and provide a walkthrough of the AI writing report.

When: Monday, Sept 9 (10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.)

Register in advance for this meeting using this Zoom link


Applying a Cultural Lens to Online Teaching: Special Speaker!

Applying a Cultural Lens to Online Learning" explores the integration of a cultural lens in online learning environments. This workshop covers the identification and mitigation of acculturative stress, showcases best teaching practices for diverse classrooms, and discusses how to organize cultural aspects into cognitive, community, and collaborative domains. Participants will engage in an interactive session with opportunity for group discussions to apply these concepts in practical scenarios, aiming to enhance their skills in managing cultural diversity effectively in online education settings.

Guest Presenter: Courtney Plotts, Ph.D.

Dr. Plotts is the National Chair of the Council For At-Risk Student Education and Professional Standards, the country’s only organization that provides standards for working with marginalized and nontraditional students from kindergarten to college. Her role as National Chair includes training, consulting, and research. Her subject matter expertise has been used in a variety of book publications. Most recently “Small Teaching Online” By Flower Darby with James M. Lang published in June 2019. Dr. Plotts was recognized in 2017 by the California State Legislature for a bold commitment to change in education. Her most recent work focuses on diversity and best practices in online teaching spaces in higher education settings. 


When: Wednesday, November 13 (1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.)

Complete this Zoom Registration Form.


Equitable Grading Workshop 

Rarely do instructors have the time to interrogate their grading practices. Yet, one’s grading policies can inadvertently create unnecessary roadblocks to student success and retention. Join us in activities and conversations intended to help unpack our grading. Instructors will come away with principles and examples they can apply to their grading. A $100.00 stipend is offered to those who submit a final change in their grading practice. Please complete this Registration Form   by Monday, November 4, 2024


When: Friday, Nov 15 (10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.)

Where: CTL PD Room (LIB 310)



CTL’s Magna DEI Digital Credential Initiative


The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) offers another faculty another opportunity to earn Magna Quest’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Digital Credential. Responses from last year’s cohort have been extremely positive! This credential can be shared with colleagues internally and externally on platforms such as LinkedIn or remain private to the individual earning the badge. The credential is based on achieving the following required proficiencies:

Up to 30 tenure track, full-time, in-unit part-time instructors and department chairs and coordinators are eligible for this opportunity. If interested, please complete the Magna Quest DEI Digital Credential Registration Form.  Do so no later than Friday, August 30, 2024.

The DEI credential is designed for asynchronous learning. Participants can expect to spend 20-22 hours total (running from the week of Sept 9th through the week of April 21st Participants who complete all required videos, coaching sessions and final application activity earn the following:


A “How to” on Panopto Video Hosting Platform

Panopto is our media-streaming and video capture platform integrated into our Brightspace/D2L learning management system. It offers instructors a secure method of sharing video content. This platform allows users to capture and edit videos, add captions, create video assignments, and insert interactive video quizzes and short response activities. If you want to “flip” the classroom or need to create content for online or hybrid courses or have your students do so, this is the tool for you. Come and learn how!

When: Mondays 2 - 3 p.m. Registration via Zoom Link

When: Wednesdays 2 -3 p.m. Registration via Zoom link 



D2L Purge Party

It’s time to purge all courses existing prior to and including Summer 2019.   This means that faculty will need to store their courses in master shells, which is a sound practice for keeping D2L as streamlined as possible.   But don’t despair. You can keep your content by moving it into a Master Shell. Don’t know how? Come to our virtual purge party to learn how.

When: Aug 8, 2:00-3:00 p.m. Register via Zoom link


Turn Reading into Vibrant Discussion with Hypothesis

Discover how Hypothesis, a powerful social annotation tool, transforms passive reading into active dialogue. Explore visibility and social learning through annotations, unifying conversations across texts to foster community. 


When: Aug 15, 2024, 2:00-3:00 p.m.

Where: On Zoom Register via Zoom link 



May 2024

Updates from the CTL

May 2024

In this issue….

Faculty Institute 2024 Call for Proposals!

CTL Equitable Grading Workshop  

A “How to” on Panopto Video Hosting Platform

D2L Purge Party

D2L Deeper Dives

Faculty Council on Technology 2023 Survey Results

Please Add to Your Syllabus!

Recent Resources on AI

Technology and D2L Updates

In Case You Missed It


CTL Workshops and Learning Opportunities


Faculty Institute 2024 Call for Proposals!

This year’s Faculty Institute, “Inspiring Student Learning Through Passion, Purpose and Partnership,” takes place from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 22. The Faculty Institute planning team is excited to welcome proposals from the community for afternoon breakout sessions. 

Breakout presentations may be 30-minutes or 60-minutes and should align with this year’s theme of student success. Breakouts may be structured as presentations, interactive activities or engaged discussions.

To offer a proposal for a breakout session, kindly complete the  2024 Faculty Institute Proposal Form no later than Monday, May 13. Our team will review submissions and notify individuals by early June.


CTL Equitable Grading Workshop 

Rarely do instructors have the time to interrogate their grading practices. Yet, one’s grading policies can inadvertently create unnecessary roadblocks to student success and retention. Join us in activities and conversations intended to help unpack our grading. Instructors will come away with principles and examples they can apply to their grading.  A $100.00 stipend is offered to those who submit a final change in their grading practice. Please complete this Registration Form by June 10.


When: Friday, June 14 (10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.)

Where: CTL PD Room (LIB 310)


A “How to” on Panopto Video Hosting Platform

Panopto is our media-streaming and video capture platform integrated into our Brightspace/D2L learning management system. It offers instructors a secure method of sharing video content. This platform allows users to capture and edit videos, add captions, create video assignments, and insert interactive video quizzes and short response activities. If you want to “flip” the classroom or need to create content for online or hybrid courses or have your students do so, this is the tool for you. Come and learn how!

When: May 16th 2:00-3:00 p.m. Registration via Zoom link

When: May 23rd 2:00-3:00 p.m. Registration via Zoom link 


D2L Purge Party

It’s time to purge all courses existing prior to and  including Summer 2019. . NOTE: The last date to move your course content into its Master Shell is May 30, 2024.  This means that faculty will need to store their courses in master shells, which is a sound practice for keeping D2L as streamlined as possible.   But don’t despair. You can keep your content by moving it into a Master Shell. Don’t know how? Come to our virtual purge party to learn how.

When: May 13, 2:00-3:00 p.m. Register via Zoom link


D2L Deeper Dives

See these upcoming sessions hosted by experts at Brightspace/D2L:

Content includes: Learning to navigate through the course admin tools from the Navigation bar; identifying how to build and add assignments;  building quizzes, self-assessments and surveys; creating, moderating and managing discussions; setting dates and release conditions; and building course awards.

When: Wednesday, May 1 (10 a.m.-noon) 


Where: Zoom Registration required.

Content includes: Learning how students submit assignments, discussions and quizzes; locating where to find the submissions in Assignments, Discussions, Quizzes, or Quick Eval; evaluating these tools.

When: Wednesday, May 8 (noon-2:00 p.m.) 


Where: Zoom Registration required.

Content includes: Navigating around the Brightspace Learning Environment homepage; communicating effectively with students without leaving the home page through the Activity feed; personalizing the learner experience using groups and instant messaging; organizing and managing communications using dates and release conditions; sharing with learners how to communicate together effectively in the course.

When: Wednesday, May 22 (10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.) 


Where: Zoom Registration required.

Other Important Information

Faculty Council on Technology 2023 Survey Results

In Fall 2023 (November to December), the NEIU Faculty Senate’s Faculty Council on Technology (FCT) created and deployed the 2023 Faculty Technology Survey. The aim of the survey was to query NEIU faculty about their technology use, needs, and experiences, the findings of which have been included in the  FCT 2023 Faculty Technology Survey.


Please Add to Your Syllabus!

Many of our students are not aware of the fabulous El Centro and CCICS campuses. Adding the addresses of all campuses in the syllabi is an easy way to let students know there are several locations for taking classes, studying and picking up library materials. Please help promote greater accessibility by including  the list of campus addresses at the bottom of your syllabus.

Additionally, if you missed this, the university has approved the  new ADA Statement. You must use this version in your syllabus moving forward.

Want more information on what should be included on your syllabus?   Please check the CTL Website, Faculty Resources, The Syllabus.


Recent Resources on AI

The College of Business and Technology have created a draft of an AI Usage Policy for their college. This draft document includes a variety of  AI syllabus examples that you might find helpful.  In addition, please see this comprehensive report,  Benefits, Challenges, and Sample Use Cases of Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education   from Inside Higher Ed.


Technology and D2L Updates


Kahoot Licenses Available

We have purchased a limited number of Kahoot!  licenses for our faculty, and we still have a few left. Kahoot is a game-based learning platform that features quizzes and other interactive learning experiences. It can be used in any teaching modality as a formative assessment and way to engage students in content review. Want a free license? Contact CTL@neiu.edu


D2L “How to” Videos 

Take a deep dive into Brightspace/D2L topics of high use by viewing the following webinars prepared especially for NEIU faculty!


General Panopto Assistance

Panopto Video Hosting Solution offers instructors the ability to make virtual learning interactive so students are engaged. Have general questions about anything Panopto? Come to trainer office hours! Just click the link below to join.

The CTL has also created a Panopto Guidance Document if you prefer.

In Case You Missed It

The Purge is Coming! The Purge is Coming! D2L Spring Cleaning: Action Steps for Faculty

This spring, the CTL will begin the much-needed cleanup of old courses in D2L. Since NEIU adopted D2L in Fall 2012, we have never performed the routine of purging (deleting)  courses that are essential for the health of the system and usability for faculty and students.

We will begin by purging courses prior to and including the Summer 2019 semesters. This means that faculty will need to store their courses in master shells, which is a sound practice for keeping D2L as streamlined as possible. Master shells are sandbox courses or staging areas that all faculty can use to build and store entire courses. Faculty can have a master shell for each course that they teach, and the CTL will never archive or remove your access to these courses. NOTE: The last date to move your course content into its Master Shell is May 30, 2024

So we need your help! Here are some tips that will help you prepare for D2L Spring Cleaning:




Free Subscription to the Magna Digital Library

CTL has made available to our faculty over 400 expert-led professional development programs via our subscription to Magna Digital Library. Many of these video tutorials are under 20 minutes, perfect for viewing during a short coffee break!  All you need to do to access these many videos is to set up your Magnapubs group subscription account. This is the same method as you would use for accessing The Teaching Professor. Note: If you already have set up your account for The Teaching Professor, you may use the same login credential. Activate your account today!



April 2024

Updates from the CTL

April 2024

In this issue….

Characteristics and Practical Applications for Supporting Neurodiverse Learners in the College Classroom

CTL’s Engaging the Conversation on AI 

Designing Accessible Courses in D2L

Intelligent Agents in D2L

Communicating and Engaging in D2L

Reconnecting to the Joy of Teaching  with Dr. Jackie Taylor

A “How to” on Panopto Video Hosting Solution

D2L Purge Party

D2L “How to” Videos 

Adobe Creative Campus

Kahoot! Licenses Available

CTL Workshops and Other Learning Opportunities

Characteristics and Practical Applications for Supporting Neurodiverse Learners in the College Classroom


Neurodiversity refers to the differences in how humans think, learn, behave, and interact. This term celebrates differences, but sometimes there is a mismatch between how individual students learn and how content is taught in college-level classes. Instructors can adjust to meet students’ needs without compromising the instruction of challenging content. This session will examine ideas for accommodations and instructor decisions, and also allow space for instructors to talk through issues they have experienced when trying to support their students. Presenters will facilitate problem-solving and also work through some examples from their own experiences. Please join Drs. Mark Melton and Jody Siker to work on building flexibility and choice into your course without sacrificing rigor.

When: Tues, April 2 (1;00 p.m.-2:30 p.m.)

Where: Zoom Registration required.

CTL’s Engaging the Conversation on AI

It's been well over a year since generative artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT have become widely available to casual users. Are you “all in” with using them? Do you forbid your students and look for ways to detect unauthorized usage? Somewhere in between? Join your faculty colleagues in a conversation led by Liz Rodriguez about where your thinking currently is about using these tools. Let’s figure things out together. 

When: Tuesday, April 9 from 1:00-2:30 p.m.

Where: Library 310, CTL Professional Development Classroom


Designing Accessible Courses in D2L

Learn how to create accessible content and flexible activities in Brightspace. Explore how Brightspace can support learner needs and review accessibility settings and features.

When: Wed, April 3 (10 a.m.-12:00 p.m.)

Where: Zoom Registration required.

Intelligent Agents in D2L

Practice creating a D2L shortcut that sends a reminder email to learners who haven't visited your course in the last week or who have an overdue quiz. See a demonstration of how that message looks from the learner's perspective.

When: Wed April 10 (12-1pm)

Where: Zoom Registration required.

Communicating and Engaging in D2L

Learn how to leverage some of the most frequently-used communication tools in Brightspace to keep your learners engaged and informed.

When: Wed. April 24 (10-noon)

Where: Zoom Registration required.

Reconnecting to the Joy of Teaching  with Dr. Jackie Taylor

Our university is launching an exciting new partnership with the  Black Ensemble Theater (BET). As one part of many creative collaborations with BET,  the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL)  will offer workshops with Founder and CEO of BET,  

Dr. Jackie Taylor. 


To kick start our alliance, we invite you to join Dr. Taylor and your colleagues in a conversation about teaching. What makes us effective teachers? How might we grow our capacity to elevate the success of our students? What teaching enhancements support a learning environment where students feel a sense of connection, purpose and engagement? If you are committed to lifelong learning, you won’t want to miss this 90-hour, in-person session!  


Advanced registration required. 


Facilitator: Dr. Jackie Taylor,  Founder and CEO of Black Ensemble Theater

When: Thursday, May 16, 2024

Option I:  10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Option II:  1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. 

Where: In person at  CTL Professional Development Room (Library 310)


A “How to” on Panopto Video Hosting Platform

Panopto is our media-streaming and video capture platform integrated into our Brightspace/D2L learning management system. It offers instructors a secure method of sharing video content. This platform allows users to capture and edit videos, add captions, create video assignments, and insert interactive video quizzes and short response activities. If you want to “flip” the classroom or need to create content for online or hybrid courses or have your students do so, this is the tool for you. Come and learn how!

When: Thursday, April 11  (1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m.)  Click here for registration

When: Thursday, April 18 (1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m.)  Click here for registration


D2L Purge Party

It’s time to purge all courses existing prior to and including Summer 2019. But don’t despair. You can keep your content by moving it into a Master Shell. Don’t know how? Come to our virtual purge party to learn how.

When: Thursday, Apr 11, 2024 1:00 PM. Click here for registration 

When: Monday, Apr 29, 2024 1:00 PM. Click here for registration 

Adobe Creative Campus

The CTL is pleased to share news that NEIU has become an Adobe Creative Campus. That means, in addition to our students and faculty having Adobe licenses, we can benefit from other free support and faculty development opportunities offered by Adobe.

What does this mean for you, as an instructor?

It means that you can participate in free faculty development activities and access teaching resources and inspiration from faculty at other institutions who are using Adobe in their teaching. If you have not already requested a license, please contact the IT service desk at servicedesk@neiu.edu.

What kinds of faculty development does Adobe offer?

There are free learning sessions to help faculty use a variety of Adobe tools. Many of these workshops are online and self-paced and take only 60-90 minutes. For more information see Adobe Education Exchange’s Professional Learning.

What kind of assignments can you reimagine with Adobe? 

Adobe offers free teaching resources so you can see the kinds of projects other faculty have created.  To view these examples, go to the  Adobe Education Exchange. For instance you can work with your students to. . .

Are there any other faculty development opportunities to help me learn to use Adobe products for teaching and learning?

Adobe will offer a Summer Education Institute. Stay tuned for details later this spring.


Please Add to Your Syllabus!

Many of our students are not aware of the fabulous El Centro and CCICS campuses. Adding the addresses of all campuses in the syllabi is an easy way to let students know there are several locations for taking classes, studying and picking up library materials. Please help promote greater accessibility by including the list of campus addresses at the bottom of your syllabus.

Additionally, if you missed this, the university has approved the  new ADA Statement. You must use this version in your syllabus moving forward.

Want more information on what should be included on your syllabus?  Please check the CTL Website, Faculty Resources, The Syllabus.


Recent Resources on AI

The College of Business and Technology have created a draft of an AI Usage Policy for their college. This draft document includes a variety of AI syllabus examples that you might find helpful.  In addition, please see this comprehensive report, Benefits, Challenges, and Sample Use Cases of Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education from Inside Higher Ed.

Technology and D2L Updates

Kahoot Licenses Available

We have purchased a limited number of Kahoot!  licenses for our faculty, and we still have a few left. Kahoot is a game-based learning platform that features quizzes and other interactive learning experiences. It can be used in any teaching modality as a formative assessment and way to engage students in content review. Want a free license? Contact CTL@neiu.edu

D2L “How to” Videos 

Take a deep dive into Brightspace/D2L topics of high use by viewing the following webinars prepared especially for NEIU faculty!

General Panopto Assistance

Panopto Video Hosting Solution offers instructors the ability to make virtual learning interactive so students are engaged. Have general questions about anything Panopto? Come to trainer office hours! Just click the link below to join.

The CTL has also created a Panopto Guidance Document if you prefer.

In Case You Missed It

The Purge is Coming! The Purge is Coming! D2L Spring Cleaning: Action Steps for Faculty

This spring, the CTL will begin the much-needed cleanup of old courses in D2L. Since NEIU adopted D2L in Fall 2012, we have never performed the routine of purging (deleting)  courses that are essential for the health of the system and usability for faculty and students.

We will begin by purging courses prior to and including the Summer 2019 semesters. This means that faculty will need to store their courses in master shells, which is a sound practice for keeping D2L as streamlined as possible. Master shells are sandbox courses or staging areas that all faculty can use to build and store entire courses. Faculty can have a master shell for each course that they teach, and the CTL will never archive or remove your access to these courses. NOTE: The last date to move your course content into its Master Shell is May 30, 2024

So we need your help! Here are some tips that will help you prepare for D2L Spring Cleaning:




Free Subscription to the Magna Digital Library

CTL has made available to our faculty over 400 expert-led professional development programs via our subscription to Magna Digital Library. Many of these video tutorials are under 20 minutes, perfect for viewing during a short coffee break!  All you need to do to access these many videos is to set up your Magnapubs group subscription account. This is the same method as you would use for accessing The Teaching Professor. Note: If you already have set up your account for The Teaching Professor, you may use the same login credential. Activate your account today!



March 2024

Updates from the CTL

March 2024

In this issue….

Reconnecting to the Joy of Teaching  with Dr. Jackie Taylor

Save Students Money & Support Their Success with OER 

Adobe Creative Campus

A “How to” on Panopto Video Hosting Solution

D2L Purge Party

Hypothesis Academy Trainings

Please Add to Your Syllabus!

Recent Resources on AI

D2L “How to” Videos 

The Purge is Coming! The Purge is Coming! D2L Spring Cleaning: Action Steps for Faculty

CTL Workshops and Other Learning Opportunities


Reconnecting to the Joy of Teaching  with Dr. Jackie Taylor

Our university is launching an exciting new partnership with the  Black Ensemble Theater (BET). As one part of many creative collaborations with BET,  the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL)  will offer workshops with Founder and CEO of BET,  

Dr. Jackie Taylor. 


To kick start our alliance, we invite you to join Dr. Taylor and your colleagues in a conversation about teaching. What makes us effective teachers? How might we grow our capacity to elevate the success of our students? What teaching enhancements support a learning environment where students feel a sense of connection, purpose and engagement? If you are committed to lifelong learning, you won’t want to miss this 90-hour, in-person session!  


Participants are encouraged to complete this  Registration form.



Facilitator: Dr. Jackie Taylor,  Founder and CEO of Black Ensemble Theater

When: Thursday, May 16, 2024

Option I:  10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Option II:  1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. 


Where: In person at  CTL Professional Development Room (Library 310)


Save Students Money & Support Their Success with OER 

To support cost savings for students, the Affordable Course Materials Committee invites applications to attend a faculty workshop on introductory open educational resources (OER). Those who attend the two-hour workshop and write one brief review of an OER for the Open Textbook Library within 30 days of the workshop date will receive a $200 stipend. 

Faculty who attended a previous workshop and adopted OER materials saved Northeastern students $33,000 in one year, contributing to education equity and student success at NEIU...let’s do it again!

Facilitators: Robin Harris of NEIU Libraries and Liz Rodriguez of the CTL

When: Monday, March 11 from 1:00-3:00 p.m.

Where: online via Zoom; accepted participants will receive a link closer to the event

Spots are limited so apply by March 1, 2024. Accepted participants will be notified by March 5.

Adobe Creative Campus

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is pleased to share news that NEIU has become an Adobe Creative Campus. That means, in addition to our students and faculty having Adobe licenses, we can benefit from other free support and faculty development opportunities offered by Adobe.

What does this mean for you, as an instructor?

It means that you can participate in free faculty development activities and access teaching resources and inspiration from faculty at other institutions who are using Adobe in their teaching. If you have not already requested a license, please contact the IT service desk at servicedesk@neiu.edu.

What kinds of faculty development does Adobe offer?

There are free learning sessions to help faculty use a variety of Adobe tools. Many of these workshops are online and self-paced and take only 60-90 minutes. For more information, see Adobe Education Exchange’s Professional Learning.

What kind of assignments can you reimagine with Adobe? 

Adobe offers free teaching resources so you can see the kinds of projects other faculty have created.  To view these examples, go to the  Adobe Education Exchange. For instance you can work with your students to. . .

Are there any other faculty development opportunities to help me learn to use Adobe products for teaching and learning?

Adobe will offer a Summer Education Institute. Stay tuned for details later this spring.


A “How to” on Panopto Video Hosting Solution

Panopto is our media-streaming and video capture solution integrated into our Brightspace/D2L learning management system. It offers instructors a secure method of sharing video content. This platform allows users to capture and edit videos, add captions, create video assignments, and insert interactive video quizzes and short response activities. If you want to “flip” the classroom or need to create content for online or hybrid courses or have your students do so, this is the tool for you. Come and learn how!


D2L Purge Party

It’s time to purge all courses existing prior to and including Summer 2019. But don’t despair. You can keep your content by moving it into a Master Shell. Don’t know how? Come to our virtual purge party to learn how.


Hypothesis Academy Trainings

Hypothesis Social Annotation has several fabulous trainings coming up in April. This self-paced training is  FREE for our NEIU Faculty!  For details, please use this Registration Form.

You may also be interested in the Social Annotation in the Age of AI Hypothesis training. This self-paced training occurs in March. For details, please use this Registration Form. 

Participants can expect to spend approximately 3 hours each week (6 hours total).  


Please Add to Your Syllabus!

Many of our students are not aware of the fabulous El Centro and CCICS campuses. Adding the addresses of all campuses in the syllabi is an easy way to let students know there are several locations for taking classes, studying and picking up library materials. Please help promote greater accessibility by including the list of campus addresses at the bottom of your syllabus.

Additionally, if you missed this, the university has approved the  new ADA Statement. You must use this version in your syllabus moving forward.

Want more information on what should be included on your syllabus?  Please check the CTL Website, Faculty Resources, The Syllabus.


Recent Resources on AI

The College of Business and Technology have created a draft of an AI Usage Policy for their college. This draft document includes a variety of AI syllabus examples that you might find helpful.  In addition, please see this comprehensive report, Benefits, Challenges, and Sample Use Cases of Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education from Inside Higher Ed.




Technology and D2L Updates


D2L “How to” Videos 

Take a deep dive into Brightspace/D2L topics of high use by viewing the following webinars prepared especially for NEIU faculty!


General Panopto Assistance

Panopto Video Hosting Solution offers instructors the ability to make virtual learning interactive so students are engaged. Have general questions about anything Panopto? Come to trainer office hours! Just click the link below to join.

The CTL has also created a Panopto Guidance Document if you prefer.



In Case You Missed It

The Purge is Coming! The Purge is Coming! D2L Spring Cleaning: Action Steps for Faculty

This spring, the CTL will begin the much-needed cleanup of old courses in D2L. Since NEIU adopted D2L in Fall 2012, we have never performed the routine of purging (deleting)  courses that are essential for the health of the system and usability for faculty and students.

We will begin by purging courses prior to and including the Summer 2019 semesters. This means that faculty will need to store their courses in master shells, which is a sound practice for keeping D2L as streamlined as possible. Master shells are sandbox courses or staging areas that all faculty can use to build and store entire courses. Faculty can have a master shell for each course that they teach, and the CTL will never archive or remove your access to these courses. NOTE: The last date to move your course content into its Master Shell is May 30, 2024

So we need your help! Here are some tips that will help you prepare for D2L Spring Cleaning:




Free Subscription to the Magna Digital Library

CTL has made available to our faculty over 400 expert-led professional development programs via our subscription to Magna Digital Library. Many of these video tutorials are under 20 minutes, perfect for viewing during a short coffee break!  All you need to do to access these many videos is to set up your Magnapubs group subscription account. This is the same method as you would use for accessing The Teaching Professor. Note: If you already have set up your account for The Teaching Professor, you may use the same login credential. Activate your account today!






February 2024

February 2024

In this issue….

Creating Instructor Presence in Your Online Classroom in D2L

Advanced Grading in D2L

How to Engage Diverse Learners: Reaching Students in the Classroom Through the Arts

A “How to” on Panopto Video Hosting Solution

D2L Purge Party

Hypothesis Academy Trainings

Please Add to Your Syllabus!

Recent Resources on AI

D2L Course Purging is Coming!

D2L “How to” Videos. 

CTL Workshops and Other Learning Opportunities



Creating Instructor Presence in Your Online Classroom in D2L

Description: Instructor presence helps learners understand course goals and overcome feelings of disconnection between peers and instructor. This workshop explores communicating with and engaging learners in Brightspace.

Wednesday, February 7, 2024 (10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.)

Please access this Zoom Registration link


Advanced Grading in D2L 

Description: Explore advanced areas of the grades tool by using Grade Schemes, creating uncommon grade item types, unlinking and deleting grade items, and managing and releasing final grades.

February 14, 2024 (12;00 - 2:00 p.m.)

Please access this Zoom Registration link

How to Engage Diverse Learners: Reaching Students in the Classroom Through the Arts

Description: Research has shown that incorporating the arts and performing arts into the classroom can effectively engage students with different learning styles, neurodivergent learners, and individuals with disabilities. These creative approaches to teaching and assessment can enhance critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills while also promoting social and emotional development. Join your colleagues across disciplines for a hands-on workshop designed to help you break out of the traditional approaches to teaching and build a sense of community in the classroom.  


Presenter:

Bari Fleischer is an NEIU alum with a Master of Fine Arts. She is currently a doctoral candidate at National Louis University, working on a doctorate in Disability and Equity in Education.


Monday, February 26 (10:00 a.m.-11:30 am)


Where: CTL Professional Development Room, LIB 310



A “How to” on Panopto Video Hosting Solution

Panopto is our media-streaming and video capture solution integrated into our Brightspace/D2L learning management system. It offers instructors a secure method of sharing video content. This platform allows users to capture and edit videos, add captions, create video assignments, and insert interactive video quizzes and short response activities. If you want to “flip” the classroom or need to create content for online or hybrid courses or have your students do so, this is the tool for you. Come and learn how!

Thursday, Feb 15 (2:00-3:00 p.m.)

Zoom Registration Required


D2L Purge Party

It’s time to purge all courses existing prior to and including Summer 2019. But don’t despair. You can keep your content by moving it into a Master Shell. Don’t know how? Come to our virtual purge party to learn how.

Monday, Feb. 5, 10 am, Click to Register 

Thursday, Feb. 8, 2 pm, Click to Register 


Hypothesis Academy Trainings

Hypothesis Social Annotation has several fabulous trainings coming up in February and April. This self-paced training is  FREE for our NEIU Faculty!  For details, please use this Registration Form.

You may also be interested in the Social Annotation in the Age of AI Hypothesis training. This self-paced training occurs in March. For details, please use this Registration Form. 

Participants can expect to spend approximately 3 hours each week (6 hours  total).  


Please Add to Your Syllabus!

Many of our students are not aware of the fabulous El Centro and CCICS campuses. Adding the addresses of all campuses in the syllabi is an easy way to let students know there are several locations for taking classes, studying and picking up library materials. Please help promote greater accessibility by including the list of campus addresses at the bottom of your syllabus.


Recent Resources on AI




Technology and D2L Updates


General Panopto Assistance

Panopto Video Hosting Solution offers instructors the ability to make virtual learning interactive so students are engaged. Have general questions about anything Panopto? Come to trainer office hours! Just click the link below to join.

The CTL has also created a Panopto Guidance Document if you prefer.



In Case You Missed It

The Purge is Coming! The Purge is Coming! D2L Spring Cleaning: Action Steps for Faculty

This spring, the CTL will begin the much-needed cleanup of old courses in D2L. Since NEIU adopted D2L in Fall 2012, we have never performed the routine of purging (deleting)  courses that are essential for the health of the system and usability for faculty and students.

We will begin by purging courses prior to and including the Summer 2019 semesters. This means that faculty will need to store their courses in master shells, which is a sound practice for keeping D2L as streamlined as possible. Master shells are sandbox courses or staging areas that all faculty can use to build and store entire courses. Faculty can have a master shell for each course that they teach, and the CTL will never archive or remove your access to these courses. NOTE: The last date to move your course content into its Master Shell is May 30, 2024

So we need your help! Here are some tips that will help you prepare for D2L Spring Cleaning:




Free Subscription to the Magna Digital Library

CTL has made available to our faculty over 400 expert-led professional development programs via our subscription to Magna Digital Library. Many of these video tutorials are under 20 minutes, perfect for viewing during a short coffee break!  All you need to do to access these many videos is to set up your Magnapubs group subscription account. This is the same method as you would use for accessing The Teaching Professor. Note: If you already have set up your account for The Teaching Professor, you may use the same login credential. Activate your account today!


D2L “How to” Videos. 

Take a deep dive into Brightspace/D2L topics of high use by viewing the following webinars prepared especially for NEIU faculty!






December 2023   

Updates from the CTL

December 2023

In this issue….

January Just in Time Sessions

A “How to” on Panopto Video Hosting Solution

Engaged Online Reading with Hypothesis

Applying Generative AI in Your Classroom

The Liquid Syllabus Stipend Initiative

What Does it Mean to be a Serving Institution?

D2L Purge Party

Register for CTL Accessibility Academy

D2L Course Purging is Coming!

In Case You Missed It

January “Just in Time” Sessions and Other Learning Opportunities


A “How to” on Panopto Video Hosting Solution

Panopto is our media-streaming and video capture solution integrated into our Brightspace/D2L learning management system. It offers instructors a secure method of sharing video content. This platform allows users to capture and edit videos, add captions, create video assignments, and insert interactive video quizzes and short response activities. If you want to “flip” the classroom or need to create content for online or hybrid courses or have your students do so, this is the tool for you. Come and learn how!

Monday, January 8 (10:00 a.m. -11:30 p.m.) Zoom Registration Link

Wednesday, January 10m (1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m.) Zoom Registration  Link


Engaged Online Reading with Hypothesis

Join the CTL and faculty from the History Department to explore ways to teach students to read carefully and critically using Hypothesis, a tool for marking up documents with others.  Hypothesis adds a collaborative layer over online content, allowing students to add comments and questions directly to PDFs and websites. Professors Ashley Elrod, Francesca Morgan, and Charles Steinwedel will share their experiences and recommendations of how to make the most of this tool with our students.

Monday, January 8, 2024 from 1:00-2:15 p.m. via Zoom

Register now to receive Zoom link


Applying Generative AI in Your Classroom

It’s hard to believe, but we’ve been living with openly available generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT and Bard for about a year now. Regardless of where you are in developing your approach to AI in your teaching, this session will walk faculty through an activity they can use with students to discuss AI’s affordances and tradeoffs. Facilitated by the CTL’s Liz Rodriguez.

Friday, January 12, 2024 from 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. via Zoom

Registration on Zoom to receive an invite


The Liquid Syllabus Stipend Initiative

According to Pacanski-Brock, 2021) a Liquid Syllabus “is a humanizing element that ensures students start a course feeling supported by their instructor.”  It addresses equity-based practices as conceptualized by the Center for Urban Education, culturally responsive teaching and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Rather than a PDF or Word document, it exists on a public, accessible, mobile-friendly website, which can be linked easily into the learning management system. In this 1 1/2 hour workshop, participants will begin to build their own liquid syllabus for one of their courses using Google Site. This workshop will take place on Zoom. Participants should be sure to have their syllabi handy and use their NEIU Google account for this workshop. Faculty who participate in the workshop activities and submit for review a transformed syllabus by May 1, 2024 will earn a stipend of $350.00. Complete this registration form no later than Monday, December 11, 2013


What Does it Mean to be a Serving Institution?

At the State of the University Address in October, Interim President Bell-Jordan invited the university community to entertain the question of what it means to be a Serving institution. The CTL would love to engage in this conversation with you. Join us on Zoom to share your thoughts, see where your colleagues agree and disagree and grapple with this important question.


D2L Purge Party

It’s time to purge all courses existing prior to and including Summer 2019. But don’t despair. You can keep your content by moving it into a Master Shell. Don’t know how? Come to our virtual purge party to learn how.

Monday, January 8, 2024 (1: 00 p.m.),  Zoom link 

Thursday, January 11, 2024 (2:00 p.m.),  Zoom link 


Register for CTL Accessibility Academy

Ensuring our students can access material in the virtual learning environment (i.e., D2L) creates a more equitable and inclusive course experience. To this purpose, CTL offers an incentive for faculty to expand their understanding of accessible course design. 

This initiative consists of two parts: 

This opportunity provides a $600.00 stipend for up to 15 faculty. Participants can expect to spend 20-22 hours total, which includes completion of the Brightspace/D2L online modules and the additional CTL course activities. A signed pre-approval form will be collected from you/your supervisor before starting the activities. A lump sum payment form will be processed after all activities have been completed and reviewed by the CTL.  If interested in participating, please complete this application no later than Wednesday, January 31, 2024. Those faculty who have been approved to join this initiative will receive a followup email the next week. The course will launch on Friday, February 9th.


Last Chance: Register for CTL Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools

“Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools” is a non-credit professional development course designed and taught by Dr. Liz Rodriguez in the Center for Teaching and Learning. Faculty will be introduced to the fundamentals of online pedagogy and course delivery: faculty presence, effective online communication, student-centered learning activities, and intentional integration of technology. This asynchronous course has no set meeting times, but there are weekly due dates to meet. Participants should expect to spend 5-6 hours per week reviewing instructional materials, participating in online discussions, and working on individual assignments that apply course materials to their teaching practice.

A $500.00 stipend is available for up to 20 faculty who meet the following eligibility requirements:


The class runs January 23-February 19, 2024. See the Frequently Asked Questions for more information on this course. Register by Monday, January 22 at 5 p.m.


Hypothesis Academy: Social Annotation in the Age of AI Training

Hypothesis ‘s Social Annotation in the Age of AI is designed to teach you how to use Hypothesis social annotation to navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by AI writing tools such as ChatGPT. Course completers receive recognition as a Hypothesis Certified Educator, with a digital certificate that can be shared to your social media page. This training is FREE for our NEIU Faculty!  

Training is a two-week self-paced training that runs January 2-January 16, 2024.

Participants can expect to spend approximately 3 hours each week (6 hours  total).  

Complete this Hypothesis Registration Form.


Panopto Assistance

Panopto Video Hosting Solution offers instructors the ability to make virtual learning interactive so students are engaged. Have general questions about anything Panopto? Come to trainer office hours! Just click the link below to join.

The CTL has also created a Panopto Guidance Document if you prefer.



Technology and D2L Updates


The Purge is Coming! The Purge is Coming! D2L Spring Cleaning: Action Steps for Faculty

This spring, the CTL will begin the much-needed cleanup of old courses in D2L. Since NEIU adopted D2L in Fall 2012, we have never performed the routine of purging (deleting)  courses that are essential for the health of the system and usability for faculty and students.

We will begin by purging courses prior to and including the Summer 2019 semesters. This means that faculty will need to store their courses in master shells, which is a sound practice for keeping D2L as streamlined as possible. Master shells are sandbox courses or staging areas that all faculty can use to build and store entire courses. Faculty can have a master shell for each course that they teach, and the CTL will never archive or remove your access to these courses. NOTE: The last date to move your course content into its Master Shell is May 30, 2024

So we need your help! Here are some tips that will help you prepare for D2L Spring Cleaning:

Copy your most recent version of each course into a master shell. Please note that the D2L course copy tool does not overwrite any information in the course shell. This means that it keeps everything that’s already in the course, and it adds anything you’ve requested to copy. To avoid duplicate materials in your master shell, we recommend that you delete all materials before copying your course. 

Request a master shell for any courses that you are missing.

At the end of each semester, make sure to copy each course that you made changes to into the appropriate master shell.



In Case You Missed It

Free Subscription to the Magna Digital Library

CTL has made available to our faculty over 400 expert-led professional development programs via our subscription to Magna Digital Library. Many of these video tutorials are under 20 minutes, perfect for viewing during a short coffee break!  All you need to do to access these many videos is to set up your Magnapubs group subscription account. This is the same method as you would use for accessing The Teaching Professor. Note: If you already have set up your account for The Teaching Professor, you may use the same login credential. Activate your account today!

D2L “How to” Videos. 

Take a deep dive into Brightspace/D2L topics of high use by viewing the following webinars prepared especially for NEIU faculty!

View the Recording: Learning Ecosystems Training #2





November 2023   

Updates from the CTL

November 2023

In this issue….

CTL Fundamentals and Tools Stipend Initiative

Learning Ecosystems

Faculty Writing Group Sessions

D2L Advanced Standards/Learning Outcomes 

Discussing Artificial Intelligence in Your Classroom

Advanced Discussions for Assessment on D2L

The Liquid Syllabus Stipend Initiative

NEW Hypothesis Social Annotation Guidance Document

Zoom Drop in with the CTL

Other Updates

In Case You Missed It

Upcoming Workshops and Learning Opportunities

January 2023: CTL Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools

“Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools” is a non-credit professional development course designed and taught by Dr. Liz Rodriguez in the Center for Teaching and Learning. Faculty will be introduced to the fundamentals of online pedagogy and course delivery: faculty presence, effective online communication, student-centered learning activities, and intentional integration of technology. This asynchronous course has no set meeting times, but there are weekly due dates to meet. Participants should expect to spend 5-6 hours per week reviewing instructional materials, participating in online discussions, and working on individual assignments that apply course materials to their teaching practice.


A $500.00 stipend is available for up to 20 faculty who meet the following eligibility requirements:


The class runs January 23-February 19, 2024. See the Frequently Asked Questions for more information on this course. Register by Monday, January 22 at 5 p.m.

Learning Ecosystems: Tools to Train Students to Reflect on and Improve their Process

In this third part of our Learning Ecosystems Series, this session will examine how to design a classroom ecosystem that trains students to reflect on and improve their process as they work. Dr. Shah will  talk about how to implement self-assessments for project-based work, how to create a classroom culture that values process over outcomes, and how to train students to not just reflect on how to improve their learning process, but enact those plans on a weekly basis.

Presenter: Leesha “Aisha” Shah, Instructor and Incoming Assistant Professor, Computer Science

Faculty Writing Group Sessions

Are you working on a manuscript, grant proposal, or book chapter? Come to our Writing Group Sessions! In concert  with the Title III ARCOS grant, the CTL is hosting informal writing sessions for faculty looking for community and support with their writing. Each session has two rooms:

Join us in Library 310 and 312 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. on the following Fridays: October 20, November 3, November 10, December 8, and December 15. Invite your friends by sharing our flyer!

D2L Advanced Standards/Learning Outcomes 

Discover how to use Program level outcomes and copy outcomes in your course, how to leverage achievement scales, how to associate outcomes with Rubrics and Quizzes, and how to view the Learner results for your course outcomes, with a focus on the Mastery View of grades.

Discussing Artificial Intelligence in Your Classroom

Hopefully, you were able to attend Dr. Cynthia Alby’s session, “AI and Your Classroom: Equipping Students for an Unpredictable Future,” or have viewed the recording. Even if you haven’t, join the Center for Teaching and Learning for an informal discussion about your own experiences with artificial intelligence in the classroom. Bring your questions, stories, and perspectives about this controversial technology to share with colleagues from across the university.

Advanced Discussions for Assessment on D2L

Join us on Zoom to get a step-by-step session on how to use discussions for assessing learner engagement and comprehension. Learn how to set up discussions, leverage existing groups and rubrics in your course, and view statistics.  Get your questions answered from the experts.

The Liquid Syllabus Stipend Initiative

According to Pacanski-Brock, 2021) a Liquid Syllabus “is a humanizing element that ensures students start a course feeling supported by their instructor.”  It addresses equity-based practices as conceptualized by the Center for Urban Education, culturally responsive teaching and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Rather than a pdf or word document, it exists on a public, accessible, mobile-friendly website , which can be linked easily into the learning management system. In this 1 1/2 hour workshop, participants will roll begin to build their own liquid syllabus for one of their courses using Google Site. This workshop will take place on Zoom. Participants should be sure to have their syllabi handy and use their NEIU Google account for this workshop. Faculty who participate in the workshop activities and submit for review a transformed syllabus by February 1, 2024 will earn a stipend of $350.00. Complete this registration form no later than Friday, November 10th.

NEW Hypothesis Social Annotation Guidance Document

CTL has available on the CTL Website its new Hypothesis Guidance Document. Find out how to easily add it to your D2L course and check out the many lesson examples you can use, including an exercise to help students critique ChatGPT/ AI.

Zoom Drop in with the CTL

You don’t need to show up in person to get your questions answered by the CTL. We can help you out. Don’t have a burning question? Drop in via Zoom to learn more about the following topics:

All drop in hours will take place on Zoom.




Other Updates


Free, Two-Week Hypothesis Academy Courses

Hypothesis Academy features asynchronous courses designed to teach you how to use the Hypothesis Social Annotation tool (which the CTL has purchased for NEIU’s D2L), but also how to design social annotation assignments to support your students’ learning. Each course culminates in an Hypothesis Certified Educator badge and certificate, which you can share on social media or download/save for your portfolio. Each course is two-weeks and will not take a great deal of your valuable time. Plus, you will learn more than you anticipated. Learn more and register here.

Free Subscription to the Magna Digital Library

CTL has made available to our faculty over 400 expert-led professional development programs via our subscription to Magna Digital Library. Many of these video tutorials are under 20 minutes, perfect for viewing during a short coffee break!  All you need to do to access these many videos is to set up your Magnapubs group subscription account. This is the same method as you would use for accessing The Teaching Professor. Note: If you already have set up your account for The Teaching Professor, you may use the same login credential. Activate your account today!

Take a peek at our Magna video recommendation this month: 

This 20-Minute Mentor provides a three-step process for structuring discussions to increase participation and student engagement.


In Case You Missed It

AI and Your Classroom: Equipping Students for an Unpredictable Future 

Artificial Intelligence is poised to permeate nearly all facets of our lives in the not-so-distant future. While the full extent of this AI revolution remains a mystery, it's safe to say that those equipped with a well-rounded, nuanced understanding of AI and its applications will be better prepared for what lies ahead.

 

Dr. Cynthia Alby, Professor of Teacher Education and Faculty Director for High Impact Practices at Georgia College, has been weaving AI into her curriculum. She offered a wealth of information and applied examples in our recent CTL Session.

 

For those who missed this session, please see the following:

Recording from Creating and Evaluating Assignments on D2L

Couldn’t join us for the step-by-step session on creating  and managing assignments in Brightspace/D2L?  This session recording will be available for 60 days, so better check it out soon!

Recording from Creating and Managing Discussions on D2L

Couldn’t join us for the step-by-step session on creating  and managing discussions in Brightspace/D2L?   This session recording is available for viewing.

Recording from Designing Learning Ecosystems that Foster Students’ Self-Direction

Couldn’t join us for this session that inspires a totally new way to think about teaching, learning and organizational change? See this Session Recording.

Powerpoint from “Characteristics and Practical Applications for Supporting Neurodiverse Learners in the College Classroom” 

Miss this session? Here is the powerpoint with helpful links to additional resources.

CTL Rubric Repository on D2L

Are you in need of a Rubric Rescue? CTL has created a Master Course Rubric Repository on D2L. We have posted just a few and welcome additional, strong  rubrics that you would like to share with others.  To access the D2L Rubric Repository, email ctl@neiu.edu so we can add you to this course shell. You will be able to subsequently download the rubrics and add them to your own course.

Panopto Assistance

Panopto Video Hosting Solution offers instructors the ability to make virtual learning interactive so students are engaged. Have general questions about anything Panopto? Come to trainer office hours! Just click the link below to join.

The CTL has also created a Panopto Guidance Document if you prefer.




October 2023   

Updates from the CTL

October 2023

In this issue….

Characteristics and Practical Applications for Supporting Neurodiverse Learners in the College Classroom

Designing Learning Ecosystems that Foster Students’ Self-Direction: A Series

Creating, Exploring and Evaluating Discussions on D2L 

Using the D2LGrading Tool

Free, Two-Week Hypothesis Academy Courses

CTL Rubric Repository on D2L

D2L and Panopto Support

Other Updates

In Case You Missed It

Upcoming Workshops and Learning Opportunities

Characteristics and Practical Applications for Supporting Neurodiverse Learners in the College Classroom


Neurodiversity refers to the differences in how humans think, learn, behave, and interact. This term celebrates differences, but sometimes there is a mismatch between how individual students learn and how content is taught in college-level classes. Instructors can adjust to meet students’ needs without compromising the instruction of challenging content. This session will examine ideas for accommodations and instructor decisions, and also allow space for instructors to talk through issues they have experienced when trying to support their students. Presenters will facilitate problem-solving and also work through some examples from their own experiences. Please join Drs. Mark Melton and Jody Siker to work on building flexibility and choice into your course without sacrificing rigor.


Designing Learning Ecosystems that Foster Students’ Self-Direction: A Series

A learning ecosystem is a holistic approach to education that addresses a fundamental question, “how do you best learn?” It acknowledges the interconnection between many facets of the learning environment (e.g., the learner, course content, social engagement, etc.) In the first of a series of sessions, we will explore how to weave effective process, technology, and social structures into learning ecosystems that foster self-direction in our students. Join Dr. Leesha Shah as she presents a case study of how she implemented such an ecosystem to build a design-research studio at Northwestern University. Additionally, she will preview some concrete tools faculty can use to train skills like planning, help seeking, and reflection in their courses. 


Presenter: Leesha “Aisha” Shah, Instructor and Incoming Assistant Professor, Computer Science

Leesha “Aisha” Shah is a computer scientist that designs, implements, and tests ecosystems that enable effective and scalable learning environments, even when mentoring resources are limited. In her work as a researcher and teacher, she aspires to implement learning ecosystems that enhance and extend the natural ways in which we practice, learn, grow and support one another in our communities. Aisha works at the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Learning Sciences (LS). She completed her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Northwestern University.



Tools to Train Students in Strategic Project Planning

In the second part of our Learning Ecosystem Series, this session explores how to design a classroom ecosystem that trains students to plan and execute team projects. Dr. Shah will talk about how to adopt Agile processes from the tech industry to break down a complex problem into feasible chunks, how to help students identify risks in their projects like experts do, and how to design iterative plans that help students make meaningful progress each week.

Presenter: Leesha “Aisha” Shah, Instructor and Incoming Assistant Professor, Computer Science


Tools to Train Students to Reflect on and Improve their Process

In this third part of our Learning Ecosystems Series, this session will examine how to design a classroom ecosystem that trains students to reflect on and improve their process as they work. Dr. Shah will  talk about how to implement self-assessments for project-based work, how to create a classroom culture that values process over outcomes, and how to train students to not just reflect on how to improve their learning process, but enact those plans on a weekly basis.

Presenter: Leesha “Aisha” Shah, Instructor and Incoming Assistant Professor, Computer Science


Creating, Exploring and Evaluating Discussions on D2L  

Join us on Zoom to get a step-by-step session on creating and managing the Discussion Tools  in Brightspace/D2L. Get your questions answered from the experts.


Using the D2LGrading Tool

Join us on Zoom to get a step-by-step session on how to create and use the grading tool  in our learning management system. Get your questions answered from the experts.

Hypothesis Academy features asynchronous courses designed to teach you how to use the Hypothesis Social Annotation tool (which the CTL has purchased for NEIU’s D2L), but also how to design social annotation assignments to support your students’ learning. Each course culminates in an Hypothesis Certified Educator badge and certificate, which you can share on social media or download/save for your portfolio. Each course is two-weeks and will not take a great deal of your valuable time. Plus, you will learn more than you anticipated. Learn more and register here.


CTL Rubric Repository on D2L

Are you in need of a Rubric Rescue? CTL has created a Master Course Rubric Repository on D2L. We have posted just a few and welcome additional, strong  rubrics that you would like to share with others.  To access the D2L Rubric Repository, email ctl@neiu.edu so we can add you to this course shell. You will be able to subsequently download the rubrics and add them to your own course.


Drop in with the CTL

Bring your laptop and head on over to the CTL PD Room (Library 310). We will roll up our sleeves, eat a bit of chocolate, and help you with whatever questions come to mind. See the topics below.

Where: CTL Professional Development Room (LIB 310)


Panopto Assistance

Panopto Video Hosting Solution offers instructors the ability to make virtual learning interactive so students are engaged. Have general questions about anything Panopto? Come to trainer office hours! Just click the link below to join.

The CTL has also created a Panopto Guidance Document if you prefer.



Other Updates


80 Ways to Use Chat/GPT in the Classroom

Listen to this 35 minute podcast with practical examples for addressing AI in your teaching, offered by the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching at the State University of New York at Oswego


Free Subscription to the Magna Digital Library

CTL has made available to our faculty over 400 expert-led professional development programs via our subscription to Magna Digital Library. Many of these video tutorials are under 20 minutes, perfect for viewing during a short coffee break!  All you need to do to access these many videos is to set up your Magnapubs group subscription account. This is the same method as you would use for accessing The Teaching Professor. Note: If you already have set up your account for The Teaching Professor, you may use the same login credential. Activate your account today!

Take a peek at our Magna video recommendation this month: 

This 20-Minute Mentor provides practical skills in implementing strategies and utilizing tools to assess student achievement, enhance teaching effectiveness, and better support student success.


In Case You Missed It

Recording from Creating and Evaluating Assignments on D2L

Couldn’t join us for the step-by-step session on creating  and managing assignments in Brightspace/D2L?  This session recording will be available for 60 days, so better check it out soon!


Syllabus Policy Statement for Learning Success Center / Center for Academic Writing

It has come to our attention that many of our faculty have not updated their syllabus with the most current policy statement for the Learning Success Center/Center for Academic Writing. Please do so. Here is the updated statement:

OPTIONAL COPY AND PASTE: The Learning Success Center / Center for Academic Writing (LSC/CAW) provides peer-directed academic tutoring for all NEIU students in the following areas:


 

LSC/CAW tutors promote active learning strategies, encourage student engagement, and provide content support. Academic support is provided to students who are seeking assistance with understanding course concepts and preparing assignments, along with developing an improved learning system for college which includes motivation, academic engagement, brain-based habits for learning, and strategies for note taking, reading, time management, and test taking.


Tutors are graduate and undergraduate students who are recommended by faculty and carefully selected on the basis of their academic achievement and interpersonal communication skills Tutors are trained, supervised, and supported in their roles as tutors. LSC/CAW provides all NEIU students an area for learning and an opportunity to learn with other students. Appointments are strongly encouraged.


To schedule an appointment with a tutor, call 773-442-4568 or 773-442-4492, instant message with Google Chat (lsc@), or stop by LSC/CAW in the Ronald Williams Library, fourth floor.

 

For more information, visit the LSC/CAW website at www.neiu.edu/lsc. 



Faculty Institute 2023 Recordings

For those of you who were unable to attend the Faculty Institute 2023, you may view the recordings of some of our sessions on the Faculty Institute Site.



September  2023   

Updates from the CTL

September 2023

In this issue….

AI and Your Classroom: Equipping Students for an Unpredictable Future

Creating and Evaluating Assignments on D2L

Creating and Using Rubrics on D2L

Drop in with the CTL

Panopto Assistance

Free Subscription to the Magna Digital Library

Sample AI Syllabus Policy Statement 

Faculty Institute 2023 Recordings

In Case You Missed It

Upcoming Workshops and Learning Opportunities


AI and Your Classroom: Equipping Students for an Unpredictable Future

Artificial Intelligence is poised to permeate nearly all facets of our lives in the not-so-distant future. While the full extent of this AI revolution remains a mystery, it's safe to say that those equipped with a well-rounded, nuanced understanding of AI and its applications will be better prepared for what lies ahead. Dr. Cynthia Alby, Professor of Teacher Education at Georgia College, has begun weaving AI into her curriculum—gradually this past spring and extensively across 3 courses this summer.

Join her in an engaging virtual workshop to explore practical and impactful ways for you to bring AI into your course. Don’t worry, this won’t be a “one and done” session. Dr. Alby is offering her availability in the following month to provide you the necessary support and assistance as you begin implementing these exciting tools and approaches.

Registration is required.

Creating and Evaluating Assignments on D2L

Join us on Zoom to get a step-by-step session on creating an assignment in Brightspace/D2L and discuss different use cases, such as managing assignments, creating assignments, setting release conditions, connecting an assignment to the Gradebook, etc. Get your questions answered from the experts.

Creating and Using Rubrics on D2L

Join us on Zoom to get a step-by-step session on how to create and use rubrics in our learning management system. Get your questions answered from the experts.

Wednesday, Sept 20 (10:00 a.m. -11:00 a.m.)

Please access with this Zoom link

Drop in with the CTL

Bring your laptop and head on over to the CTL PD Room (Library 310). We will roll up our sleeves, eat a bit of chocolate, and help you with whatever questions come to mind.

Where: CTL Professional Development Room (LIB 310)

Panopto Assistance

Panopto Video Hosting Solution offers instructors the ability to make virtual learning interactive so students are engaged. Have general questions about anything Panopto? Come to trainer office hours! Just click the link below to join.

The CTL has also created a Panopto Guidance Document if you prefer.



Other Updates


Free Subscription to the Magna Digital Library

CTL has made available to our faculty over 400 expert-led professional development programs via our subscription to Magna Digital Library. Many of these video tutorials are under 20 minutes, perfect for viewing during a short coffee break!  All you need to do to access these many videos is to set up your Magnapubs group subscription account. This is the same method as you would use for accessing The Teaching Professor. Note: If you already have set up your account for The Teaching Professor, you may use the same login credential. Activate your account today!

Take a peek at our Magna video recommendation this month: 

This 20-Minute Mentor provides guidance into the world of AI tools for teaching which can lead to more effective and engaging teaching practices. Learn about the 4 types of AI tools in teaching and ways to use AI in your teaching and to support your teaching.



In Case You Missed It

Faculty Institute 2023 Recordings

For those of you who were unable to attend the Faculty Institute 2023, you may view the recordings of some of our sessions on the Faculty Institute Site.

Sample AI Syllabus Policy Statement 

Submission of assignments using generative AI including ChatGPT and similar technologies are forms of academic dishonesty. To maintain a culture of academic integrity, students are to refrain from using AI tools in this course unless with the express permission of the instructor.  In those situations when the instructor has approved the use of AI, the following guidelines are in place:

ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence Guidance Document

The CTL has developed the ChatGBT and AI Guidance Document to help faculty stay informed about this evolving technology. No doubt about it, AI is going to change how we teach, and a great many other things in our society.

Brush up on Your NEIUStar Skills

As part of NEIU’s Illinois Equity in Attainment (ILEA) plan, colleagues across our university are working together to use NEIUStar, an early alert system, to help close equity gaps in retention and graduation rates. The CTL will be providing training and support for faculty, beginning with this infographic with quick user guides on using NEIUStar. Additionally, if you need refresher training, please contact CTL@neiu.edu.

Panopto Video Hosting Solution Guidance Document

Faculty are starting to make good use of our new Panopto Video Hosting Solution in their NEIU courses. For those who have not yet created a recording using this new tool, please see the Panopto Guidance Document  posted on the CTL Website under the Guidance for Virtual Learning menu item.




August 2023   

Updates from the CTL

August 2023

In this issue….

Faculty Institute 2023: Registration

Moving DEI Teaching Forward with CTL’s Magna DEI Digital Credential Initiative!

Hands on Session: Gaming in the Classroom for Learning, Engagement and Retention

Drop in with the CTL

Panopto Assistance

Free Subscription to the Magna Digital Library

CTL Multicultural Competency Survey Results

Sample AI Syllabus Policy Statement 

Celebrating our Fabulous Faculty

In Case You Missed It

Upcoming Workshops and Learning Opportunities


Faculty Institute 2023: Registration

It is time to register for the 2023 Faculty Institute, "“Cultivating Our Humanity in Times of Transition." Join our community on the north campus for two days of professional renewal. This year’s Faculty Institute offers two motivational keynote speakers, as well as interactive breakout sessions designed to appeal to a variety of participants. 

Registration is required no later than August 5th as we need to order lunches for participants. There is a “no lunch” option we encourage you to use if, in fact, you do not intend for us to order (and pay for) lunch. Please use this Faculty Institute Registration link and be sure to change the Quantity to “1.”


Moving DEI Teaching Forward with CTL’s Magna DEI Digital Credential Initiative!


The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is committed to promoting students’ learning and sense of belonging.  To this purpose we offer faculty the opportunity to earn Magna Quest’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Digital Credential. This credential can be shared with colleagues internally and externally on platforms such as LinkedIn or remain private to the individual earning the badge. The credential is based on achieving the following required proficiencies:

Up to 40 tenure track, full-time, in-unit part-time instructors and department chairs and coordinators are eligible for this opportunity. If interested, please complete the Magna Quest DEI Digital Credential and CTL Stipend Registration Form. Do so no later than Friday, September 1, 2023

The DEI credential is designed for asynchronous learning. Participants can expect to spend 20-22 hours total (running from the week of Sept 11th through the week of April 15th. Participants who complete all required videos, coaching sessions and final application activity earn the following:


Hands on Session: Gaming in the Classroom for Learning, Engagement and Retention

This in person workshop aims to provide faculty with the ability to create formative assessments on websites like Kahoot that enable interactive and targeted feedback. In addition, information will be given on how to take and utilize the scores on the formative assessment to detect which students are in danger of failing or dropping out. Bring your laptop or other device.  Please complete this Registration Form no later than Friday, August 25th

Presenter: Dr. Michael Fleischer, Instructor of Psychology

August 29 (12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m.)

CTL Professional Development Room (LIB 310)

Drop in with the CTL

Bring your laptop and head on over to the CTL PD Room (Library 310). We will roll up our sleeves, eat a bit of chocolate, and help you with whatever questions come to mind.

CTL Professional Development Room (LIB 310)

Panopto Assistance

Panopto Video Hosting Solution offers instructors the ability to make virtual learning interactive so students are engaged. Have general questions about anything Panopto? Come to trainer office hours! Just click the link below to join.

The CTL has also created a Panopto Guidance Document if you prefer.

Other Updates


Free Subscription to the Magna Digital Library

CTL has made available to our faculty over 400 expert-led professional development programs via our subscription to Magna Digital Library. Many of these video tutorials are under 20 minutes, perfect for viewing during a short coffee break!  All you need to do to access these many videos is to set up your Magnapubs group subscription account. This is the same method as you would use for accessing The Teaching Professor. Note: If you already have set up your account for The Teaching Professor, you may use the same login credential. Activate your account today!

Take a peek at our Magna video recommendation this month: 

The Discussion Board and Beyond: How Can I Engage Students Online?

This 20-Minute Mentor shows you how to overcome common challenges of online discussion boards while examining other options for engagement both by using the learning management system (LMS) and engaging students outside of the online classroom. 

CTL Multicultural Competency Survey Results

As part of our ongoing commitment to offering professional development opportunities to enhance the teaching and learning for our students, the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) surveyed our faculty using an adapted version of the  Multicultural Teaching Competence Scale (MTCS) (Spanierman et al., 2011). It was developed to understand the extent to which faculty believe they are accessing and using culturally enhancing practices in the classroom. Feel free to read  the MTCS Survey Results. 

Sample AI Syllabus Policy Statement 

Submission of assignments using generative AI including ChatGPT and similar technologies are forms of academic dishonesty. To maintain a culture of academic integrity, students are to refrain from using AI tools in this course unless with the express permission of the instructor.  In those situations when the instructor has approved the use of AI, the following guidelines are in place:

Celebrating our Fabulous Faculty

The CTL would like to recognize a few of our colleagues who have contributed to and/or shown their commitment to professional development.


In Case You Missed It

ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence Guidance Document

The CTL has developed the ChatGBT and AI Guidance Document to help faculty stay informed about this evolving technology. No doubt about it, AI is going to change how we teach, and a great many other things in our society.

Brush up on Your NEIUStar Skills

As part of NEIU’s Illinois Equity in Attainment (ILEA) plan, colleagues across our university are working together to use NEIUStar, an early alert system, to help close equity gaps in retention and graduation rates. The CTL will be providing training and support for faculty, beginning with this infographic with quick user guides on using NEIUStar. Additionally, refresher training sessions are scheduled:

Wednesday, August 23 from 10-10:30 a.m. in CTL 310 and online

Friday, August 25 from 12-12:30 p.m. online only

Panopto Video Hosting Solution Guidance Document

Faculty are starting to make good use of our new Panopto Video Hosting Solution in their NEIU courses. For those who have not yet created a recording using this new tool, please see the Panopto Guidance Document  posted on the CTL Website under the Guidance for Virtual Learning menu item. 

Revised ADA Statement

The University Diversity Council approved a revision to the ADA Statement that is included in the course syllabus. The added language is much more welcoming for students with disabilities and adopts a supportive versus compliance tone. Please make the appropriate changes to your course syllabus to use this Revised ADA Statement.

FY23 CTL by the Numbers

Wonder what we’ve been up to this past year? Our CTL by the Numbers Infographic displays just a few of our activities for FY 23.


July 2023   

Updates from the CTL

July 2023

In this issue….

CTL Google Tools 101: Guided Tour Through Folders, Docs, Slides and Forms

CTL Hands on Help with Google Tools 

Hypothesis Academy: Social Annotation in the Age of AI

Sample AI Syllabus Policy Statement 

ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence Guidance Document

Brush up on Your NEIUStar Skills

Panopto Video Hosting Solution Guidance Document

Jamboard for Students

Highlighted Readings and Videos

CTL 2023 by the Numbers



Upcoming Workshops and Learning Opportunities



CTL Google Tools 101: Guided Tour Through Folders, Docs, Slides and Forms 

This session shows participants how to use NEIU’s Google Drive, create and upload folders, files and documents and share them with students and colleagues. Participants will also learn the basics of creating forms and slides.

When: Tuesday,  July 11 (10:00 a.m.-11:15 a.m.)

Where:  Zoom Link

CTL Hands on Help with Google Tools 

Want a more personal touch to build your confidence with Google Suite? Join us in person for assistance. 

When: Thursday, July 13 (10:00 a.m.-11:15 a.m.)

Where: CTL Professional Development Room (Library 310)

Hypothesis Academy: Social Annotation in the Age of AI

This two-week professional development opportunity is offered directly from Hypothesis. It is free to our faculty. All you need to do is use this Hypothesis Registration Form

Instructors select this following session cohort:

This course provides a comprehensive description and application not only of how to use Hypothesis Social Annotation but also on ChatGPT/AI.  If you complete all of the required components of the course, you’ll also receive recognition as a Hypothesis Certified Educator for the course Social Annotation in the Age of AI. This includes a digital certificate (which can easily be shared to your social media pages or downloaded and saved to a portfolio).











Technology  and D2L Updates


Sample AI Syllabus Policy Statement 

Looking for some guidance for adding a policy in your syllabus related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT? Feel free to use or adapt this one:

Submission of assignments using generative AI including ChatGPT and similar technologies is a form of academic dishonesty. To maintain a culture of academic integrity, students are to refrain from using AI tools in this course unless with the express permission of the instructor.  In those situations when the instructor has approved the use of AI, the following guidelines are in place:

ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence Guidance Document

The CTL has developed the ChatGBT and AI Guidance Document to help faculty stay informed about this evolving technology. No doubt about it, AI is going to change how we teach, and a great many other things in our society.

Brush up on Your NEIUStar Skills

As part of NEIU’s Illinois Equity in Attainment (ILEA) plan, colleagues across our university are working together to use NEIUStar, an early alert system, to help close equity gaps in retention and graduation rates. The CTL will be providing training and support for faculty, beginning with this infographic with quick user guides on using NEIUStar. Please be on the lookout for future training and support opportunities!

In Case You Missed It

Panopto Video Hosting Solution Guidance Document

Faculty are starting to make good use of our new Panopto Video Hosting Solution in their NEIU courses. For those who have not yet created a recording using this new tool, please see the Panopto Guidance Document  posted on the CTL Website under the Guidance for Virtual Learning menu item. If you want to get individualized assistance, Panopto has regular, virtual office hours on Thursdays.  Just click the link below to join.


Jamboard for Students

Jamboard is a digital whiteboard offered on the NEIU Google Suite that allows for collaboration in the virtual environment. While instructors had access to this tool, it is now available for our students. This means your students can share ideas, brainstorm and problem-solve in a variety of engaging ways as long as they use their Nmail account. To get started, view this  How to Use Google Jamboard Beginner’s Tutorial.


Deeper Dives

Highlighted Readings and Videos


CTL 2023 by the Numbers

For a peek at a few of the many things YOUR CTL has been up to this past year, please view our CTL by the Numbers Infographic.











Summer 2023   

Updates from the CTL

Summer 2023

In this issue….

CTL Accessibility Academy: Summer 2023 Stipend Initiative

Hypothesis Social Annotation Professional Development

Hypothesis “Hands on”

Please Complete the CTL Multicultural Competency Survey

Jamboard for Students

NEW ADA Statement

ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence Guidance Document

Brush up on Your NEIUStar Skills

Panopto Video Hosting Solution Guidance Document

How to Transfer Ownership of Google Files

Stipends Update

Upcoming Workshops and Learning Opportunities


CTL Accessibility Academy: Summer 2023 Stipend Initiative

Ensuring our students can access material in the virtual learning environment (i.e., D2L) creates a more equitable and inclusive course experience. To this purpose, CTL offers an incentive for faculty to expand their understanding of accessible course design. 

This initiative consists of two parts: 

This opportunity provides a $600.00 stipend for up to 20 faculty. If interested, please complete the CTL Accessibility Academy Registration Form no later than May 15, 2023.


Hypothesis Social Annotation Professional Development

Do you want to develop and encourage students to read, think critically and collaborate and at the same time reduce the likelihood of plagiarism? Then Hypothesis is  the tool for you! The CTL will host professionals from Hypothesis Social Annotation, a tool that is integrated within the Brightspace/D2L learning environment. At this session the presenters will demonstrate and discuss how collaborative annotation with Hypothesis can be used to make student reading visible, active, and social.  Additionally, there is a new “groups” function that makes engagement easier than ever. This session takes place on Zoom on Tuesday, June 6 (1:30-3:00 p.m.).  Please complete this registration form no later than Thursday, June 1.


Hypothesis “Hands on”

Bring a cup of coffee and your laptop and head on over to the CTL PD Room (Library 310). We will roll up our sleeves and help you get ready to use the Hypothesis Social Annotation tool. 

Thursday, June 8 (1:00-2:00 p.m.)


Please Complete the CTL Multicultural Competency Survey

As part of our ongoing commitment to offering professional development opportunities to enhance the teaching and learning for our students, the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) seeks your participation in an annual survey. We anticipate this anonymous survey will take no more than 10 minutes of your time.

The survey was adapted from the Multicultural Teaching Competence Scale (MTCS) (Spanierman et al., 2011). It was developed to understand the extent to which faculty believe they are accessing and using culturally enhancing practices in the classroom. Please complete the CTL Multicultural Competency Survey prior to May 10th, 2023.


Jamboard for Students

Jamboard is a digital whiteboard offered on the NEIU Google Suite that allows for collaboration in the virtual environment. While instructors had access to this tool, it is now available for our students. This means your students can share ideas, brainstorm and problem-solve in a variety of engaging ways as long as they use their Nmail account. To get started, view this  How to Use Google Jamboard Beginner’s Tutorial.


NEW ADA Statement

The University Diversity Council approved a revision to the ADA Statement that is included in the course syllabus. The added language is much more welcoming for students with disabilities and adopts a supportive versus compliance tone. Please make the appropriate changes to your course syllabus to use this Revised ADA Statement.



Technology  and D2L Updates


ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence Guidance Document

The CTL has developed the ChatGBT and AI Guidance Document to help faculty stay informed about this evolving technology. No doubt about it, AI is going to change how we teach, and a great many other things in our society.


Brush up on Your NEIUStar Skills

As part of NEIU’s Illinois Equity in Attainment (ILEA) plan, colleagues across our university are working together to use NEIUStar, an early alert system, to help close equity gaps in retention and graduation rates. The CTL will be providing training and support for faculty, beginning with this infographic with quick user guides on using NEIUStar. Please be on the lookout for future training and support opportunities!

In Case You Missed It

Panopto Video Hosting Solution Guidance Document

Faculty are starting to make good use of our new Panopto Video Hosting Solution in their NEIU courses. For those who have not yet created a recording using this new tool, please see the Panopto Guidance Document  posted on the CTL Website under the Guidance for Virtual Learning menu item. 


How to Transfer Ownership of Google Files

If you are transitioning to a new position at NEIU or retiring, it is critical that you share any important files with an NEIU  colleague who needs access to these files. University Technology Services (UST) has created the Transfer Ownership to Another Individual at NEIU instructional document for this purpose. 


Stipends Update

Many of you  have participated in our CTL professional development stipend initiatives. As the process for lump sum payments has recently moved to Workday, we are experiencing a delay in processing these payments. We appreciate your patience as it may be late summer before you see your stipend.









May 2023   

In this issue….

Faculty Institute 2023 Call for Proposals

CTL Multicultural Competency Survey

Self-Reflection Instrument for Culturally Responsive Teaching

NEW ADA Statement

Transition to New Online Proctoring Solution

Hypothesis Social Annotation is here!

Brush up on Your NEIUStar Skills

Panopto Video Hosting Solution Guidance Document

Congratulations to Our Most Recent Quality Matters Course Credential Leader!





Upcoming Workshops and Learning Opportunities

Faculty Institute 2023 Call for Proposals

The Northeastern Illinois University 2023 Faculty Institute theme is "Cultivating Our Humanity in Times of Transition." The event takes place on the North Campus from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16 and Thursday, Aug. 17. We welcome your proposals!

If you are interested in presenting a 20- or 60-minute breakout session, please complete the 2023 Faculty Institute Proposals form no later than Monday, May 1, 2023. Thereafter, proposal submissions will be reviewed by the 2023 Faculty Institute Planning Committee. Those who submitted a proposal will receive a notification by early June as to whether their topic will be included as a session in the 2023 Faculty Institute.

CTL Multicultural Competency Survey

As part of our ongoing commitment to offering professional development opportunities to enhance the teaching and learning for our students, the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) seeks your participation in an annual survey. We anticipate this anonymous survey will take no more than 10 minutes of your time.

The survey was adapted from the Multicultural Teaching Competence Scale (MTCS) (Spanierman et al., 2011). It was developed to understand the extent to which faculty believe they are accessing and using culturally enhancing practices in the classroom. Please complete the CTL Multicultural Competency Survey prior to May 10th, 2023.

Self-Reflection Instrument for Culturally Responsive Teaching

Did you know CTL had an instrument faculty could use to reflect upon their own culturally responsive teaching (CRT) strategies? This assessment tool was created in collaboration with the Title V, Creating Access to  STEM for All  (CASA) grant.  The instrument is aligned with the Center for Urban Education and enables faculty to reflect on CRT in their syllabus, course design and pedagogy. Access to the Self-Reflection Instrument for CRT is available on the CTL website, which may be downloaded and used by all instructors to set goals for improvement in the application of inclusive pedagogy.

NEW ADA Statement

The University Diversity Council approved a revision to the ADA Statement that is included in the course syllabus. The added language is much more welcoming for students with disabilities and adopts a supportive versus compliance tone. Please make the appropriate changes to your course syllabus to use this Revised ADA Statement.

Technology  and D2L Updates

Transition to New Online Proctoring Solution

For those few programs who need to use an online proctoring solution, we are transitioning from Proctorio to Integrity Advocate effective this summer. Integrity Advocate meets the Illinois Biometric Privacy Act (BIPA) and is fully integrated within the Brightspace/D2L learning environment. If you have a course that must use an online proctoring solution, please contact CTL@neiu.edu so that we can activate this tool for you.

Hypothesis Social Annotation is here!

We are happy to report that the CTL has purchased Hypothesis Social Annotation, a tool integrated into Brightspace/D2L for all faculty. It now includes a “groups” tool to make it easy for instructors to upload an article, document or website for deep reading and collaboration among students. Meet students where they are and center their voices in the virtual learning environment. Look for “how to” documents and training coming soon.

Brush up on Your NEIUStar Skills

As part of NEIU’s Illinois Equity in Attainment (ILEA) plan, colleagues across our university are working together to use NEIUStar, an early alert system, to help close equity gaps in retention and graduation rates. The CTL will be providing training and support for faculty, beginning with this infographic with quick user guides on using NEIUStar. Please be on the lookout for future training and support opportunities!

In Case You Missed It

Panopto Video Hosting Solution Guidance Document

Faculty are starting to make good use of our new Panopto Video Hosting Solution in their NEIU courses. For those who have not yet created a recording using this new tool, please see the Panopto Guidance Document  posted on the CTL Website under the Guidance for Virtual Learning menu item. 

Congratulations to Our Most Recent Quality Matters Course Credential Leader!

To date, 11 NEIU courses have received official designation as Quality Matters-certified courses in diverse programs, including Anthropology, Gerontology, History, Human Resource Development, Music, School Leadership, and Sociology. 






April 2023   

In this issue….

The Discussion Project Stipend Initiative

Helping Students Read, Think, and Collaborate with Hypothesis Social Annotation: A Professor’s Experience

10 Things I Have Learned About Writing, Publishing and Getting Money While Working at NEIU

SAVE THE DATE: 2023 Faculty Institute

NEIU  Quality Matters Course Credential Leader!

Time to Request NEW Third-Party Integrations for D2L

Panopto Video Hosting Solution Guidance Document

Transition to New Online Proctoring Solution

In Case You Missed It

Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives


Upcoming Workshops, Learning Opportunities, and News

The Discussion Project

Based on the high level of satisfaction of participants in last year's "The Discussion Project" faculty development initiative, NEIU's Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is partnering once again with the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) to offer another 3-day in person professional development opportunity.

The Discussion Project centers student voice in the classroom by teaching faculty/instructors how to build community and prepare for and use discussion as a method in their courses across departments and colleges. Participants will earn a $300.00 stipend for (a) completion of the 3 day training, and (b) developing a discussion project lesson plan to be implemented in Fall 2023.

This professional development series is offered as a 3 day, in-person training on Wednesday, May 17, Thursday, May 18, and Friday, May 19 from 8:30am - 4:30pm. 

 To participate, please complete this registration form no later than Monday, April 17, 2023


Helping Students Read, Think, and Collaborate with Hypothesis Social Annotation: A Professor’s Experience

Presenter: Dr. Isaura Pulido, Professor of Educational Inquiry and Curriculum Studies

Monday, April 3, 2023 (20:00 p.m.-1:00) p.m.via Zoom.

Description: Student engagement is improved through collaborative teaching methods. One tool that CTL considered last year was Hypothesis Social Annotation. This tool, integrated within the secure Brightspace/D2L environment supports learner engagement, deep reading and collaboration among students. Join Dr. Isaura Pulido as she shares her experience using this tool in her course as part of a pilot.

10 Things I Have Learned About Writing, Publishing and Getting Money While Working at NEIU

Presenter: Dr. Erica Meiners, Professor of Educational Inquiry and Curriculum Studies and Recipient of the Bernard J. Brommel Distinguished Research Professor Award

Tuesday, April 4, 2023 (12:00-1:00 pm) via Zoom.

Erica R. Meiners has worked at NEIU for over twenty-two years. She has co-edited, co-authored and authored over 11 books - with a wide range of presses including Routledge, University of Minnesota, Verso, Haymarket and AK - and authored 100 plus articles and chapters across multiple disciplines. She has garnered over 2 million dollars of support for a number of community projects. This short talk will share some of what she has learned with lots of time for Q & A..


SAVE THE DATE: 2023 Faculty Institute

Faculty Institute 2023 takes place on Wednesday, August 16 and Thursday, August 17 (9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.). This year’s theme is “‘Cultivating Our Humanity in Times of Transition.” A call for presenter proposals will come out soon.


Congratulations to our most recent Quality Matters Course Credential Leader!

To date, ten NEIU courses have received official designation as Quality Matters-certified courses in diverse programs, including Anthropology, Gerontology, Human Resource Development, Music, School Leadership, and Sociology. 


D2L and Other Technology News You Can Use

Now is the Time to Request NEW Third-Party Integrations for D2L Course

Instructors often learn about new textbooks, tools and other 3rd party integrations that they want added to their D2L course. Unfortunately, the CTL cannot honor all of these requests, particularly if they pose a security risk. Also, we need sufficient time to run tests of the integration. For more information, please review these D2L External Application Integration Guidelines.


Panopto Video Hosting Solution Guidance Document

Faculty are starting to make good use of our new Panopto Video Hosting Solution in their NEIU courses. For those who have not yet created a recording using this new tool, please see the Panopto Guidance Document posted on the CTL Website under the Guidance for Virtual Learning menu item. 


Transition to New Online Proctoring Solution

For those few programs who need to use an online proctoring solution, we are transitioning from Proctorio to Integrity Advocate effective this summer. Integrity Advocate meets the Illinois Biometric Privacy Act (BIPA) and is fully integrated within the Brightspace/D2L learning environment. If you have a course that must use an online proctoring solution, please contact CTL@neiu.edu so that we can activate this tool for you.


In Case You Missed It

Making Instruction Accessible to Students With (and Without) Disabilities

Here is the Do You See What I See? presentation from our March 8, 2023 session. Also, included are the Accessing Kurzweil 3000 instructions. Kurzweil 3000 is an assistive technology and learning literacy tool for which Northeastern holds a university license. Students with disabilities or language learning challenges can use this web-based application to make documents more accessible to them. Faculty, also, can upload their word documents to see just how accessible they are (or are not!). 


Self-Reflection Instrument for Culturally Responsive Teaching

Did you know CTL had an instrument faculty could use to reflect upon their own culturally responsive teaching (CRT) strategies? This assessment tool was created in collaboration with the Title V, Creating Access to  STEM for All  (CASA) grant.  The instrument is aligned with the Center for Urban Education and enables faculty to reflect on CRT in their syllabus, course design and pedagogy. Access to the Self-Reflection Instrument for CRT is available on the CTL website.


Responding to ChatGPT

This past month, the CTL hosted a session about ChatGPT, “Beat the Machine: Exploring ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence in Teaching and Learning.” If you missed the session, don’t worry! Here’s how you can start to get up to speed on this emerging technology:


Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives

How Artificial Intelligence is Impacting Higher Education 

This is a 43 minute podcast hosted on the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast.





March  2023   

In this issue….

Making Instruction Accessible to Students With (and Without) Disabilities

Do You “See” What I “See?” Accessibility via Kurzweil 3000

The Liquid Syllabus Stipend Initiative

The Discussion Project 

10 Things I Have Learned About Writing, Publishing and Getting Money While Working at NEIU

D2L and Technology News You Can use

2023 Winter Session Instructor Survey Results

ADA Statement for your Syllabus

Responding to ChatGPT

Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives





Upcoming Workshops and Learning Opportunities

Making Instruction Accessible to Students With (and Without) Disabilities

Presenter: Nathan Rouse, Program Services Specialist; Student Disability Services Office

Wednesday, March 8 (10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.) via Zoom.

The Student Disability Services (SDS) Office assists a variety of learners who qualify for accommodations. Some of these learners include those with language-based learning differences (e.g., dyslexia, autism) and those with low vision. There is much that NEIU faculty can do to support these learners, as well as those without an "official" diagnosis (e.g, students with attention deficit disorder). You may be surprised, for instance, to learn that NEIU has a license to Kurzweil 3000, an assistive technology and learning literacy tool that reads Word documents aloud. Come learn more about the SDS Office and ways faculty can help all learners be more successful.

Do You “See” What I “See?” Accessibility via Kurzweil 3000

Kurzweil 3000 is an assistive technology and learning literacy tool for which Northeastern holds a university license. Students with disabilities or language learning challenges can use this web-based application to make documents more accessible to them. Faculty, also, can upload their word documents to see just how accessible they are (or are not!).   Start using this tool immediately by following these instructions:


For more information see Accessing Kurzweil 3000: How to Sign in with Google (SSO)


The Liquid Syllabus Stipend Initiative

Tuesday, March 21, 2023 (11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.) 

Location: via this Zoom link.

According to Pacanski-Brock, 2021) a Liquid Syllabus “is a humanizing element that ensures students start a course feeling supported by their instructor.”  It addresses equity-based practices as conceptualized by the Center for Urban Education, culturally responsive teaching and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Rather than a pdf or word document, it exists on a public, accessible, mobile-friendly website , which can be linked easily into the learning management system. In this 1 1/2 hour workshop, participants will roll up their sleeves and begin to build their own liquid syllabus for one of their courses using Google Site. This workshop will take place on Zoom. Participants should be sure to have their syllabi handy and use their NEIU Google account for this workshop.  Please sign up no later than Monday, March 6  using this Registration Form.


The Discussion Project

Based on the high level of satisfaction of participants in last year's  "The Discussion Project" faculty development initiative,  NEIU's Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is partnering once again with the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) to offer another  3-day in person professional development opportunity.

The Discussion Project centers student voice in the classroom by teaching faculty/instructors how to build community and prepare for and use discussion as a method in their courses across departments and colleges. Participants will earn a $300.00 stipend for (a) completion of the 3 day training, and (b) developing a discussion project lesson plan to be implemented in Fall 2023.

This professional development series is offered as a 3 day, in-person training on Wednesday, May 17, Thursday, May 18, and Friday, May 19 from 8:30am - 4:30pm.

 To participate, please complete this registration form no later than Monday, April 17, 2023


10 Things I Have Learned About Writing, Publishing and Getting Money While Working at NEIU

Presenter: Dr. Erica Meiners, Professor of Educational Inquiry and Curriculum Studies and Recipient of the Bernard J. Brommel Distinguished Research Professor Award

Tuesday, April 4, 2023 (12:00-1:00 pm) via Zoom.

Erica R. Meiners has worked at NEIU for over twenty-two years. She has co-edited, co-authored and authored over 11 books - with a wide range of presses including Routledge, University of Minnesota, Verso, Haymarket and AK - and authored 100 plus articles and chapters across multiple disciplines. She has garnered over 2 million dollars of support for a number of community projects. This short talk will share some of what she has learned with lots of time for Q & A..

D2L and Technology News You Can Use

Supported Browsers for Brightspace/D2L

Not all browsers are created equal (as far as D2L is concerned). Be sure you and your students use the following updated browsers in D2L:

Requesting Third-Party Integrations for D2L Course

Instructors often learn about new textbooks, tools and other 3rd party integrations that they want added to their D2L course. Unfortunately, the CTL cannot honor all of these requests, particularly if they pose a security risk. Also, we need sufficient time to run tests of the integration. For more information, please review these D2L External Application Integration Guidelines.

Other News You Can Use

2023 Winter Session Instructor Survey Results

We share the results of the Winter Session Instructor Survey. Due to the low response rate from the student survey, we did not complete an analysis of that instrument. 

ADA Statement for your Syllabus

We strongly advise faculty to use the following language in their syllabi in order to better serve students with disabilities. Thank you, Dr. Ashley Elrod, for providing this!

Students with disabilities have a right to equal access and opportunity to their education! I am committed to working with you to ensure that you have the accommodations you need to reach your educational goals. Below is NEIU’s disability access statement. If you are considering seeking accommodations or would like further information, I very much encourage you to reach out to me and to our office for students with disabilities (see below). 

Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in making reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. To request accommodations, students with special needs should make arrangements with the Student Disability Services (SDS) office, located on the main campus in room D104. Contact SDS via (773) 442-4595 or http://www.neiu.edu/university-life/student-disability-services. 


What if I need accessible texts for a disability?

Simply put, books are not designed for every body, just like our building designs often exclude some bodies. Many readers need more accessible versions than a typical paperback book or PDF file. If you need your course texts in an accessible format, please reach out to NEIU’s Students with Disabilities Office. I will also work with you to identify accessible options.


In Case You Missed It

Responding to ChatGPT

This past month, the CTL hosted a session about ChatGPT, “Beat the Machine: Exploring ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence in Teaching and Learning.” If you missed the session, don’t worry! Here’s how you can start to get up to speed on this emerging technology:


Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives

People’s Guide to AI

An inspirational and practical booklet that “informs those who are developing emerging technologies to reflect on how these technologies can impact our societies.”

Ungrading: The Misconceptions, the Research, and the Strategies

This is a 20 minute podcast offered by Faculty Focus

How to Make Your Teaching More Engaging: Advice Guide




Feburary 2023   

February 2023

In this issue….

Addressing ADHD in the College Classroom Seminar Series-Stipend Initiative

Beat the Machine?: Exploring ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence in Teaching and Learning

CTL Accessibility Academy Stipend Initiative

The Discussion Project

D2L News You Can Use

In Case You Missed It

How Artificial Intelligence is Impacting Higher Education


Upcoming Workshops and Learning Opportunities

Addressing ADHD in the College Classroom Seminar Series-Stipend Initiative

A $300.00 stipend is available for participants who (a) attend all three sessions, (b) analyze a current instructional practice (e.g., task, content, assignment) in light of what they learned,  (c) revise the identified practice, and (d) submit a short video or written reflection on this learning

Please complete this registration form no later than Friday, February 3, 2023  to ensure participation in this stipend initiative.

Improving outcomes for college students with ADHD requires a multi-level approach. Yet, these students’ learning differences offer instructors the opportunity to rethink pedagogy in ways that benefit all students. Wonder if you have individuals with ADHD in your college classroom? Curious about what you would do differently as an instructor if you did?

In this three-part series, participants will:

Sessions take place virtually on the following dates/times (Dates have the embedded Zoom link): 


Beat the Machine?: Exploring ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence in Teaching and Learning

Facilitator: Liz Rodriguez, Center for Teaching and Learning

When: Wednesday, February 22 from 3:00-4:00 p.m.

Where: In person only, CTL Classroom, Library 310. Please note that this session will not be recorded.

RSVP encouraged but not required

By now, you’ve probably been warned about the impending apocalypse of genuine student writing due to the development of artificial intelligence programs like ChatGPT. These tools, we are told, are capable of producing machine-based writing that will remain undetectable to faculty and disincentivize students from developing their own thinking and writing skills. In this session, faculty will test ChatGPT with their own writing prompts and rubrics as the basis for a conversation about possible responses and approaches to this tool.

Required pre-work: Please find and bring to the session one of your own writing or assignment prompts to plug into ChatGPT, along with the corresponding rubric or grading specifications if available.


CTL Accessibility Academy Stipend Initiative

Ensuring our students can access material in the virtual learning environment (i.e., D2L) creates a more equitable and inclusive course experience. To this purpose, CTL offers an incentive for faculty to expand their understanding of accessible course design. 

This initiative consists of two parts: 

This opportunity provides a $600.00 stipend for up to 30 faculty. Participants can expect to spend 20-22 hours total, which includes completion of the Brightspace/D2L online modules and the additional CTL course activities.

Interested participants should complete this registration form no later than February 10, 2023.


The Discussion Project

Based on the high level of satisfaction of participants in last year's  "The Discussion Project" faculty development initiative,  NEIU's Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is partnering once again with the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) to offer another  3-day in person professional development opportunity.

The Discussion Project centers student voice in the classroom by teaching faculty/instructors how to build community and prepare for and use discussion as a method in their courses across departments and colleges. Participants will earn a $300.00 stipend for (a) completion of the 3 day training, and (b) developing a discussion project lesson plan to be implemented in Fall 2023.

This professional development series is offered as a 3 day, in-person training on Wednesday, May 17, Thursday, May 18, and Friday, May 19 from 8:30am - 4:30pm.

 To participate, please complete this registration form no later than Monday, April 17, 2023



D2L News You Can Use

Brightspace Tutorials for Instructors

Brightspace/D2L offers a host of short tutorials to support your work. These are offered on YouTube (as well as linked on our NEIU D2L course site). Subscribe to the customized YouTube Instructor Channel.

There are also tutorials for students on the Brightspace YouTube Learner Channel.

Panopto Office Hours

Every Thursday at noon, you can drop in directly with Panopto. These professionals can answer your questions. Access the Panopto Office Hours at this Zoom link.

Panopto Training 

The CTL hosted professionals from Panopto who offered a 90 minute session on this new hosting/streaming solution available on D2L. Here is the recording from this Panopto training session.

Third Party Integration Guidelines

Keep in mind that requests for the integration of external applications within the Brightspace/D2L learning environment must be reviewed by CTL, UTS and our cybersecurity officer. Please see these D2L Third-Party Integration Guidelines.


In Case You Missed It

How to Align Your Time with Your Priorities

The National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) offers a 90 minute webinar on Thursday, February 9 (1:00-2:30 pm). You may register for this webinar at this registration link. You will need your free NCFDD account to register. If you have not previously set up an account, the instructions are posted on our CTL Website.

The Teaching Professor

As a reminder, CTL has purchased a subscription to The Teaching Professor. If you have not already set up your free subscription, our CTL website includes the registration instructions. Receive weekly ideas and insights on teaching and information about conferences, too.

Deeper Dives

How Artificial Intelligence is Impacting Higher Education 

This is a 43 minute podcast hosted on the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast.


Your CTL Professionals



January 2023   

In this issue….

Last Call: CTL Fundamentals & Tools Stipend Initiative

Brightspace/D2L New Content Experience Training

Panopto-led Video Hosting Training

Scholarship Collaborative Kick-off Workshop

CTL Open Classroom Session

The Liquid Syllabus-January Offering

Addressing ADHD in the College Classroom Stipend Initiative

D2L News You Can Use

For Your Listening Pleasure

“Just in Time” Workshops and Other Learning Opportunities

Last Call: CTL Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools (with stipend)

CTL  offers the opportunity for faculty who are interested in completing only the CTL Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools course to earn a $500.00 stipend.  NOTE: Only those who have taken the course prior to 2019, or who have never taken this course are eligible for this stipend. This four-week virtual course delivered by Dr. Liz Rodriguez from the CTL takes place from January 24-February 20, 2023. Please complete this registration form no later than January 16, 2023.

Brightspace/D2L New Content Experience Session

D2L offers a new course design called the New Content Experience. This course design option is attractive and easier for learners to navigate. Several NEIU faculty are already using this design in their courses. Come see for yourself as Brightspace/D2L professionals show us how to build and import content,  how the new design differs from our current design, and other functionality. This session offers time for your questions.

Tuesday, January 10, 2023 (11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.)

Access this training via this Zoom link.


Panopto-Led Training

Learn about using our new video hosting/streaming with closed captioning solution within Brightspace/D2L directly from our Panopto professionals. This 90 minute training will walk you through the platform, how to create, edit and share videos  and offer the opportunity for questions.


Scholarship Collaborative Kick-Off Workshop

The CTL is partnering with the College of Graduate Studies and Research (CGSR) to offer a workshop for faculty interested in engaging with colleagues along common research interests.  The intention of this session is to form special interest groups, who can work together to develop (and ideally fund) research proposals over a span of time next spring. Faculty who participate in the scholarship series will earn a stipend.


CTL Open Classroom Series: Featuring Dr. Noreen Powers

Back by popular demand, Dr. Noreen Powers welcomes us into her D2L  virtual learning environment that met the standards for the Quality Matters (QM) course credential. See how she’s created an interactive environment that students can navigate easily and predictably. Participants will also be able to view the Brightspace/D2L New Course Experience and consider their own adoption of this attractive course design. For your convenience, this session will be hosted on Zoom.

Date/Time: Wednesday, January 11, 2023 (1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.)


The Liquid Syllabus

Friday, January 13, 2023 (11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.) 

Location: via this  Zoom link.

According to Pacanski-Brock, 2021) a Liquid Syllabus “is a humanizing element that ensures students start a course feeling supported by their instructor.”  It addresses equity-based practices as conceptualized by the Center for Urban Education, culturally responsive teaching and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Rather than a pdf or word document, it exists on a public, accessible, mobile-friendly website , which can be linked easily into the learning management system. In this 1 1/2 hour workshop, participants will roll up their sleeves and begin to build their own liquid syllabus for one of their courses using Google Site. This workshop will take place on Zoom. Participants should be sure to have their syllabi handy and use their NEIU Google account for this workshop.  Please sign up no later than January 10th using this Registration Form.


Addressing ADHD in the College Classroom Seminar Series-Stipend Initiative

Improving outcomes for college students with ADHD requires a multi-level approach. Yet, these students’ learning differences offer instructors the opportunity to rethink pedagogy in ways that benefit all students. Wonder if you have individuals with ADHD in your college classroom? Curious about what you would do differently as an instructor if you did?

In this three-part series, participants will:

A $300.00 stipend is available for participants who (a) attend all three sessions, (b) analyze a current instructional practice (e.g., task, content, assignment) in light of what they learned,  (c) revise the identified practice, and (d) submit a short video or written reflection on this learning to CTL@neiu.edu no later than Monday, May 1, 2023.

Sessions take place virtually on the following dates/times (Dates have the embedded Zoom link): 

Please complete this registration form no later than Friday, February 3, 2023  to ensure participation in this stipend initiative. 

D2L News You Can Use

Adding Real-Time Captions to Google Slides

When you give a presentation, it is possible to show real-time captions.  This helps make your content accessible to individuals who have cognitive disabilities or low vision. These documents provide guidance on how to  generate real-time captions using Google slides and MS PowerPoint. 


Adding Voice Note to your Course Announcements and Content

Brightspace/D2L now makes it easy to add a short (under 30 minutes) video recording within your course. A recording can be added along with the text you would otherwise share in an announcement or assignment with your students. Here are the instructions for adding Voice Note to your course.


Spring and Winter Session Courses on D2L

We have learned that as our UTS professionals worked on transitioning Spring and Winter Session courses from Banner to Brightspace/D2L, courses on D2L were set to “active.” This is not the usual process. Active means that students can see their  D2L courses before  the instructors have manually made them active. Our UTS professionals are working to correct this issue. However, if you notice this situation has not been corrected and you do not want students to see your course yet, you can “deactivate” your course(s) until you are ready. See these  instructions on how to activate or deactivate your course.

For Your LIstening Pleasure

Happy Holidays

Here is an old favorite tune to add to your sense of relaxation and gratitude during your holiday break. Listen to this Billie Holiday song. 

By the way, opening or ending your class with a tune that captures a theme covered in your course, is a great way to engage students’ interest, attention and memory.


December 2022   

In this issue….

Liquid Syllabus Stipend Initiative

Fundamentals & Tools Stipend Initiative

Scholarship Collaborative Kick-Off

Student Engagement with Interactive Video

Drop-in with Desmond

Welcome Audrey Tolliver

D2L News You Can Use

Affordable Course Materials and More

Teaching Tips and Deeper Dives




News and Upcoming Workshops and Learning Opportunities

The Liquid Syllabus-Stipend Initiative

Tuesday, December 6, 2022 (10:00 a.m.-11:30 p.m.) 

Location: In LIB 310 or via Zoom

According to Pacanski-Brock, 2021) a Liquid Syllabus “is a humanizing element that ensures students start a course feeling supported by their instructor.”  It addresses equity-based practices as conceptualized by the Center for Urban Education, culturally responsive teaching and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Rather than a pdf or word document, it exists on a public, accessible, mobile-friendly website , which can be linked easily into the learning management system. In this 1 1/2 hour workshop, participants will roll up their sleeves and begin to build their own liquid syllabus for one of their courses using Google Site. This workshop will take place on Zoom. Participants should be sure to have their syllabi handy and use their NEIU Google account for this workshop. Faculty who participate in the workshop activities and submit for review a transformed syllabus by January 15, 2023 will earn a stipend of $350.00. Complete this registration form.

CTL Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools-Stipend Incentive 

CTL  offers the opportunity for faculty who are interested in completing only the CTL Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools course to earn a $500.00 stipend.  NOTE: Only those who have taken the course prior to 2019, or who have never taken this course are eligible for this stipend. This four-week virtual course delivered by NEIU’s Center for Teaching and Learning, takes place from January 24-February 20, 2023. Please complete this registration form no later than January 16, 2023.

Scholarship Collaborative Kick-Off Workshop: NEW DATE

The CTL is partnering with the College of Graduate Studies and Research (CGSR) to offer a workshop for faculty interested in engaging with colleagues along common research interests.  The intention of this session is to form special interest groups, who can work together to develop (and ideally fund) research proposals over a span of time next spring. The latter will be a stipend opportunity.

The kick-off workshop takes place Wednesday, January 11, 2023 (9:00-noon). It takes place in person at LIB 310 (CTL Professional Development Room). Please use this registration form.

Student Engagement with Interactive Video (Panopto)

Faculty worldwide are using video to improve the learning experience through flipped classrooms, student assessment, lecture capture, presentations, and more. Finally, NEIU can offer these high quality learning experiences for our students through our first ever Video Hosting/Streaming Solution. This cloud-based service, integrated into Brightspace/D2L allows for live streaming and mobile capture on multiple devices and provides for closed captioning with 95% accuracy. Plus, these videos can be easily edited to allow for interactivity (e.g., pause to reflect, take a short quiz, summarize what you have learned). Managing your content has never been easier. Join us on zoom for an exciting professional development opportunity. 


“Drop in” with Desmond

Need some help with D2L tools? Our Learning Management System (LMS) Administrator and Training Specialist, Desmond King is happy to help.  Every Wednesday from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. beginning the week of October 31st, show up at the CTL (LIB 310/312) for Desmond’s personalized assistance. If you prefer to set up a different appointment via Zoom, contact Desmond at CTL@neiu.edu.



Welcome

Meet our CTL Business Administrative Associate

Audrey Tolliver is the newest addition to the CTL team and will serve as the Business Administrative Associate. She has an MFA Degree in Creative Writing and over twenty years’ experience working in higher education in an administrative role, and as an adjunct instructor. She is a lifelong learner and is excited about using her combined experiences to assist the CTL in achieving its vision of fostering an NEIU Faculty that is directly engaged in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL).

D2L News You Can Use

It’s Personal, Folks

Want to personalize your D2L announcements? Use the Replacement String feature.  It takes a minute to set up and helps students feel more welcome in the virtual learning environment. Here are the instructions.

D2L New Course Content Experience Template: Sneak Peek

D2L has a professional-looking course template available for immediate use. Several of our faculty (i.e., “early adopters”) are implementing this course design in the spring. Want a sneak peek at the design template? Look below! Contact ctl@neiu.edu if you want this template added to your master course shell.

Panopto Video Hosting/Streaming Solution

We strongly encourage you to attend a CTL training on our new hosting/streaming solution. In the meantime, here is a Panopto tutorial on how to record a video within Brightspace/D2L.


In Case You Missed It

Winter Session Guidance Document

If you are scheduled to teach a winter session for the first time, the CTL offers this Winter Session Guidance Document with tips for successfully conducting a compressed course.

Saving Students Money with Affordable Course Materials

The CTL has been proud to partner with the NEIU Libraries to lead the Affordable Course Materials Committee at NEIU. Through our initiatives over the last year, including a week-long Summer Program, NEIU faculty redesigned courses using open educational resources, impacting 457 students, adding up to more than $51,500 in textbook savings for one semester! We plan to offer more opportunities in Spring and Summer 2023 to compensate faculty for this impactful work. Look for announcements in future CTL update letters, and check out our library guide to learn more about our work and how you can get involved.

Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives



November 2022   

In this issue….

Virtual Learning Stipend Initiative

Student Engagement with Interactive Video

CTL Open Classroom Series

Scholarship Collaborative Workshop

“Drop in” with Desmond

Do Grades Pass the Vibe Test?

News You Can Use

D2L and Technology Updates

In Case You Missed It

Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives



Upcoming Workshops and Learning Opportunities

2023 January Virtual Learning Stipend Initiative

We are pleased to announce the CTL January 2023--Virtual Instruction for Online Teaching Initiative, and to offer you the opportunity to participate. This initiative enables us to offer a $1000.00 stipend for faculty who successfully complete both the CTL Online Teaching Fundamentals & Tools course training and Quality Matters Design Your Own Course (DYOC) training. 

Student Engagement with Interactive Video

Faculty worldwide are using video to improve the learning experience through flipped classrooms, student assessment, lecture capture, presentations, and more. Finally, NEIU can offer these high quality learning experiences for our students through our first ever Video Hosting/Streaming Solution. This cloud-based service, integrated into Brightspace/D2L allows for live streaming and mobile capture on multiple devices and provides for closed captioning with 95% accuracy. Plus, these videos can be easily edited to allow for interactivity (e.g., pause to reflect, take a short quiz, summarize what you have learned). Managing your content has never been easier. Join us on zoom on any of these dates and times for an exciting professional development opportunity. Many of these sessions will include an example by one of our NEIU faculty (i.e., an early adopter).


CTL Open Classroom Series: Featuring Dr. Noreen Powers

Creating a high-quality learning environment in an online or hybrid course is a daunting task when you're not sure which course components make the difference. In this monthly series, we will showcase a few of the faculty who earned the "Quality Matters (QM) Course Credential." Join us in LIB 310 as they take us through their course design and learning activities and answer your questions. This November we begin with Dr. Noreen Powers, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership. This will be a repeated session offered in person in our CTL Professional Development Room (Library 310).

Dates/Times:

Scholarship Collaborative Kick-Off Workshop

The CTL is partnering with the College of Graduate Studies and Research (CGSR) to offer a workshop for faculty interested in engaging with colleagues along common research interests.  The intention of this session is to form special interest groups, who can work together to develop (and ideally fund) research proposals over a span of time next spring.

Save the date of either Wednesday, November 9 (1:00 p.m.:-2:30 p.m.) or Thursday, November 10 (11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.). This workshop will take place only in person in LIB 310 (CTL Professional Development Room). Please use this Registration Form.

“Drop in” with Desmond

Need some help with D2L tools? Our Learning Management System (LMS) Administrator and Training Specialist, Desmond King is happy to help.  Every Wednesday from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. beginning the week of October 31st, show up at the CTL (LIB 310/312) for Desmond’s personalized assistance. If you prefer to set up a different appointment via Zoom, contact Desmond at CTL@neiu.edu.

Do Grades Pass the Vibe Test? Rethinking Grading, Evaluation and Assessment: Stipend Initiative

CTL invites up to 20 faculty/instructors to apply for this one day workshop. In this workshop, we will dig into the nuances and shortcomings of grading and create opportunities to enrich the student experience through new trends in assessment tools and pedagogy in higher education. Participants who complete this series will create their own field-specific materials ready to use in class. There is no additional work or reading required outside the time frame of the workshop. Participants who attend all workshop sessions and complete the associated workshop products will receive a stipend of $200.00 from the CTL. Stipends are contingent upon completed products submitted no later than February 28, 2023 to the CTL and Workshop Instructor.  Participation is limited to 20 tenured/tenure track and instructors in the bargaining unit.




News You Can Use

Congratulations

The National Center for Faculty Diversity and Development (NCFDD) has invited our very own Olubunmi Oyewuwo, Assistant Professor of Social Work, to serve as  Faculty Success Program coach. This program assists tenure-track and tenured faculty with the skills necessary to increase research and writing productivity while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. If you want to learn more about how beneficial NCFDD can be for you, reach out to Bunmi at O-OyewuwoGassikia@neiu.edu. 


NCFDD November 10th Webinar

How to Manage Stress, Rejection & Haters in Your Midst


D2L and Technology Updates

D2L Disruption Update 

University Technology Services (UTS) is now implementing  Ellucian ILP as a solution for the problematic Banner feed that occurred this fall. Presently these professionals are testing this new system. Therefore, neither faculty nor students will be able to see their Spring 2023 or Winter Session courses until after November 15, 2022. After the ILP (Intelligent Learning Platform) is implemented, the feed from Banner to D2L will be a simplified and streamlined  process as it removes UTS from having to intervene with in-house code.

Faculty who want to work on their upcoming courses may do so by using a master course shell, which is a sandbox course that faculty should use to permanently store copies of each course they teach. These master course shells are located on the My NEIU Courses area of the D2L homepage. 

If you need a master course shell for a particular course, please use the Master Course Shell request form on the CTL homepage. Please contact ctl@neiu.edu with any questions about using master course shells, which is a best practice for preserving your teaching materials.

Zoom Recording Deletions

It is important to delete your Zoom recordings on the cloud as soon as possible so that we do not run out of Zoom storage space. Instead, you can download your recordings to your Google drive (and then delete your recording from your Zoom account). To make this process easier, please see this Shortcut to Zoom Recordings.


In Case You Missed It

Open Education Resources

View the Faculty Institute 2022 video recording on Affordable Course Materials and Open Educational Resources at NEIU


Winter Session Guidance Document

If you are scheduled to teach a winter session for the first time, the CTL offers this Winter Session Guidance Document with tips for successfully conducting a compressed course.


Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives

How and Why to Use Asynchronous Videos in Your Online Courses

Tea for Teaching: Higher Ed’s Next Chapter: See Episode  245 (Podcast)

Office Hours with John Gardner: Episode 36-Vince Tinto Promoting Student Persistence (or advice from a Drop Out who studies “drop out”)


October 2022   

In this issue….

Building an Equity-Minded Syllabus

Faculty Institute 2022

Peer Observation Time!

Video Hosting/Streaming Solution

Scholarship Collaborative Kick-Off Workshop

Faculty Orientation and Retention, Promotion and PAI Sessions 

D2L News You Can Use

Special Recognition of Online Teaching

In Case You Missed It

Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives

Upcoming Workshops and Learning Opportunities

Building an Equity-Minded Syllabus Workshop Stipend Initiative

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) supports faculty who are committed to student learning and retention. As part of this effort, CTL has in development various professional development opportunities aligned with enhancing equitable and inclusive learning environments. The first offering of the 2022-2023 academic year is "Building an Equity-Minded Syllabus" workshop. This workshop takes place  on Friday, October 21 (10:00 a.m. -3:00 p.m.). Participants may attend in person or via Zoom.

The purpose of this workshop is to transform an existing course syllabus to align with the equity-based practices established by the Center for Urban Education (CUE). These practices increase the likelihood of increasing student retention. 

Faculty who participate in the workshop activities and submit for review a transformed syllabus  will earn a stipend of $350.00. This opportunity is limited to 16 tenure/tenure track and/or full time instructors. Please see this Registration Form. NOTE: You will need to complete the advanced reading 1 and advanced reading 2 in order to register no later than October 7, 2022.


Faculty Institute 2022

Interested in viewing the recordings of the sessions you missed at this year’s Faculty Institute? We’ve posted them all, along with slides or handouts shared by our presenters on our CTL Website.


Peer Observation Time!

Need guidance to conduct Peer or Chair Observations of Teaching in the Virtual Environment? CTL is pleased to offer two guidance documents: (a) Conducting Peer Observations in the Virtual Environment, and (b) the Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS) for Online Teaching Observation Instrument. These documents are located within the Faculty Resources area of our CTL Website. Make sure to log into your Nmail to view these resources.


Video Hosting/Streaming Solution

Good news! Our first ever video hosting/streaming with closed captioning solution will be ready for use in your D2L course by the end of October. We are in the process of setting up the integrations and plan to roll out demonstrations in early November. We are “over-the-moon” with excitement and hope you will be, too!


Scholarship Collaborative Kick-Off Workshop

The CTL is partnering with the College of Graduate Studies and Research (CGSR) to offer a workshop for faculty interested in engaging with colleagues along common research interests.  The intention of this session is to form special interest groups, who can work together to develop (and ideally fund) research proposals over a span of time next spring.

Save the date of either Wednesday, November 9 (1:-2:30 p.m.) or Thursday, November 10 (11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.). This workshop will take place only in person in LIB 310 (CTL Professional Development Room). Please use this Registration Form.


Faculty Orientation and Retention, Promotion and PAI Sessions 

Year 3, 4, 5 Work Session

Wed. Oct 12 (3:45-5:00 p.m.)

LIB 310





D2L News You Can Use

D2L Disruption Update

University Technology Services (UTS) is implementing Ellucian ILP as a solution for the problematic Banner feed that occurred this past fall. This solution along with an additional D2L integration should resolve the issues.  UTS and CTL will be collaboratively testing this new interface this fall before its official launch. 

Guidance on Third Party Integrations

These guidelines refer to requests for the integration of external applications with Desire2Learn (D2L). In order to maintain faculty and student privacy and security while also keeping NEIU technology and networks as secure as possible, all external applications must be reviewed by the appropriate units at NEIU, including the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) as well as University Technology Services (UTS) and the Chief Information Security Officer. NOTE: There is a 60 day advance application for requesting a  third-party integration that has never been implemented before by the CTL. For further details, please review the D2L Third Party Integration Guidance document.


Special Recognition

Quality Matters Course Credential Initiative

We are pleased to announce that our 10th faculty member, Rose Sperrazza, just earned the QM Course Credential for her course MUS 331D: Applied Music Pedagogy 1. 


In Case You Missed It

NCFDD’s Core Curriculum Webinar: How to Engage in Healthy Conflict

10/13/2022 (Thursday) 2:00-3:30 pm ET

Facilitator: Rachel McLaren, PhD, University of Iowa

Register Here. If you have not previously set up a NCFDD account, you may do so using your Neiu email. We have purchased a subscription to these wonderful resources.


Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives

Cameras On or Off? It Depends. What We’ve Learned from Students About Teaching and Learning on Zoom

The Two Best Practices for Successful Online Teaching and Learning

Recording of the Faculty Institute 2022 Keynote Speaker: Dr. Mays Imad 




Semptember 2022   

In this issue….

UDL Post Secondary Education Initiative

CTL Open House

Hyflex Cart Training: Nuts and Bolts Session

The Latest Zoom Features:  Nuts and Bolts Session

National Center for Faculty Diversity and Development (NCFDD) Webinars

The 14-Day Writing Challenge

The Latino Teacher

Faculty Orientation and Retention, Promotion and PAI Sessions

Hyflex Cart Training

Seeking Your Feedback

D2L and Other Technology Updates

Recognizing Faculty

Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives



Upcoming Workshops and Learning Opportunities

UDL Post Secondary Education Initiative

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an equity-based approach to optimize teaching and learning for our students. The CTL wants to support professional development opportunities by paying for your registration in the UDL Post Secondary Education virtual 8-week course offered by CAST.org. See details about this learning opportunity at this link. If you would like to take advantage of this training and receive the Postsecondary UDL Credential, please contact the CTL at ctl@neiu.edu no later than Friday, September 2nd. Then we can determine whether we can engage in this partnership at a discounted rate. This course runs from September 26-November 18.

CTL Open House

Monday, September 19, 2022 (11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.)

CTL Professional Development Room (LIB 310)

Join our  CTL professionals for refreshment and collegiality as we welcome you to a new year. 

The Latest Zoom Features:  Nuts and Bolts Session

Tuesday, September 13, 2022 (12:00-1:00 p.m.)

Presenter: Desmond King

CTL Professional Development Room (LIB 310) OR via Zoom

Description: Zoom keeps coming out with new features. Catch up on some of the latest stuff with the CTL.

Hyflex Cart Training: Nuts and Bolts Session

Monday, September 12, 2022 (1:00-2:00 pm.)

Presenters: Desmond King, CTL Learning Management System Administrator and Training Specialist and Rose Sperrazza, Faculty Support Mentor and Associate Professor of Music.

Description: If you missed the Hyflex Training session offered at our Faculty Institute 2022, or if you attended but want some individualized assistance, join us in Library 310 (CTL Professional Development Room)

National Center for Faculty Diversity and Development (NCFDD) Webinars

NCFDD offers relevant free webinars to anyone with an NCFDD account. Take a look at the webinar offerings this fall. Don’t have an account? Create one and begin enjoying all of the member benefits. Explore our website for more details on setting up your account.

The 14-Day Writing Challenge

This program, offered for free by NCFDD will enable you to experience the skills and habits that lead to explosive writing productivity. It includes group accountability, coaching and access to their WriteNow custom software platform. The program runs from October 17-October 30, 2022. Register no later than October 12th.


The Latino Teacher 

Tuesday, September 13, 2022 (5:00 p.m.)  As part of the Inaugural National Hispanic Serving Institute Week, please join your colleagues for Tik-Talk: FT Tiktok Influencer@TheLatinoTeacher. Details at this link.


Faculty Orientation and Retention, Promotion and PAI Sessions 

Faculty Portfolio: Promotion & PAI, with TK20 Work Session

Wed. Sept 14, 2022 (3:45-5:00 p.m.)

CTL Room: LIB 310


Mandatory Work Session: Year 1 and Year 2 Retention

Wed. Sept 28, 2022 (1:00-3:00 p.m.)

CTL Room LIB 310

Mandatory Work Session for Year 1  Faculty

Wed. Sept 21, 2022 (1:00-2:00 p.m.)

CTL Room: LIB 310

Seeking Your Feedback

CTL Multicultural Teaching Competency Survey

As part of our ongoing commitment to offering professional development opportunities to enhance the teaching and learning for our students, the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) seeks your participation in an annual survey. We anticipate this survey will take no more than 10 minutes of your time. 

The survey was adapted from the Multicultural Teaching Competence Scale (MTCS) (Spanierman et al., 2011). It was developed to understand the extent to which faculty believe they are accessing and using culturally enhancing practices in the classroom.  Please complete this anonymous survey.


NCFDD 

We would like your feedback in regard to your experience(s) with the National Center for Faculty Development  and Diversity. Please take 5 minutes to complete this short survey.


D2L and Other Technology Updates

Hyflex Cart Training

Need basic training in how to use one of the NEIU Hyflex Carts? Contact ctl@neiu.edu to schedule a session.

Video Hosting/Streaming Solution

We are very close to securing our first ever video hosting/streaming solution with closed captioning. An announcement will come out shortly. A special thanks to faculty who volunteered to review our finalists: Cigdem Gonul Kochan, Wendy Gonzales, Hsiao-Chin Kuo, Juan Martinez, Shayne Pepper, Rose Sperrazza, Laura Tejada, and Mohammed Tavakolifar.


Recognizing Faculty

Faculty with Special Training

A growing number of our faculty have taken advantage of specific professional development offered by the Center for Teaching and Learning. If you want to reach out with these various professionals to brainstorm, seek advice or share your own experiences with a related teaching strategy, see those names posted on the CTL website.


Faculty Institute 2022

We had over 200 participants at this year’s Faculty Institute. If you were one of the folks who attended but have not yet completed a conference feedback form, please do so asap. Also, we are in the process of uploading any recordings that were taken, as well as slides or other handouts our presenters shared. These will appear on our CTL Website. Stay tuned.

Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives

Making the Most of Hot Moments in the Classroom

How Do I Use Feedback to Improve My Teaching

Equitable, Accessible, and Inclusive Teaching Practice: A webinar offered by NCFDD





August 2022   

August 2022

In this issue….

Meet our LMS Administrator and Training Specialist 

Register Now for the 2022 Faculty Institute

New Faculty Development Resource!

New QM-Certified Courses at NEIU

Customized CTL Events for Your Department

NEIU Resources for your Syllabus

CTL by the Numbers

Removal of the D2L Virtual Classroom and Video Assignment 

Video Hosting Initiative Underway

Hypothesis Social Annotation Update

In Case You Missed It

Teaching Tips and Deeper Dives

Upcoming Learning Opportunities and Other News

Meet our LMS Administrator and Training Specialist 

Desmond King is our new D2L/Learning Management System Administrator (LMS)  and Training Specialist for the CTL. He has four years of experience as an LMS admin and is knowledgeable on multiple learning management systems. He's a recent graduate of Southern New Hampshire University with a MA in English and Creative Writing. Creativity, innovation, and a drive to learn are some of Desmond’s most vital traits. He hopes to bring both his passion for learning and boundless creativity to the CTL in hopes of furthering teaching pedagogy and the betterment of the university. 

Please join us in welcoming Desmond to our NEIU community! Like the rest of our CTL professionals, he can be reached at ctl@neiu.edu.

Register Now for the 2022 Faculty Institute

We are excited about the upcoming Faculty Institute, "Cultivating Inclusive Community and Mental Health: Thriving “Post “Pandemic at NEIU" that takes place on the following dates:


New Faculty Development Resource!

The CTL has purchased a subscription to The Teaching Professor for all our faculty! The Teaching Professor is a lively, highly informative newsletter with a singular purpose: to provide ideas and insight to educators who are passionate about teaching. A source of cutting-edge information and inspiration for more than 10,000 educators at universities and colleges worldwide. All you need to register and log in to this resource is follow the instructions listed on our CTL Website.


Congratulations to our most recent Quality Matters Course Credential Leaders!

To date, seven NEIU courses have received official designation as Quality Matters-certified courses in diverse programs, including Gerontology, Human Resource Development, School Leadership, and Sociology. The CTL is proud to support the next cohort of faculty participating in this online course quality initiative, including colleagues in Computer Science, Early Childhood Education, History, Management, and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).


Customized CTL Events for Your Department

Departments or programs who want dedicated time with our  CTL professionals only have to ask. We are especially eager to support entire programs in using our D2L course templates. Your students won’t have to waste valuable learning time trying to figure out how to navigate your course. Schedule a meeting with our professionals by contacting ctl@neiu.edu.

Sharings

NEIU Resources for your Syllabus

The Learning Success Center and Center for Academic Writing will no longer use two separate names in the syllabus. Be sure to update your syllabi with the following:

Learning Success Center / Center for Academic Writing

OPTIONAL COPY AND PASTE: The Learning Success Center / Center for Academic Writing (LSC/CAW) provides peer-directed academic tutoring for all NEIU students in the following areas:

 LSC/CAW tutors promote active learning strategies, encourage student engagement, and provide content support. Academic support is provided to students who are seeking assistance with understanding course concepts and preparing assignments, along with developing an improved learning system for college which includes motivation, academic engagement, brain-based habits for learning, and strategies for note taking, reading, time management, and test taking.

Tutors are graduate and undergraduate students who are recommended by faculty and carefully selected on the basis of their academic achievement and interpersonal communication skills Tutors are trained, supervised, and supported in their roles as tutors. LSC/CAW provides all NEIU students an area for learning and an opportunity to learn with other students. Appointments are strongly encouraged.

To schedule an appointment with a tutor, call 773-442-4568 or 773-442-4492, instant message with Google Chat (lsc@), or stop by LSC/CAW in the Ronald Williams Library, fourth floor.

For more information, visit the LSC/CAW website at www.neiu.edu/lsc. 


FY 22 CTL by the Numbers

The CTL has been busy with faculty! Check out our FY22 CTL by the Numbers infographic to see what we’ve been up to.


D2L News You Can Use

Removal of the D2L Virtual Classroom and Video Assignment 

Effective August 1, 2022, we will no longer have access to the D2L Bongo Virtual Classroom or Video Assignment feature. Instead, and in collaboration with UTS, we will continue to support the synchronous classroom experience using Zoom. If you do not have an NEIU Zoom license, kindly contact the Helpdesk (helpdesk@neiu.edu) to obtain one. We believe the decision to remove the Bongo Virtual Classroom feature will enable more fiscally responsible use of our funding. Additionally, the Video Hosting/Streaming Service we will be adopting (see below) will be a better solution for these tools.


Video Hosting, Live Streaming, Virtual Classroom Initiative Underway

The CTL is pleased to announce that with the support of UTS, we are piloting our first ever video hosting, live streaming and virtual classroom (with closed captioning) service. We anticipate making a final decision by fall.  We plan to offer repeated faculty development sessions throughout the fall and implement the new service by Spring 2023. This solution will allow you to video record your classes, make them immediately available to your students. Even more, you will be able to edit your recordings to create an interactive learning environment (e.g., embed a short reflection activity or quiz). Zoom recordings can feed seamlessly into  your D2L course, without the 3 -step download, save to Google drive and upload process. Cool, huh? We think so and hope you do, too!


Technology Updates

Hypothesis Social Annotation Update

Thank you to all who participated in our many demonstrations of the Hypothesis Social Annotation tool this past spring and summer. Unfortunately, there did not appear to be sufficient interest in the tool. Therefore, we will not adopt it at this time. 


In Case You Missed It

Feedback on National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD)

We would like your feedback in regard to your experience(s) with the National Center for Faculty Development  and Diversity. Please take 5 minutes to complete this short survey. 


Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives

“What Could I Possibly Say?” Addressing Racist Dialogue in the Classroom

4 Misconceptions of Online Learning

National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD): Suggested webinar: How to Translate Your Research for a General Audience. NOTE: You must set up a free account with NCFDD in order to access any of their webinars.




June 2022   

Updates from the CTL

June 2022

In this issue….

Brightspace/D2L Free Fusion Conference

Escape Room for Gamified Learning Challenge

Cafe Conversations & Keeanya-Yamahtta Taylor Summer Reading

NCFDD (Free) Webinars

Video Hosting, Live Streaming, Virtual Classroom Initiative Underway

UDL 101 Champions

CTL Renovations

New Proctoring Software to Replace Respondus

New CTL Procedures for Combining D2L Courses

April 27, 2022 Celebration of Equity and Excellence

Afghan Refugee Students Faculty Development

Moving Beyond Respectability Politics

Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives

Upcoming Workshops and Learning Opportunities

Brightspace/D2L Free Fusion Conference

Interested in attending a free virtual conference offered by our Brightspace/D2L partner? Register for the D2l Fusion Conference (July 20-22) to stay on top of learning innovations. You can watch sessions in real time or at your own pace after the event. 


Escape Room for Gamified Learning Challenge

Participate in the Brightspace Community’s online Escape Room Challenge to learn how you might add an escape room to one or more course modules. This free, self-paced  60 minute experience is designed to engage learners. You will need to set up a Brightspace Community Learning Center  account to begin this training. Access the Instructional Design Best Practice Group’s Escape Room experience at this link. 


Cafe Conversations Summer Reading

July 8, 2022 (2:30-4:00 p.m.)

Zoom link will be sent to Cafe Conversations: Interrogating Whiteness in Academia Participants

Summer is here! Time to enjoy the sunshine, warm weather, and long days. Summer is also a time to reflect upon the important work we do to better the lives of our students. As instructors, we understand creating a more equitable classroom will positively impact our students. Please join us for a conversation on steps you can take to incorporate an anti-racist pedagogy. Using this introductory guide,  we will discuss the theory and provide practical tools for implementing this approach in your classroom that help us switch from a directorial role to a faciliatory role, allowing authentic discussions to flourish. We welcome faculty from all disciplines to apply these strategies.

Keeanga-Wamahtta Taylor EDI Summer Reading Group

There will also be a summer reading group (logistics in process) to explore several readings authored by NEIU alum, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, coordinated by the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Stay tuned for details.

NCFDD (Free) Webinars

The NCFDD has a library of free webinars on topics related to publishing, teaching, equity and others. Whether you’re at a coffee shop, on the beach or sitting in your yard enjoying the sunshine, register for an upcoming webinar or view a past offering. In particular, you might appreciate this offering, “Beginning to Find Joy as an Academic.” Or perhaps you want to dive back into research this summer, in which case “Every Summer Needs a Plan” will help you strategize for both research and rest.


News You Can Use

Video Hosting, Live Streaming, Virtual Classroom Initiative Underway

The CTL is pleased to announce that with the support of UTS, we are in discussions with several vendors in an endeavor to secure our first ever video hosting, live streaming and virtual classroom (with closed captioning) service. This summer the CTL will be testing out several vendors and anticipate a final decision by summer’s end. We plan to offer repeated faculty development sessions throughout the fall and implement the new service by Spring 2023. This solution is long over-due and we are very excited! If you are interested in helping us test out the final possibilities this summer, please fill out this quick form.


UDL 101 Champions

We want to acknowledge the following faculty who earned the UDL 101 Certificate for having successfully completed this training. UDL 101 is designed to equip participants with the ability to evaluate, create and recreate lesson plans that ensure the engagement and participation of varied learners within a high standards-based curriculum.


CTL Renovations

CTL is undergoing renovations to its home in Library 312. Coming this fall, our office area and companion professional development room (LIB 310) will provide a more welcoming space for faculty training, consultation and discussion groups. Stay tuned for our fall open house (date and time TBA)!

Technology Updates

New Proctoring Software to Replace Respondus

As  of July 1, 2022, we will no longer continue our license with Respondus. Instead, for those faculty who require a proctored exam, Proctorio offers a customized assessment platform directly from within the Brightspace/D2L learning management system that complies with the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).  Note, you must use the Chrome or Edge browser and install the extension to use this software. If you would like Proctorio added to your course, please contact the CTL (ctl@neiu.edu).

The following resources will get you started once the CTL enables this 3rd party integration into your D2L course.


Additionally, if you have been using traditional exams, please consider the following information and strategies to help you rethink your current practice.



New CTL Procedures for Combining D2L Courses

To ensure that faculty have accurate sets of course evaluations for each class section they teach, the CTL can no longer combine separate sections of the same course into a single D2L course shell. Course combinations can now only occur under limited circumstances:

Unfortunately, because of the way our course evaluation software works, combining courses results in all of the course evaluations being lumped together, which results in an inaccurate record for courses that are truly taught separately. We apologize for the inconvenience this will cause, particularly in having to post things twice in D2L for separate sections of the same course.

In Case You Missed It

April 27, 2022 Celebration of Equity and Excellence

Please see the recording from this wonderful event co-sponsored by the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. There is so much great work going on at NEIU.

Afghan Refugee Students Faculty Development

Please see this recording that provides detailed information on how to support our Afghan students in our courses.

Moving Beyond Respectability Politics

Please see this recording that offers a challenge to the discourse on “civility” and “professionalism.”


Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives

More Students Report Psychological Disabilities: Accommodating Mental Health: More and more students are requiring accommodations for mental health reasons. Many (but not all) of their challenges can be mitigated by instructors who use Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

Mitigating Ethical Costs in the Classroom: This article discusses why it is essential for instructors to mitigate the ethical costs of first generation students.

The Anti-Racist Discussioin Pedagogy: An introductory guide to building an anti-racist pedagogy in any discipline through instructor reflection, clear communication guidelines, and inquiry-based discussion 










May 2022   

Updates from the CTL

May  2022

In this issue….

New Opportunity: UDL Initiative for Faculty

2022 Faculty Institute

Stipend Opportunity: Summer 2022 Virtual Instruction Initiative

New! Online Teaching Observation Instrument

Reminder: We’re an NCFDD Institutional Member!

Recognizing CTL Champions

CTL Ad Hoc Advisory EDI Working Group 

D2L News You Can Use

Information Security Awareness Training

Deep Reading: Social Annotation in D2L

Teaching Tips and Deeper Dives

Upcoming Workshops and Learning Opportunities

"Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in Postsecondary Education" Faculty Development Initiative

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) invites up to 15 faculty/instructors to apply for the UDL Post Secondary Education Professional Development opportunity offered through CAST.org. This training is specific to instructors at the college level. This hybrid course will consist of both live and self-paced content and will run from Monday, June 6 – Friday, July 29. CTL will pay for the cost of this training. For more details please see this application.

Get Ready for the August 2022 Faculty Institute 

 Don’t forget to save the date of the Fall 2022 Faculty Institute. This year’s theme is “Post-Pandemic Pedagogy.” Join your colleagues as we address students’ sense of belonging, mental health and wellness and digital pedagogies that transform our practice. The dates and times are:

This year’s planning committee includes: Kimya Barden, Christina Bueno, Gary Green, Nancy Matthews, Christie Miller, Manar Mohaisen, Danielly Pryor, Sanaa Rahman with co-chairs Sandra Beyda-Lorie and Shayne Cofer.

Summer 2022 Virtual Instruction Stipend Initiative 

As a reminder, there is still time to register for the  CTL Summer 2022 Virtual Instruction for Online Course Design Initiative. Eligible applicants earn a $1000.00 stipend for successfully completing both the CTL online course training and Quality Matters training. Please see the details spelled out in the April Update Letter. To register for both Part I and Part II, you must sign up using this registration form no later than May 17, 2022. 

Online Teaching Observation Instrument is Ready!

As you may recall, our Peer Observation of Online Instrument for Teaching (POOIT) Team had put together an initial draft of a teaching observation for the online learning environment. We piloted the instrument and based on your feedback, have done a major revision. Please take a peek at this Online Observation of Teaching tool.

We are also attaching the Conducting Peer Observations in the Virtual Environment guidance document that goes along with the tool. We encourage your departments and programs to use the instrument and/or modify it to suit your purposes. The CTL expresses its gratitude to the committee who developed the instrument: Lisa Hollis-Sawyer, Juan Martinez, Shayne Pepper and Gina Wells. 

Reminder: We’re an NCFDD Institutional Member!

The National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity is an independent professional development center that is dedicated to helping faculty make successful transitions throughout their careers. They offer webinars, workshops and provide weekly communications and other resources to help tenure track/tenured faculty increase writing productivity, establish and maintain work-life balance, and create broad networks of collegial support on their campus. Northeastern Illinois University has partnered with NCFDD to offer this marvelous opportunity to our faculty. Create your own account and begin enjoying all of the member benefits. Explore our website for more details on setting up your account.

NCFDD Summer Faculty Success Program

We are pleased to recognize the following faculty who are participating in the NCFDD Summer Faculty Success Program: Ashley Elrod, Hulya Ermis-Demirtus, Cigdem Gonul Kochan, Lindsay Maldonado and Olubunmi Oyewuso-Gassikia.

Recognizing Some of Our CTL Champions

We want to recognize a few of our colleagues who earned a Quality Matters (QM) designation: 

We’re also thrilled to announce that Dr. David Farmer, Psychology, has developed the first QM-certified course at NEIU, PSYC 412 Psychopathology and Aging. Congratulations to Dr. Farmer on this huge achievement!

CTL Ad Hoc Advisory EDI Working Group 

We are pleased to recognize the following individuals who will assist the CTL with planning and developing faculty development sessions for FY 23 aligned with the Center for Urban Education (CUE) equity minded practices.

D2L News You Can Use

New D2L Help Feature

Have you ever used the 24/7 D2L support service located on your D2L homepage? Asking for D2L help is now easier than ever! Beginning in May, you will be able to search for help articles and request a live support agent from any page in D2L–not just the homepage! Look for the floating chat window at the bottom of any D2L page. 

Your Help Needed! D2L Course Clean-Up 

In order to improve the efficiency of our Learning Management System (LMS), and adhere to our LMS policy, the CTL is removing courses prior to 2016 that have been hosted on the D2L platform. As part of this process, we are asking faculty to do the following:

While the CTL will do its best to back up old courses, we cannot guarantee that this will be possible given the huge number of courses that have been in the system over these many years. Therefore, and in accordance with the NEIU LMS Policy, faculty are strongly advised to back up their own course materials.

Semester’s Almost Over. Now What?

The CTL provides guidance on managing their D2L course at several points in the semester. Please see the Managing Your Online Course site to see what activities are beneficial as the semester end draws near.

Technology Updates

Information Security Awareness Training

The CTL shares the following important information on behalf of University Technology Services (UTS): The Information Security Awareness Training module is designed to help employees understand how to protect our data and the university’s information and IT resources from being compromised by cybercriminals.

If you have not yet completed the awareness course, please do so on the university's training portal. For questions, please email helpdesk@neiu.edu or call 7734424357.  To learn more about information security at NEIU, please see the information security website.

In Case You Missed It

Deep Reading: Social Annotation in D2L

In case you missed this past week’s Hypothesis Social Annotation session, here are the slides and the recording from the session. Since our pilot has been extended through the summer, we encourage you to reach out to the Hypothesis professionals for quick demonstration or chat about social annotation. You can book a session using this link: Hypothesis Instructor Success Meeting.

Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives

What defines someone as a “math person” and why? In his talk, Dr. Nathaniel Brown, Professor of Mathematics at Penn State University, explores how the myths and stereotypes surrounding the “math people myth” came to be, and how it impacts students and professionals throughout their lifetime. Professor of Mathematics, Researcher in Theoretical Mathematics, Principal Investigator of  STEM Diversity Lab This 13 minute talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.  TEDx talk on “The Math People Myth”

Caring for Students Playbook: Six Recommendations for Caring for Students: This playbook is a collaboration between the Online Learning Consortium (OLC), Achieving the Dream (ATD), and the Every Learner Everywhere Network. It is designed to provide instructors with concrete strategies that can be implemented to support students during this exceptionally challenging time in their lives and beyond as we enter a post-inoculation world.

Alternatives to Proctored Exams: This resource from Kentucky Community & Technical College System advocates that proctored exams are not always appropriate and offers methods on how to use current exams in a non-proctored environment.










April 2022   

Updates from the CTL

April 2022

In this issue….

Summer 2022 Virtual Instruction Stipend Initiative 

Affordable Course Materials Summer Program

Using Zoom to Enhance Instruction

D2L Tips

Celebration of Equity and Excellence Event

Winter Session Reflections

Community Engagement Across Differences

Online Teaching Observation Instrument is Ready for Testing!

New Faculty Orientation: How our Librarians Support Faculty

CTL Hyflex Learning Ad Hoc Committee 

CTL Faculty Development Ad Hoc Committee

Information Security Awareness Training

Hyflex Carts and Hybrid Room Initiative

Using Gamification to Engage Your Students

Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives

Upcoming Workshops and Learning Opportunities

Summer 2022 Virtual Instruction Stipend Initiative 


We are pleased to announce the CTL Summer 2022 Virtual Instruction for Online Course Design Initiative, and to offer you the opportunity to participate. As many of you may recall, last summer we were able to offer a $1000.00 stipend for faculty who successfully completed both the CTL online course training and Quality Matters training. We are able to offer this opportunity again for faculty who meet the following criteria:

This is a two-part training initiative for eligible faculty.

Affordable Course Materials Summer Program

Textbook costs have risen exponentially over the years, and NEIU’s Affordable Materials Committee is working to lower student costs by assisting faculty in finding open educational resources (OER) and other low-cost resources as an alternative to expensive, traditional textbooks.

Please consider applying for the Affordable Course Materials Summer Program to redesign existing courses and reduce the cost of course materials to $40 or less. Selected instructors will receive a $1,000 stipend for completing the program, while receiving support from NEIU librarians, the Center for Teaching and Learning, and a faculty mentor to explore open and no-cost textbooks, review library materials that are free to students, learn about creative commons licensing, and apply accessibility practices to materials in D2L. 

For more details, please review the Affordable Course Materials Summer Program information page and complete the online application. Applications are due by April 4 and selected cohort members will be notified on April 12. 


Using Zoom to Enhance Instruction

Wednesday, April 6 (11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.)

Presenter: Sik Son; Registration Link

In this session, participants will learn how to incorporate several Zoom features into their teaching. These features include the whiteboard, slides, using shortcut keys, Share Screen tools, sound sharing and enhancement, polls, annotation and closed captioning.  This session will also cover how to use a Powerpoint as a background and use of a second camera. 


D2L Tips

Thursday, April 14 (11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.)

Presenter: Sik Son; Registration Link

This session will address the use of D2L templates, including the Start Here Module and how to import course templates from the Shared Folder in D2L. Learn to use other D2L features like Activity Feed, Chat, Checklist and the Pulse app. There will be time for questions to help you take advantage of all D2L has to offer.


Celebration of Equity and Excellence Event

Wednesday, April 27 (3:30-5:00 p.m.)

Zoom Registration link

Join your colleagues in a virtual celebration of the wonderful work that has been done over the past year to cultivate a community of equity, diversity and inclusion at our institution. At this event our Executive Director for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) will share the updated EDI definitions and other upcoming initiatives. We will also celebrate the many accomplishments of this past year from various stakeholders in this work.


Winter Session Reflections

For Winter Session Instructors only

Monday, April 4 (1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.)

Winter Session faculty are invited  to an informal session to reflect on their Winter Session teaching experience. It is our intention to gather your insight in order to improve our Winter Session Guidance Document and make suggestions for future Winter Session faculty.


Community Engagement Across Differences

For our Cafe Conversations community

Friday, April 22 (2:30-3:30)

A zoom invite will be sent to those who registered for Cafe Conversations.

The Community Engagement Across Differences Initiative seeks to identify and address obstacles that impede candid, critical and robust engagement across differences at NEIU. Building expectations of community engagement across differences is critical to NEIU’s health. Leaving unaddressed barriers to mutual understanding, collaboration, innovation and growth can prevent accountability to our shared principles of equity, diversity and inclusion.


Online Teaching Observation Instrument is Ready for Testing!

As you may recall, our Peer Observation of Online Instrument for Teaching (POOIT) Team had put together an initial draft of a teaching observation for the online learning environment. We piloted the instrument and based on your feedback, have done a major revision. We plan to unveil the new version soon. Stay tuned!


Faculty Orientation and Retention, Promotion and PAI Sessions 

New Faculty Orientation: How our Librarians Support Faculty

Friday, April 8 (11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.)

New Faculty will receive a Zoom invite.

Presenters: Michelle Oh, Lisa Wallis


CTL Ad Hoc Committees

Participation on CTL Hyflex Learning Ad Hoc Committee 

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) invites up to 5 faculty to participate in an Ad Hoc Committee to examine definitions and pedagogy around the Hyflex learning modality. The intention of this group is to make recommendations to the appropriate faculty governance bodies for the purpose of creating clarity around implementation of hyflex at NEIU . This committee will meet during the summer and participants will receive a modest stipend for their work. If you are interested in serving on this committee, kindly contact the CTL at ctl@neiu.edu no later than Friday, April 29th.


Participation on CTL Faculty Development Ad Hoc Committee

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) invites 3-5 faculty with representation across colleges to participate in an Ad Hoc Committee to prioritize CTL sessions/workshops  for the upcoming FY23 fiscal year. This committee will meet during the summer and participants will receive a modest stipend for their work. An important focus is on supporting faculty on EDI-informed pedagogies, with a goal of developing sessions that have a tangible impact on practice. If you are interested in serving in a collaborative, as well as an advisory capacity, please complete this application no later than Friday, April 22.


Technology Updates

Information Security Awareness Training

The CTL shares the following important information on behalf of University Technology Services (UTS): The Information Security Awareness Training module is designed to help employees understand how to protect our data and the university’s information and IT resources from being compromised by cybercriminals.

If you have not yet completed the awareness course, please do so on the university's training portal. For questions, please email helpdesk@neiu.edu or call 7734424357.  To learn more about information security at NEIU, please see the information security website.


Hyflex Carts and Hybrid Room Initiative

Effective this Summer 2022, University Technology Services (UTS) Media Services is making available 25 Mobile Hybrid Audio/Video carts within predetermined instructional spaces to create a Hyflex/Hybrid learning environment for courses. 

These carts will be stationed in specific rooms  with approximately one Hyflex cart in the room or Hybrid room set up per floor. Instructions for operating these carts will be provided in two ways. First, a set of instructions will be made available and posted in each Hyflex cart room and also on the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) website. 

Second, faculty will be invited to a demonstration, either in person or virtually. The CTL is in the process of determining when training sessions will take place OR when we will be able to share out a video recording demonstration. The intention is to make available the instructions and video recording on the CTL website.

Scheduling requests for the Hyflex cart rooms and Hybrid rooms will follow the usual course scheduling process (i.e., Department to Dean to Academic Affairs). 

Additional guidance for Hyflex Learning is available on the CTL Website. 


In Case You Missed It

Engage-ification: Using Gamification to Engage Your Students

Check out the video recording and slides from our recent conversation about gamification, facilitated by Rob Cook in Management and Marketing. We explored the different aspects of gamification and how to apply them in both face-to-face and online course formats. Topics included an overview of gamification, examples of games, and tools (both in D2L and out) that we can use to improve our students’ learning experiences.

Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives

Examining the Quiz

Do Late Penalties Do More Harm Than Good?

Short and Sweet: The Educational Benefits of Microlectures and Active Learning









March 2022   

Updates from the CTL

March 2022

In this issue….

Empowered Teaching Toolkit

How to Create Instructor Videos Part II

Using Gamification to Engage Your Students

Save Students Money on Textbooks

Cafe Conversations for Colleagues Who Identify as Black, Indigenous or People of Color

Cafe Conversations: Interrogating Whiteness in Academia 

New Faculty Orientation: Grants and the IRB Process

D2L News You Can Use

Save Your Old Zoom Recordings

In Case You Missed It

Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives

Upcoming Workshops and Learning Opportunities

Empowered Teaching Toolkit: Beginning to Prepare for “Difficult” or “Controversial” Conversations (in the classroom)

Monday, March 7, 2022 (3:30-5:00 pm)

Zoom Link

The National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity offers a plethora of resources for faculty throughout their career cycle. To get a glimpse of what is available from the NCFDD, Shireen Roshanravan and Sandra Beyda-Lorie welcome you to a webinar and post-webinar discussion on how to prepare for difficult or controversial conversations in the classroom environment. In this short session, faculty will begin to learn about and implement key practices that will immediately help them to feel empowered in their teaching despite the state of the world.

The webinar is facilitated by Chavella Pittman, Ph.D., a Professor of Sociology at Dominican University. She is a faculty development coach who nurtures effective faculty with strategies for efficient course planning, contextualized teaching evaluations, and inclusive college classrooms.


How to Create Instructor Videos Part II (Novice) 2-hour Workshop

Wednesday, March 23 (1:00-3:00 p.m.)

Location: SU 214

In this 2-hour workshop, faculty will learn the practical aspects of creating their own instructor videos. Join us as we compose our video script, select the software, record, edit, and export/upload our final video creations.   Requirements

o    Laptop/headphones (PC/MAC)

o    Screencast O'Matic license (request from Ctl@neiu.edu)

o    Powerpoint licenses (free through NEIU)

o    Registration link

Presenters: G. "Max" Maxin IV is an Instructor at NEIU, the Stage Center Theatre’s Resident Lighting & Projections Designer, and has received an Excellence Award for Teaching. He has created over 200 freelance theatrical designs on over 115 professional & educational productions, received 1 Equity & 3 Non-Equity Jeff Award Nominations, and designed Lighting & Projections the Non-Equity Best Musical Big Fish. A co-founding member of Another Door Theatre Project, Max worked as Head of Production & Resident Scenographer for 3 years. He also spent 2 summers designing lighting for La Musica Lirica in Novafeltria, Italy. Favorite Projects at Mercury Theatre, American Blues, Theatre at the Center, BoHo, Kokandy, Black Button Eyes, Cincinnati Shakespeare, DePaul, Northwestern, & Steppenwolf Garage.www.ivMaxin.com

Juan Martinez is an assistant professor in the NEIU Department of Sociology who specializes in race, immigration, religion, and urban sociology. As a teacher, he is interested in how to effectively use technological tools to maximize student engagement, learning, and ease course navigability. He serves on NEIU’s Peer Online Observation Instrument Team and chairs the Faculty Council on Technology and Sociology Department Outreach Committee. He is currently earning the Quality Matters course credential for his Race and Ethnic Relations online course.


Engage-ification: Using Gamification to Engage Your Students

Tuesday, March 22, 4:15-5:30 p.m.

Facilitator: Rob Cook, Management and Marketing

Register to receive Zoom link

Join us for a hands-on workshop on the topic of Gamification! We will explore together the different aspects of Gamification and how to apply them in both face-to-face and online course formats. Topics will include an overview of Gamification, examples of games, and tools (both in D2L and out) that we can use to improve our students’ learning experiences.

One practical exercise will require participants to examine their own online course, so participants should choose an online course with which they are familiar, ideally one currently being offered, and be ready to review it during the workshop.

Textbook prices have risen exponentially over the years, creating a national problem in higher education. According to the 2020 NEIU Climate Study, our own students indicated that after tuition, the cost of course materials was their next biggest financial concern, above housing, food, and healthcare.


Save Students Money on Textbooks with a Survey

The Affordable Course Materials Committee was formed to address this concern and promote the use of low and no-cost course materials on our campus. How can you help?

Please complete this brief, 5-10 minute needs assessment survey. It will be open from Monday, February 21 through Tuesday, March 8, 2022. You don’t have to be familiar with open educational resources to complete the survey. 

We know that increasing faculty awareness around open educational resources gets results! During the 2021 academic year, faculty who attended a workshop and adopted open educational resources saved NEIU students more than $33,000. 

Additional information is available on the Affordable Course Materials website. 

Cafe Conversations for Colleagues Who Identify as Black, Indigenous or People of Color

Join our Executive Director for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Shireen Roshanravan, for an informal, ongoing series of conversations for faculty, staff and administrators who identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color to expand our consciousness around what it means to identify as Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) and how we have learned to perceive and treat each other in ways that challenge and reproduce systems of power and privilege in the academy.  

The purpose  of this gathering is to create a space of meaningful engagement by and for faculty, staff and administrators who identify as Black, Indigenous or people of color. Too often, there is not sufficient space to address the ways Black, Indigenous people and people of color on campus struggle differently to become fluent in each other’s cultures and to understand the specific struggles we endure in and beyond the U.S. academy. This cafe conversations series offers space to begin to address dimensions of our experiences with each other that we often do not have the time, space or words to share. 

Join us in any or all of the following hybrid in-person/virtual sessions (via Zoom) on the fourth Friday of each month starting Jan. 28 from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. Please complete this registration form to receive a Zoom invite.

These are the dates of the Cafe Conversations:


Cafe Conversations: Interrogating Whiteness in Academia  

The intention of Cafe Conversations is to create an opportunity to reflect on issues of social justice, the white supremacy characteristics of higher education, power and privilege, and how these impact processes, practices and policies at NEIU, along with other topics that arise organically from our conversations together. The world is changing. NEIU is transforming. Let’s work, in community, to live the values of equity, diversity and inclusion. 

How do we want to show up for our students? How willing are we to expand our perspective of equity, inclusion and the ways in which racism impacts our personal and professional lives? As white faculty, we often haven’t learned about or practiced disrupting white supremacy culture in our lives. The reason for creating this as a space for white faculty is because people of color frequently bear the burden of educating others about race. We want to take on the labor that is ours to do.

These Cafe Conversations can get us started and boost our ability to interrupt racism and create more equitable classrooms and curriculum. Whether you participated in last year’s Cafe Conversations or whether this is your first time showing up, we welcome you to join the dialogue.  In our February session we will move the conversation from establishing our core commitments to acting on these core commitments.

The conversation takes place on Zoom from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. the fourth Friday of each month.

Complete this registration form to receive a Zoom link.


Faculty Orientation and Retention, Promotion and PAI Sessions

New Faculty Orientation: Grants and the IRB Process

Friday, March 11 (11:30-1:00 p.m.)

Zoom invite will be sent to participants’ Google calendar




D2L News You Can Use

D2L Drop-in Office Hours

Are you new to D2L? Do you need help in designing your course? Or do you want to know more about available D2L tools to engage your students? CTL provides individual consultation with faculty members. Please get in touch with Sik Son at sson@neiu.edu to set up a meeting.


Discussions Beyond the Basics: 20 Tips for More Efficient, Effective Use of the D2L Discussions Tool

Have a discussion-heavy course? Looking for ways to save time, to find unread threads, personalize your responses and more? Have you ever added Bitmojis to your replies or used the Video Notes feature? View this video  by Brightspace/D2L and learn some surprising tips in less than 30 minutes.


D2L Templates for Course Design

Do you need to build your course quickly? Why don’t you use the NEIU templates? CTL placed the templates in Shared Files in D2L and you can add them to your course with few clicks. Here are the instructions. 


Pulse: D2L mobile app

D2L on the go; you can access your D2L courses wherever you go with the Pulse app. It is a fantastic app, and it automatically adjusts the D2L course screens to fit your mobile phones. D2L posted some feedback from students on their website as follows. 

You can download the app either at App Store or at Play Store. Click here for more information.  


Your Help Needed! D2L Course Clean-Up 

In order to improve the efficiency of our Learning Management System (LMS), and adhere to our LMS policy, the CTL is removing courses prior to 2016 that have been hosted on the D2L platform. As part of this process, we are asking faculty to do the following:

While the CTL will do its best to back up old courses, we cannot guarantee that this will be possible given the huge number of courses that have been in the system over these many years. Therefore, and in accordance with the NEIU LMS Policy, faculty are strongly advised to back up their own course materials.


Get D2L Help 24/7/365! 

Have a quick question about using D2L? Remember that all faculty and students can get 24/7 D2L support via chat (recommended), phone, or email. Just click on the lightbulb on your D2L homepage. 

DUO Multi-Factor Authorization Reminder:

We share this information on behalf of University Technology Services: It is extremely important that everyone complete this process:


The DUO MFA Enrollment deadline date of Tuesday, March 1st, 2022 is fast approaching.  University Technology Services (UTS) would like to remind our employees to please enroll a smartphone or other compatible device, or pick up a hardware token for DUO registration.  

 

If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or require any additional information regarding this or any other technology services, please contact the UTS Help Desk by email at helpdesk@neiu.edu, or by phone at 773-442-4357. 


In Case You Missed It

Save Your Old Zoom Recordings

It is important to delete your Zoom recordings on the cloud as soon as possible so that we do not run out of Zoom storage space. Instead, you can download your recordings to your Google drive (and then delete your recording from your Zoom account). To make this process easier, please see this Shortcut to Zoom Recordings.


Supporting English Language Learners in the Higher Education Classroom

Meeting the expectations in the college classroom for students who are English language learners, both international and non-international, requires unique strategies on the part of the instructor. In this session, our presenters discussed the challenges the academic setting presents and how these expectations may impact and be interconnected with students’ ability to listen, read, and write in the academic setting. The impact on instructor practices on students’ social emotional learning (SEL) and the importance of an instructor’s cultural competence were addressed. 

Here is a link to the Recording

Here is the link to the Presentation Slides.


Winter Session Student Survey Results

Students were quite pleased with their  Winter Session courses. If you haven’t had a chance to review the findings, you can do so here.


We are an NCFDD Institutional Member!

The National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity is an independent professional development center that is dedicated to helping faculty make successful transitions throughout their careers. They offer webinars, workshops and provide weekly communications and other resources to help tenure track/tenured faculty increase writing productivity, establish and maintain work-life balance, and create broad networks of collegial support on their campus. Northeastern Illinois University has partnered with NCFDD to offer this marvelous opportunity to our faculty. By activating your membership, at no cost, faculty will have access to:

Create your own account and begin enjoying all of the member benefits. Explore our website for more details on setting up your account.


Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives

How to Hold a Better Classroom Discussion: Advice Guide

First-Day Info Sheets: A Tool to Prompt Semester-Long Inclusive Teaching

Decolonizing Your Syllabus? from Civic Laboratory for Environmental Action Research








Feburary 2022   

Updates from the CTL

February 2022

In this issue….

Supporting English Language Learners in the Higher Education Classroom

Last Chance to Register for Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools

Cafe Conversations for Colleagues Who Identify as Black, Indigenous or People of Color

Cafe Conversations: Interrogating Whiteness in Academia  

NEIU Faculty Speak: Takeaways from QM Training

Your Help Needed! D2L Course Clean-Up

Get D2L Help 24/7/365!

Semester-Start Reminders

Making More Accessible Documents

Hypothesis Social Annotation Demonstration

Video Creation for the Virtual Classroom

New Faculty Development Association Opportunity

Teaching Tips and Deeper Dives

Upcoming Workshops and Learning Opportunities

Supporting English Language Learners in the Higher Education Classroom

Thursday, February 10 (10:00 a.m. -11:30 a.m.)

Zoom Link

Meeting the expectations in the college classroom for students who are English language learners, both international and non-international, requires unique strategies on the part of the instructor. In this session, our presenters discuss the challenges the academic setting presents and how these expectations may impact and be interconnected with students’ ability to listen, read, and write in the academic setting. The impact on instructor practices on students’ social emotional learning (SEL) and the importance of an instructor’s cultural competence will also be addressed. Participants will leave with specific strategies they can use to support their learners. 

Presenters (in alphabetical order by last name):

Wendy Gonzales an Assistant Professor in the Special Education, Early Childhood, and Bilingual/Bicultural program at Northeastern Illinois University. She has 11 years of experience in teaching bilingual students who are also exceptional learners.  Her research interests include literacy development, learning disabilities, and Response to Intervention in the context of bilingual learners. 

Senyung Lee is an Assistant Professor in the TESOL program at Northeastern Illinois University. She has years of experience in teaching English in South Korea and in the United States. Her main research interests are second language assessment and vocabulary learning.

Ulugbek Nurmukhamedov is an Associate Professor in the TESOL program at NEIU. His teaching and research interests include second language writing, vocabulary instruction and computer-assisted language learning. 

Gina Johnson Wells, PhD, is an instructor in the NEIU Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) program, serves as graduate advisor to MA TESOL and ESL endorsement students, and also teaches Bilingual-Bicultural courses in NEIU’s Goodwin College of Education. Dr. Wells holds an Illinois Professional Educator License with endorsements in Music and ESL. Her research interests include culturally-responsive pedagogies, and policy and advocacy in English Language Learning and Teaching.

Last Chance to Register for Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools

February 1 through February 28, 2022. Register using this form by January 31, 2022. 

If you are taking this course as part of the “January 2022: CTL Virtual Instruction $1000.00 Stipend Initiative,” please use this form instead.

“Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools” is a non-credit professional development course designed and taught by Dr. Liz Rodriguez in the Center for Teaching and Learning. Participants will be introduced to the tentpoles of online pedagogy and course delivery: faculty presence, effective online communication, student-centered learning activities, and intentional integration of technology. This asynchronous course has no set meeting times, but there are weekly due dates to meet. Participants should expect to spend 5-6 hours per week reviewing instructional materials, participating in online discussions, and working on individual assignments that apply course materials to their teaching practice. 

Cafe Conversations for Colleagues Who Identify as Black, Indigenous or People of Color

Join our Executive Director for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Shireen Roshanravan, for an informal, ongoing series of conversations for faculty, staff and administrators who identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color to expand our consciousness around what it means to identify as Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) and how we have learned to perceive and treat each other in ways that challenge and reproduce systems of power and privilege in the academy.  

The purpose  of this gathering is to create a space of meaningful engagement by and for faculty, staff and administrators who identify as Black, Indigenous or people of color. Too often, there is not sufficient space to address the ways Black, Indigenous people and people of color on campus struggle differently to become fluent in each other’s cultures and to understand the specific struggles we endure in and beyond the U.S. academy. This cafe conversations series offers space to begin to address dimensions of our experiences with each other that we often do not have the time, space or words to share. 

Join us in any or all of the following hybrid in-person/virtual sessions (via Zoom) on the fourth Friday of each month starting Jan. 28 from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. Please complete this registration form to receive a Zoom invite.

These are the dates of the Cafe Conversations:

Cafe Conversations: Interrogating Whiteness in Academia  

The intention of Cafe Conversations is to create an opportunity to reflect on issues of social justice, the white supremacy characteristics of higher education, power and privilege, and how these impact processes, practices and policies at NEIU, along with other topics that arise organically from our conversations together. The world is changing. NEIU is transforming. Let’s work, in community, to live the values of equity, diversity and inclusion. 

How do we want to show up for our students? How willing are we to expand our perspective of equity, inclusion and the ways in which racism impacts our personal and professional lives? As white faculty, we often haven’t learned about or practiced disrupting white supremacy culture in our lives. The reason for creating this as a space for white faculty is because people of color frequently bear the burden of educating others about race. We want to take on the labor that is ours to do.

These Cafe Conversations can get us started and boost our ability to interrupt racism and create more equitable classrooms and curriculum. Whether you participated in last year’s Cafe Conversations or whether this is your first time showing up, we welcome you to join the dialogue. 

The conversation takes place on Zoom from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. the fourth Friday of each month starting Jan. 28. 

Complete this registration form to receive a Zoom link.

NEIU Faculty Speak: Takeaways from the QM Training Assessment Report

In Fall 2021, the CTL surveyed faculty who had completed the Quality Matters (QM) two-week training between August 2020 through June 2021.We wished to determine the extent to which instructors used this training to make improvements to their online course(s).  View the results of the survey, called the Assessment of Quality Matters Training Results and Analysis.

D2L News You Can Use

Your Help Needed! D2L Course Clean-Up 

In order to improve the efficiency of our Learning Management System (LMS), and adhere to our LMS policy, the CTL is removing courses prior to 2016 that have been hosted on the D2L platform. As part of this process, we are asking faculty to do the following:

While the CTL will do its best to back up old courses, we cannot guarantee that this will be possible given the huge number of courses that have been in the system over these many years. Therefore, and in accordance with the NEIU LMS Policy, faculty are strongly advised to back up their own course materials.

Get D2L Help 24/7/365! 

Have a quick question about using D2L? Remember that all faculty and students can get 24/7 D2L support via chat (recommended), phone, or email. Just click on the lightbulb on your D2L homepage. 


Other Updates

Semester-Start Reminders from the CTL

Confused about who to contact for what? We have developed a Frequently Asked Question document to help you determine which units are the most beneficial ones to contact when you confront issues with logging on, viewing your D2L courses, and other situations that impact your teaching at NEIU.

For quick instructions for typical semester-start D2L tasks like course activation, check out our D2L Semester Start Guide.

Making More Accessible Documents

Screen readers are only effective on documents with headings. A scanned document is not accessible by a screen reader. If you have been sharing scanned documents with your students, we recommend you locate the original article and convert it into a pdf.

If the only copy you have of an article or chapter is from a very old publication that you can no longer access, there is a way to convert the document, but it is a time-consuming process. Let the CTL know and we will connect you to the appropriate person in Student Disability Services.

New to digital accessibility practices? You can get started with the slides from previous CTL workshops on creating accessible Word documents and accessible slide presentations.

In Case You Missed It

Hypothesis Social Annotation Demonstration

Here are the slides and the recording from our January 13, 2022 workshop on using the Hypothesis Social Annotation tool. As a reminder, the CTL is piloting this tool this spring.

Our Hypothesis professional, Becky George is also available for a quick demonstration or chat about social annotation. She can be booked using this link: Hypothesis Instructor Success Meeting.

Video Creation for the Virtual Classroom: Exploring the Possibilities

If you missed the January 19th session, Video Creation for the Virtual Classroom: Exploring the Possibilities, here is a link to the recording. Here is a link to the slide show.

The CTL  plans to offer additional workshops on creating videos, some basic and some more advanced, so stay tuned for upcoming dates and times. 

New Faculty Development Association Opportunity

The National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity is an independent professional development center that is dedicated to helping faculty make successful transitions throughout their careers. They offer webinars, workshops and provide weekly communications and other resources to help tenure track/tenured faculty increase writing productivity, establish and maintain work-life balance, and create broad networks of collegial support on their campus. Northeastern Illinois University has partnered with NCFDD to offer this marvelous opportunity to our faculty. By activating your membership, at no cost, faculty will have access to:

After January 12, 2022, you can create your own account and begin enjoying all of the member benefits. Explore our website for more details on setting up your account. After you enroll, you will begin receiving Monday Motivators. Be sure to check your email, including your promotional email folder. You won’t want want to miss these communications!

Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives

Interrogating Rigor in Academia

Please enjoy this 44-minute podcast on rigor in academia from Tea for Teaching that provides ideas to help us rethink our practices around learning outcomes, assignment deadlines, use of “exemplars” and other aspects of our pedagogies.

Here is an overview:

In academia, the term “rigor” is often code for gatekeeping and exclusion. In this episode, Jordynn Jack and Viji Sathy join us to discuss ways of creating challenging courses while providing the support and structure necessary for student success.

Jordynn is a Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also the Director of the Health and Humanities Lab at UNC-Chapel Hill. Viji is a Professor of the Practice in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, the Director of the Townsend Program for Education Research, and the Director of the Academic Leadership Program at the Institute for Arts & Humanities, also at UNC-Chapel Hill. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Creating Instructional Videos

Here is a helpful article on creating engaging instructional videos.

How Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Can Help You Break Up Your Lectures

Dr. Tom Tobin shares strategies on how to reduce or lower barriers to learning in our courses using the principles of UDL, or Universal Design for Learning. Access the podcast and/or view the transcript.







January  2022   

Updates from the CTL

January 2022

In this issue….

NEIU Joins a Faculty Development Institute

CTL Workshop: Creating Simple Unit Overview Pages in D2L

Critical Digital Pedagogy Workshop: The Possibilities of Digital Essays

Faculty Workshop: Video Creation for the Virtual Classroom

Faculty Workshop: Strategies to Support Adult Learners on the Autism Spectrum

Register Now for “Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools”

Hyflex Learning Guidance

CTL Guidance for Online Learning

Reservable Rooms for Students in the Library

Update from the Peer Observation of Online Teaching Instrument Team 

New Tool: Video Assignments in D2L

Try Hypothesis, a Social Annotation Tool

Scholarships 101 for Faculty

Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives

Upcoming Workshops and Learning Opportunities

We are an NCFDD Institutional Member!

The National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity is an independent professional development center that is dedicated to helping faculty make successful transitions throughout their careers. They offer webinars, workshops and provide weekly communications and other resources to help tenure track/tenured faculty increase writing productivity, establish and maintain work-life balance, and create broad networks of collegial support on their campus. Northeastern Illinois University has partnered with NCFDD to offer this marvelous opportunity to our faculty. By activating your membership, at no cost, faculty will have access to:


After January 12, 2022, you can create your own account and begin enjoying all of the member benefits. Explore our website for more details on setting up your account. 


“What do I need to do?!”: Creating Simple Overview Pages in D2L

Wednesday, January 12 

from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Facilitator: Liz Rodriguez, CTL

Register to receive Zoom link

Help you students find exactly what they need to be successful in each unit of your course by creating unit overview pages in D2L. In this hands-on workshop, we’ll walk through how to set up and customize straightforward, accessible web pages where you can list all of the learning objectives, instructional materials, and assignments. Reduce the number of clicks it takes to get your students where they need to go! 


Teaching and Learning in a Digital World: Exploring the Possibilities of Digital Essays

Tuesday, January 25, 3:00-4:15 p.m.

Facilitator: Hsiao-Chin Kuo, Literacy Education

Register to receive the Zoom link

What comes to mind when you think of academic writing? Do your students struggle with writing anxiety? How about digital essays? What can we take advantage of teaching and learning in a digital space?

In this session, participants will explore digital essays as a teaching and learning tool, as well as the possibilities of using digital essays to enhance students’ academic performance in higher education. Dr. Kuo will introduce the concept of digital essays, its framework and use of storyboard, and examples for classroom applications. Participants will engage in discussions and hands-on practices with this emerging approach.


Video Creation for the Virtual Classroom: Exploring the Possibilities! 

When: Wednesday, January 19, 2022 (noon-1pm)

To receive a Zoom invite, please complete this registration link.

Maximizing instructor presence in a virtual course can be accomplished through the creation of short, engaging videos. This workshop provides an overview of the video creation process. Session presenters will share the steps of the process. Examples of videos to welcome students, explain key learning outcomes and assignments and recordings that can be used to support recruitment and outreach will be shared. This is the first in a 3-part video creation series. This session will be offered via Zoom.

Presenters: G. "Max" Maxin IV is an Instructor at NEIU, the Stage Center Theatre’s Resident Lighting & Projections Designer, and has received an Excellence Award for Teaching. He has created over 200 freelance theatrical designs on over 115 professional & educational productions, received 1 Equity & 3 Non-Equity Jeff Award Nominations, and designed Lighting & Projections the Non-Equity Best Musical Big Fish. A co-founding member of Another Door Theatre Project, Max worked as Head of Production & Resident Scenographer for 3 years. He also spent 2 summers designing lighting for La Musica Lirica in Novafeltria, Italy. Favorite Projects at Mercury Theatre, American Blues, Theatre at the Center, BoHo, Kokandy, Black Button Eyes, Cincinnati Shakespeare, DePaul, Northwestern, & Steppenwolf Garage. www.ivMaxin.com

Juan Martinez is an assistant professor in the NEIU Department of Sociology who specializes in race, immigration, religion, and urban sociology. As a teacher, he is interested in how to effectively use technological tools to maximize student engagement, learning, and ease course navigability. He serves on NEIU’s Peer Online Observation Instrument Team and chairs the Faculty Council on Technology and Sociology Department Outreach Committee. He is currently earning the Quality Matters course credential for his Race and Ethnic Relations online course.


Strategies to Support Adult Learners on the Autism Spectrum

Wednesday, January 26 (10:00-11:30am). Registration Form for Zoom link

This session is designed to provide an overview of autism spectrum disorder with a focus on how the characteristics of this diagnosis may impact a student's performance in an academic setting. Evidence-based, practical strategies will be provided to enhance your teaching practices in support of students on the spectrum and broaden your perspective of students, in general. There will be an opportunity for discussion of the strategies and their implementation in a university classroom setting. 

Presenter: Mark Melton, Associate Professor in Special Education. Mark is an associate professor in special education and a licensed clinical social worker with extensive experience in supporting children and adults with autism and their families in educational, vocational, residential and community settings. A significant focus of Mark's work is engaging collaboratively with people on the autism spectrum (and their families) to co-create proactive strategies to ameliorate obstacles to social and academic success and enhance the likelihood of experiencing positive life outcomes. Prior to his role as a university instructor, Mark was a classroom teacher, school administrator and coordinated family support services for early intervention and Head Start programs.


Register Now for “Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools”

February 1 through February 28, 2021. Register by January 31, 2022. 

If you are taking this course as part of the “January 2022: CTL Virtual Instruction $1000.00 Stipend Initiative,” please use this form instead.

“Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools” is a non-credit professional development course designed and taught by Dr. Liz Rodriguez in the Center for Teaching and Learning. Participants will be introduced to the tentpoles of online pedagogy and course delivery: faculty presence, effective online communication, student-centered learning activities, and intentional integration of technology. This asynchronous course has no set meeting times, but there are weekly due dates to meet. Participants should expect to spend 5-6 hours per week reviewing instructional materials, participating in online discussions, and working on individual assignments that apply course materials to their teaching practice. 


Hyflex Learning Guidance

Did you know that the CTL provides on its website guidance for Hyflex Learning?  This resource is located within the “Online Learning: Expectations and Recommended Practice” area on the CTL website.  



D2L and Other Technology-Related News You Can Use

Guidance for Online Learning

In case you didn’t know, the CTL has many resources to guide faculty with tips for online learning right on the CTL website. 


Reservable Rooms for Students to Meet and/or Zoom

Did you know that students in your classes can reserve a room for group meetings or to access Zoom? Students can reserve “Group Study Rooms” for this purpose (i.e.,LIB 212 and LIB 213) and rooms at El Centro and CCICS. On the north campus there are also multimedia studios, Mac computers, lactation and serenity rooms (these are under "Individual Use Rooms"). Share the following link where they can reserve the room of their choice: https://neiulibraries.libcal.com/


Technology and Other Important Updates

Update from the Peer Observation of Online Teaching Instrument Team (POOIT)

Many of you have asked the CTL about the status of the Peer Observation of Online Teaching Instrument. This new tool  integrates indicators to address equity, diversity and inclusion. Our team (LIsa Hollis-Sawyer, Juan Martinez, Shayne Pepper, Gina Wells and Sandra Beyda-Lorie) have been working on this document for the past year. We welcomed feedback from every department and program. Several of our colleagues piloted an initial draft of the instrument this past summer. Their perspective has led to a fairly substantial redesign. We are close to completion of this new tool, but not quite there yet. Stay tuned for more information by the end of spring or early summer.


In Case You Missed It

Bongo Video Assignment on D2L

The Bongo Video Assignment feature on D2L provides a dynamic and active learning experience for our students. It is a wonderful way to increase student engagement and critical thinking by allowing students to record presentations remotely, answer text questions with a timed video answer, andor answer questions that overlay upon an instructor’s pre-recorded mini-lecture or video. Plus, the assignments go directly to your D2L gradebook. The CTL is happy to offer this digital tool to our teaching community. For details please view the Recording of our recent demonstration. You will also find these helpful guides and support information.


How to Use the Hypothesis Social Annotation Tool 

The CTL is offering a pilot this spring to use the Hypothesis Social Annotation Tool in D2L courses. We are excited about this interactive tool that supports students reading and writing. We encourage faculty to try out this tool and request it for their spring courses. If all goes well, we may purchase this software moving forward.

For your reference, here are the slides and the recording from today's workshop. Feel free to pass these resources on to any colleagues that may be interested in learning more.

You can also reach out to our Hypothesis support professional directly for a quick demo or chat about social annotation. This individual can be booked using this link: Hypothesis Instructor Success Meeting.


Scholarships 101 for Faculty

Do you want to help students access funding to support their studies? Listen to this Scholarships 101 Recording where Michelle Morrow, Director of Scholarships, shares a wealth of information for faculty.

 

Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives

Try out some new discussion strategies with these resources that were shared at our recent workshop, “Active Learning & Inclusive Teaching Techniques.”







December  2021    

Updates from the CTL

December 2021

In this issue….

Active Learning and Inclusive Teaching Techniques

Bongo Video Assignments Demonstration

Using Social Annotation to Empower Students

Building a Liquid Syllabus

Register for "Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools"

Faculty Orientation and Retention, Promotion and PAI Sessions 

NEIU Success Story: Using Course Templates

The Power of D2L Groups (Recorded Session)

Virtual Instruction for Online Learning Training Opportunity

Quality Matters Online Teaching Workshops

Certificate in College Teaching and Learning in HSIs

D2L Spring Cleaning: Action Steps for Faculty

Teaching Tips and Deeper Dives

Upcoming Workshops and Learning Opportunities

Active Learning and Inclusive Teaching Techniques for Winter Session and Other Course Offerings

Wednesday, December 1 (10:00-11:30am)

Register to receive Zoom link

In this workshop, faculty will learn about active learning techniques that provide the biggest impact for student learning and success. We will model practical activities that contribute to an inclusive learning environment, such as creating a welcoming environment, demystifying college and course expectations, and providing regular opportunities for student feedback and reflection. 

Bongo Video Assignments Demonstration

Thursday, December 2 (11:00am - noon) via Zoom

Bongo is a video-based assessment & engagement solution that enables experiential learning, skill validation, skill practice, and coaching at scale. Instructors use our Video Assignment workflows to create opportunities for presentations, practice, demonstration, analysis, and collaboration. 

Through live and self-paced video-based engagement your students can facilitate repeated skill practice, receive personalized feedback as well as Machine Driven feedback all within the safety of their Brightspace environment. When learners demonstrate skills and apply their knowledge on video, the instructor is going to get an authentic representation of what they can do, the knowledge the learner possesses.

Join us for a demonstration of the Video Assignment tools and how your students can use video to truly engage in their learning as well as their classroom community.


How to Use the Hypothesis Social Annotation Tool to Empower Students’ Reading and Writing in the Digital Environment


Wednesday, December 8 (10:00-11:00am)

Zoom link

Hypothesis  is a digital tool enabled in the learning management system (i.e., D2L) in which students collaboratively annotate course readings and documents, take notes, comment, critique ideas and participate in knowledge-building communities in the virtual environment. The Center for Teaching and Learning has the opportunity to participate in an exciting pilot project for this tool during the spring semester, by recruiting faculty to try out this feature. 

Please join us for a demonstration and Q&A with the Hypothesis professionals. This session will address how collaborative annotation with Hypothesis can be:

Participants can expect to come away from this session with a clear idea about how they can start incorporating collaborative annotation into their courses immediately to improve student success. Faculty interested in taking part in this pilot can try out  the tool as early as the current semester.


CTL Session: Building a Liquid Syllabus

Thursday, December 9 (11:00-12:30 pm)

This will take place as an in-person session in the SU 214. (This is a repeat workshop)

Please sign up no later than Monday, December 6th using this registration form.

According to Pacanski-Brock, 2021) a Liquid Syllabus “is a humanizing element that ensures students start a course feeling supported by their instructor.”  It addresses equity-based practices as conceptualized by the Center for Urban Education, culturally responsive teaching and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Rather than a pdf or word document, it exists on a public, accessible, mobile-friendly website , which can be linked easily into the learning management system. In this informal, face-to-face, 2-hour workshop, participants will roll up their sleeves, laptop or device in hand, and begin to build their own liquid syllabus for one of their courses using Google Site. Participants should bring or be able to access their syllabi and use their NEIU Google account for this workshop. For more information, see Pacansky-Brock, Smedshammer, & Vincent-Layton, 2020.


Register Now for “Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools”

February 1 through February 28, 2021

Register by January 31, 2022. 

If you are taking this course as part of the “January 2022: CTL Virtual Instruction $1000.00 Stipend Initiative,” please use this form instead.

“Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools” is a non-credit professional development course designed and taught by Dr. Liz Rodriguez in the Center for Teaching and Learning. Participants will be introduced to the tentpoles of online pedagogy and course delivery: faculty presence, effective online communication, student-centered learning activities, and intentional integration of technology. This asynchronous course has no set meeting times, but there are weekly due dates to meet. Participants should expect to spend 5-6 hours per week reviewing instructional materials, participating in online discussions, and working on individual assignments that apply course materials to their teaching practice. 


Faculty Orientation and Retention, Promotion and PAI Sessions 

Faculty Portfolio Work Session: Years 1-5

Wed, December 1 (3:45-5:00pm)

COBM/CBT Room 114


Work Session: Years 1-5

Thurs, Dec 2 (9:00-10:30am)

COBM/CBT Room 114

D2L News You Can Use

NEIU Success Story Using the CTL Course Template 

Laura Tejada, Associate Professor in Counselor Education was one of our colleagues who piloted our D2L Course Template. Subsequently, and in consultation with her students, she made changes in her D2L course design. Watch this video for a  before and after peek at her course. We have loaded these D2L Templates with “how to guides” on the CTL website. These user-friendly guides, created by Sik Son, illustrate the steps for downloading the templates, uploading them into your D2L course and editing them according to your needs. Here is the link. If you need help in adapting the templates, Sik Son can provide you with individual consultation. You can email him at sson@neiu.edu to set up a meeting. 

Tejada D2L Course Template Show and Tell Video

Technology Updates

Leveraging the Power of Groups in D2L (Recorded Session)

Groups offer opportunities for facilitating collaborative dialogue, discussion and projects in the virtual learning environment. In case you missed our session of November 18th, please see the following Recording Link (password  = Groups21!).

Here is a copy of the Slide Presentation.


In Case You Missed It

Virtual Instruction for Online Learning Training Opportunity 

The CTL is pleased to offer another stipend opportunity for faculty who have not previously earned one for completion of our two-part online training. Part I, a two-week course, Designing Your Online Course (DYOC) delivered by Quality Matters, takes place from January 6-January 20, 2022. Part II, the four-week “Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools” course delivered by NEIU’s Center for Teaching and Learning, takes place from February 1-February 28. Participants will receive a $1,000 stipend for their participation in the full series of training (i.e., Part I and Part II). In addition, they will receive a Quality Matters Certificate of Completion as long as they meet the assignment deadlines established for the QM course. QM informs us that participants who do not adhere to deadlines will not be allowed to complete the course. The QM sessions are asynchronous and not self-paced. Participants must log on the first day and work regularly throughout the scheduled dates in order to successfully complete the course.


Quality Matters (QM) Online Teaching Workshops Initiative

The CTL has purchased dedicated training sessions  in January to support faculty in completing two (of the seven) QM Online Teaching Workshops that lead to the QM Teaching Certificate. These sessions are the following:

These workshops are asynchronous sessions and not self-paced.  Participants should log in on the first day and work regularly throughout the scheduled dates in order to successfully complete. Participants can expect to spend 8-12 hours per week completing the learning objectives. 

Participating faculty will be asked to purchase a required textbook, but will be reimbursed for this expense. This opportunity is limited to the first 20 applicants. Please complete this form no later than December 6, 2021.


EDI-Focused Training: Certificate in College Teaching and Learning in HSIs Initiative 

The CTL offers a training opportunity for a cohort of faculty (six faculty total) in partnership with ESCALA Educational Services. This initiative intends to  prepare these professionals to engage in practical demonstrations of culturally responsive teaching, create a relevant change in a course, and then participate in group coaching to increase accountability for implementation. The ultimate goal of this experience is to build capacity to address equity-based teaching at our institution using a train-the-trainer approach. Selected faculty will be expected to collaborate with the CTL on faculty development training the year after this initiative.

What is the Certificate in College Teaching & Learning in HSIs?

It is a 27-hour course for HSI faculty to study their practice and master culturally responsive teaching to benefit Latinx students. 

What is ESCALA?

ESCALA (Spanish for “striving”) is a consortium of higher education consultants based in the U.S. Southwest who are committed personally and professionally to increasing the retention and graduation rates of underrepresented students in higher education.  ESCALA works specifically with Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) to close the gap in educational access and completion rates for Latinos, mainly through faculty development programming and remedial program evaluation.  

When does the training take place?

This  experience consists of three parts:

July-August 2022

September-October-November 2022

January/February 2023


Will I be required to pay for this training?

Travel, hotel and the entire cost of the professional development opportunity will be paid for by the CTL in collaboration with Academic Affairs. In addition, faculty will receive a $1000.00 stipend to support their efforts.

Who can apply?

We encourage tenure/tenure track faculty from all colleges to apply for this initiative. Funding is available for six faculty. If more than six faculty apply, the CTL will make the final selection based on a combination of factors, including but not limited to cross college representation, approval by the dean and department chair, and alignment of this work to program/department/college initiatives focused on building capacity for the use of culturally responsive teaching. 

How do I apply for consideration?  

If you are interested in being considered, please complete this application no later than December 6, 2021.


There’s a Library Guide for That!

Did you know that all of the D2L courses have relevant links to library guides linked right from the front page? Help your students find the librarians and databases they need to do well in your class. Look for the box:


D2L Spring Cleaning: Action Steps for Faculty

This spring, the CTL will begin the much-needed cleanup of old courses in D2L. Since NEIU adopted D2L in Fall 2012, we have never performed the routine archiving of courses that are essential for the health of the system and usability for faculty and students.

We will begin by archiving courses prior to and including the Summer 2018 semesters. This means that faculty will need to store their courses in master shells, which is a sound practice for keeping D2L as streamlined as possible. Master shells are sandbox courses or staging areas that all faculty can use to build and store entire courses. Faculty can have a master shell for each course that they teach, and the CTL will never archive or remove your access to these courses.

So we need your help! Here are some tips that will help you prepare for D2L Spring Cleaning:


Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives

The Benefits of Student Peer Review

Improving Student Discussions

Want Better Group Discussions?






November 2021    

Updates from the CTL

November 2021

In this issue….

Certificate in College Teaching and Learning in HSIs

Virtual Instruction for Online Learning

QM Online Teaching Workshops 

Universal Design for Learning Training

Building a Liquid Syllabus

The Power of Groups in D2L

Faculty Orientation and Retention, Promotion and PAI Sessions

There's a Library Guide for That!

D2L Spring Cleaning Action Steps

D2L Pulse App Updates

Tech Updates and Reminders

Ungrading as Critical Pedagogy

Accessibility and Equity in the Learning Environment 

Student Success and Affordable Course Materials

Transition of Course Evaluation Process 

Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives



Upcoming Workshops and Learning Opportunities

EDI-Focused Training: Certificate in College Teaching and Learning in HSIs Initiative 

The CTL offers a training opportunity for a cohort of faculty (six faculty total) in partnership with ESCALA Educational Services. This initiative intends to  prepare these professionals to engage in practical demonstrations of culturally responsive teaching, create a relevant change in a course, and then participate in group coaching to increase accountability for implementation. The ultimate goal of this experience is to build capacity to address equity-based teaching at our institution using a train-the-trainer approach. Selected faculty will be expected to collaborate with the CTL on faculty development training the year after this initiative.

 

What is the Certificate in College Teaching & Learning in HSIs?

It is a 27-hour course for HSI faculty to study their practice and master culturally responsive teaching to benefit Latinx students. 

 

What is ESCALA?

ESCALA (Spanish for “striving”) is a consortium of higher education consultants based in the U.S. Southwest who are committed personally and professionally to increasing the retention and graduation rates of underrepresented students in higher education.  ESCALA works specifically with Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) to close the gap in educational access and completion rates for Latinos, mainly through faculty development programming and remedial program evaluation.  

 

When does the training take place?

This  experience consists of three parts:


July-August 2022


September-October-November 2022


January/February 2023


Will I be required to pay for this training?

Travel, hotel and the entire cost of the professional development opportunity will be paid for by the CTL in collaboration with Academic Affairs. In addition, faculty will receive a $1000.00 stipend to support their efforts.

 

Who can apply?

We encourage tenure/tenure track faculty from all colleges to apply for this initiative. Funding is available for six faculty. If more than six faculty apply, the CTL will make the final selection based on a combination of factors, including but not limited to cross college representation, approval by the dean and department chair, and alignment of this work to program/department/college initiatives focused on building capacity for the use of culturally responsive teaching. 

 

How do I apply for consideration?  

If you are interested in being considered, please complete this application no later than December 6, 2021.


Virtual Instruction for Online Learning Training Opportunity 

The CTL is pleased to offer another stipend opportunity for faculty who have not previously earned one for completion of our two-part online training. Part I, a two-week course, Designing Your Online Course (DYOC) delivered by Quality Matters, takes place from January 6-January 20, 2022. Part II, a four-week Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools course delivered by NEIU’s Center for Teaching and Learning, takes place from February 1-February 28. Participants will receive a $1,000 stipend for their participation in the full series of training (i.e., Part I and Part II). In addition, they will receive a Quality Matters Certificate of Completion as long as they meet the assignment deadlines established for the QM course. QM informs us that participants who do not adhere to deadlines will not be allowed to complete the course. The QM sessions are asynchronous and not self-paced. Participants must log on the first day and work regularly throughout the scheduled dates in order to successfully complete the course.


Quality Matters (QM) Online Teaching Workshops Initiative

The CTL has purchased dedicated training sessions  in January to support faculty in completing two (of the seven) QM Online Teaching Workshops that lead to the QM Teaching Certificate. These sessions are the following:

These workshops are asynchronous sessions and not self-paced.  Participants should log in on the first day and work regularly throughout the scheduled dates in order to successfully complete. Participants can expect to spend 8-12 hours per week completing the learning objectives. 

Participating faculty will be asked to purchase a required textbook, but will be reimbursed for this expense. This opportunity is limited to the first 20 applicants. Please complete this form no later than December 6, 2021.


Universal Design for Learning (UDL) 101 Training from CAST.org

NEIU's Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is committed to removing obstacles to student success by supporting faculty in the implementation of inclusive pedagogy. The Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) is the premier organization for Universal Design for Learning (UDL). They are offering a 45-contact hour online course from Monday, January 31, 2022- Monday, April 25, 2022 (14 sessions) where participants will learn the research basis for UDL, practical applications of UDL to lesson design, and helpful technology tools that support flexible, inclusive instruction. The course is completely asynchronous with 14 digital modules. There is an assignment due at the end of each week (14 weeks), and as long as the participants complete the assignment by week’s end they can pace themselves as they see fit. Upon completion, participants will receive a letter of completion from CAST.

The CTL is offering to pay for this training for up to 5 faculty. These individuals would be expected to collaborate with the CTL on training sessions over the next year. If you are interested in being considered for this opportunity, please complete this form no later than Friday, November 19th, 2021. Participants will be selected based on (a) cross college representation, (b) tenure/tenure track or full time instructor status, and (c) commitment to moving forward inclusive teaching pedagogy at our institution. Here is the Master Syllabus for this online course.  If you are interested in this opportunity please complete this registration form no later than Friday, November 19, 2021.


CTL Session: Building a Liquid Syllabus

Wednesday, November 17 (12:00-2:00 pm)

This will take place as an in-person session in the Golden Eagles Room.

Please sign up using this registration form.

According to Pacanski-Brock, 2021) a Liquid Syllabus “is a humanizing element that ensures students start a course feeling supported by their instructor.”  It addresses equity-based practices as conceptualized by the Center for Urban Education, culturally responsive teaching and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Rather than a pdf or word document, it exists on a public, accessible, mobile-friendly website , which can be linked easily into the learning management system. In this informal, face-to-face, 2-hour workshop, participants will roll up their sleeves, laptop or device in hand, and begin to build their own liquid syllabus for one of their courses using Google Site. Participants should bring or be able to access their syllabi and use their NEIU Google account for this workshop. For more information, see Pacansky-Brock, Smedshammer, & Vincent-Layton, 2020.


CTL Session: Leveraging the Power of Groups in D2L/Brightspace

Thursday, November 18 (11:00am -12:30pm)

Access the session at the following Zoom link

Come learn how to create and leverage student groups in your course. Discover ways to encourage group discussions, assign group projects with peer evaluation, create differentiated content and more!


Faculty Orientation and Retention, Promotion and PAI Sessions 

Work Session: Year 1 and 2 Faculty

Tuesday, November 9 (9:00am-10:00am)

Where: COBM 114.

Faculty Panel Q&A for Year 1 Faculty 

Tuesday, November 9 (2:00pm-3:00pm) Where: COBM 114

What: Newly tenured faculty share tips and lessons learned for the retention and promotion process.




D2L News You Can Use

There’s a Library Guide for That!

Did you know that all of the D2L courses have relevant links to library guides linked right from the front page? Help your students find the librarians and databases they need to do well in your class. Look for the box:


D2L Spring Cleaning: Action Steps for Faculty

This spring, the CTL will begin the much-needed cleanup of old courses in D2L. Since NEIU adopted D2L in Fall 2012, we have never performed the routine archiving of courses that are essential for the health of the system and usability for faculty and students.

We will begin by archiving courses prior to and including the Summer 2018 semesters. This means that faculty will need to store their courses in master shells, which is a sound practice for keeping D2L as streamlined as possible. Master shells are sandbox courses or staging areas that all faculty can use to build and store entire courses. Faculty can have a master shell for each course that they teach, and the CTL will never archive or remove your access to these courses.

So we need your help! Here are some tips that will help you prepare for D2L Spring Cleaning:


D2L Pulse App Update

The pulse app, which allows users to use D2L on their phones, has been updated. Be sure to download the updated app to your phone, and let your students know as well.


Technology Updates

Start Here Orientation Module this Fall

The Start Here Orientation Module  is a  flexible module that can be adjusted to suit your needs. The purpose of this module is to acclimate your students to your course, to you, their instructor, and to their peers. It is also a way to provide your students with easy access to resources like D2L tutorials and student support services. We have loaded these D2L Templates with “how to guides” on the CTL website. These user-friendly guides, created by Sik Son, illustrate the steps for downloading the templates, uploading them into your D2L course and editing them according to your needs. Here is the link.


Shortcut to Zoom Recordings

It is important to delete your Zoom recordings on the cloud as soon as possible so that we do not run out of Zoom storage space. Instead, you can download your recordings to your Google drive (and then delete your recording from your Zoom account). To make this process easier, please see this Shortcut to Zoom Recordings.


In Case You Missed It

Fireside Chat with Jesse Stommel: Ungrading as Critical Pedagogy: Transforming Assessment and Centering Student Voices

We had a huge turnout for our special dialogue with internationally recognized, award-winning teacher and education expert, Jesse Stommel. Here is the link to the recording  and presentation slides.


Deeper Dive Discussion About Ungrading as Critical Pedagogy

In case you were not able to join us for a lively discussion about Ungrading approaches and key concepts, here is the link for the video from the session. 

Here is the link to additional Ungrading Resources, and the link to John Spencer's Five-Minute Conferencing System, adapted for the college classroom.


Principles of Accessibility (Innovation) and Equity in the Learning Environment 

The  information shared in this 2-hour workshop will benefit all our students, and particularly those who are neurodivergent. Check out the resources on the Principles of Accessibility and Equity in the Learning Environment session powerpoint and follow along with this recording.


Supporting Student Success with Affordable Course Materials

The CTL is excited to participate in the recently announced Affordable Course Materials Committee in the Office of Academic Affairs to promote low and no-cost course materials on our campus. The purpose of this committee is to determine the current status of the use of affordable course materials at Northeastern with the goal of increasing their use across campus, which research indicates can improve student outcomes. 

In a recent Northeastern student survey, students indicated the cost of textbooks was of major concern, second only to the cost of tuition. In Spring 2020, the Library provided a workshop for faculty who were interested in adopting affordable course materials. Faculty who attended the workshop and adopted free course materials saved Northeastern students $33,000 in one year! 

The committee is excited to develop a University-wide program to enhance student access to education at Northeastern through the use of affordable course materials. This includes open education resources (OER), which are educational materials that are free for faculty and students to use, customize and share. We look forward to working with our colleagues across campus to support this initiative.


Transition of Course Evaluation Process 

Effective Fall 2021, the course evaluation process will no longer reside in the CTL. Designated point person(s) in each college will now administer this system, in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) (Section 25.04 B) which states that “All official student evaluations remain the property of the University and shall be maintained by the respective college.” EvaluationKit, housed within the Watermark/TK20 platform, remains the software system for the course evaluation process, for now. Please reach out to your respective Dean or Associate Dean to find out who in your college will handle the course evaluations this fall.


Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives





October 2021    

Updates from the CTL

October 2021

In this issue….

The Ethical Case Against Grades

Structuring Discussions for Controversial Topics

Applying Accessibility Principles to Your Classes

Call for Topics in Critical Digital Pedagogy

Active Learning and Inclusive Teaching in the Winter Session

Faculty Orientation, Retention, Promotion, and PAI Sessions

NEIU Faculty Share Lessons from Covid

Speeding Up Your D2L Grading

Helpful CTL Reminders

Teaching Tips and Deeper Dives

Upcoming Workshops and Learning Opportunities

Special Fireside Chat: Ungrading as Critical Pedagogy: Transforming Assessment and Centering Student Voices

Wednesday, October 6 (2:00-3:45 p.m.)

Register no later than Monday, October 4th to receive a Zoom link.

Jesse Stommel has stated that “grades are the biggest and most insidious obstacle to education,” and that they are “currency for a capitalist system that reduces teaching and learning to a mere transaction.”  Yet, most schools and institutions of higher education still require letter grades. Even more, students expect them. Learn more about the upgrading movement as the Center for Teaching and Learning  hosts an interactive discussion and Q&A with Dr. Jesse Stommel. Stommel promotes ungrading as part of a radical, decolonizing, and holistic pedagogical approach that offers students a sense of ownership over their own education.

Deeper Dive Discussion About Ungrading as Critical Pedagogy

Wednesday, October 13 (2:00-3:00 p.m.)

Register no later than October 12th at 5pm to receive a Zoom link.

Last week Jesse Stommel discussed ungrading as part of a radical, decolonizing and holistic pedagogical approach that offers students a sense of ownership over their own education. Are you still struggling with the concept of ungrading or how to take reasonable steps to implement it in your course? Join the CTL for a  discussion and examination of a few practical tips for putting the principles of ungrading into practice.

Using Structured Discussion Models in the Classroom

Thursday, October 21 (11:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m.)

Register here no later than October 20th to receive a Zoom link.

In this virtual workshop, participants will learn about the pedagogical value of using structured discussion models with controversial topics in the classroom. Research shows that integrating controversial issues via structured discussion models can help students be(come) informed, engaged and ready to articulate their views on issues that affect their lives. 

 Participants will...


Presenter Information

Dr. Amina Chaudhri is an Associate Professor of Elementary Education with a focus on literacy, children’s literature and social studies methods.

Dr. Ruth Dawley-Carr is an Assistant Professor of Secondary Education with a focus on history/social studies education.

Addressing Principles of Accessibility and Equity in the Learning Environment

Wednesday, October 20 (12:00-2:00 p.m.)

Register here to receive a Zoom link.

Help us make our teaching accessible to all students, and particularly for students with disabilities.  This virtual 2-hour workshop will address key issues around accessibility and technology, how to utilize features of accessibility in our  Brightspace/D2L learning management system, and how to make learning media more accessible.

Presenter Information

Dr. Yue-Ting (Ting) Siu is a teacher of blind and low vision students (TVI) and coordinates the teacher preparation program in Visual Impairments at San Francisco State University. She has worked with students of all ages with visual impairments and additional disabilities including deafblindness. Her mission focuses on advancing teachers’ proficiency with access technology and promoting innovations in multimedia accessibility. Ting is the author of the textbook Access Technology for Blind and Low Vision Accessibility (2020), available from APH Press. Connect with her on Facebook or Twitter @TVI_ting (www.tplus.education). 

Dr. Jody Siker is an Assistant Professor in special education at Northeastern Illinois University. Her teaching focuses on special education teaching methods, collaboration, anti-racist pedagogy, disability history, and universal design for learning. She is also active in improving university faculty teaching methods and use of technology. Her research interests include co-teaching, understanding critical reflections of systems of power and privilege, equity, and attracting and retaining a racially-diverse teacher workforce.

Call for Topics: Conversations in Critical Digital Pedagogy

Tuesday, October 19 (4:15-5:30 p.m.)

Topic forthcoming.

Register to receive Zoom link.

We are soliciting suggestions for topics, readings, podcasts, or other ideas you’d like to share and discuss with our growing community of digitally critical teachers. This series of conversations interrogates the ethics, affordances, and trade offs posed by teaching with and through technology. Our purpose is to develop a community of practice that privileges relationships over tools and experimentation over expertise as we support each other as teacher-scholars.

Please add any suggestions for upcoming topics to this Google Doc or email Liz Rodriguez at emrodri1@neiu.edu. And make sure to mark your calendars for our meetings, which occur on the third Tuesday of every month from 4:15 to 5:30 via Zoom.

Winter Session Workshop 3: Active Learning and Inclusive Teaching Techniques for Winter Session Courses

Thursday, October 28 (10:00-11:30 a.m.)

Register to receive Zoom link

In a compressed course, class time is a precious resource. In this workshop, faculty will learn about active learning techniques that provide the biggest impact for student learning and success. We will model practical activities that contribute to an inclusive learning environment, such as creating a welcoming environment, demystifying college and course expectations, and providing regular opportunities for student feedback and reflection. 

Faculty Orientation and Retention, Promotion, and PAI Sessions 

Work Session: Tenure, Promotion & PAI

Friday, October 1 (1:00-3:00 p.m.)

COBM 114

Work Session: Years 3, 4 & 5

Wednesday, October 15 (3:45-5:00 p.m.)

COBM 114


New Faculty Orientation: Ombuds Approach to Conflict Management with Students

Friday, October 8 (11:30-1:00 p.m.)

Golden Eagles


Information of Interest

Lessons Learned from COVID Pandemic

Wonder how your colleagues adapted instruction during the COVID Pandemic? CTL sent the COVID Reflections Survey in December 2020 to instructors enrolled in Fall 2020. Although the response rate was low (15%), we thought you might be interested to see what themes emerged. Please see the COVID Reflections Summary.

D2L News You Can Use

Speeding Up Your Grading in D2L

If you missed our session, you can still view the session recording.

Here are additional tutorials that you will find helpful:

In addition, Brightspace/D2L offers the following 48-minute Grades webinar: Evaluate with the Grades Tool.

Proctorio

For those faculty who require a proctored exam, Proctorio offers a customized assessment platform directly from within the Brightspace/D2L learning management system that complies with the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).  Note, you must use the Chrome or Edge browser and install the extension to use this software. If you would like Proctorio added to your course, please contact the CTL (ctl@neiu.edu). 

The following resources will get you started once the CTL enables this 3rd party integration into your D2L course.


Additionally, if you have been using traditional exams, please consider the following information and strategies to help you rethink your current practice. 


In Case You Missed It

Transition of Course Evaluation Process

Effective Fall 2021, the course evaluation process will no longer reside in the CTL. Designated point person(s) in each college will now administer this system, in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) (Section 25.04 B) which states that “All official student evaluations remain the property of the University and shall be maintained by the respective college.” EvaluationKit, housed within the Watermark/TK20 platform, remains the software system for the course evaluation process, for now. Please reach out to your respective Dean or Associate Dean to find out who in your college will handle the course evaluations this fall.

CTL Drop-in Office Hours

The CTL offers drop-in office hours to provide assistance with D2L or Google Suite applications.  Office hours take place on Wednesdays (10:00-11:00 a.m.) and Thursdays (3:00-4:00 p.m.)

Access these virtual office hours by clicking one of the links above.

Winter Session Workshop 2: Prioritizing Your Winter Session Syllabus

If you missed our session on creating your syllabus for the Winter Session, you can still view a recording of the session and the presentation slides. And don’t forget about the Winter Session Advisory Board’s guidance document, which contains evidence-based recommendations for structuring your course and making the best use of the compressed format.

Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives

Bringing Theories to Practice: Universal Design Principles and the Use of Social Annotation to Support Neurodiverse Students

Creating More Engaged Class Discussions

Grade Expectations: When 100% Isn’t Good Enough

High Context Culture vs Low Context Culture: Communication Design for Avoiding Uncertainty

Out of Crisis, Compassion: Using Instructional Technologies to Alleviate Student Stress




September 2021    

Updates from the CTL

September 2021

In this issue….

Quality Matters Courses  

Streamlining Grading in D2L

Microintervention Strategies for the Classroom 

Prioritizing Your Winter Session Syllabus

Is Google Taking Over Your Classroom?

Wrapup of Faculty Institute 2021

New Faculty Orientation Sessions

Ungrading as Critical Pedagogy

How to Share Your D2L Course with Colleagues

Get Help with Faculty Support Mentors

Revised Course Evaluation Process

New Remote Proctoring Software

“Start Here” Orientation Module for Students

CTL Drop-in Office Hours

Winter Session Guidance for Faculty

Teaching Tips and Deeper Dives

Upcoming Workshops and Learning Opportunities

QM Training Designing Your Own Course (DYOC)

Sept. 23, 2021--Oct. 7, 2021

Never taken the Quality Matters (QM) Designing Your Own Course (DYOC) two-week training yet, but want to? We have 11 seats left in an NEIU dedicated training session (Sept 23-October 7, 2021). Contact Sandra Beyda-Lorie (s-beyda@neiu.edu) no later than Monday, September 13, and we can register you at no cost. 

You will receive a Quality Matters Certificate of Completion as long as you meet the assignment deadlines established for the QM course. QM informs us that participants who do not adhere to deadlines will not be allowed to complete the course. The QM sessions are asynchronous and not self-paced. Participants must log on the first day and work regularly throughout the scheduled dates in order to successfully complete the course. Participants can expect to spend 8-12 hours per week completing the learning objectives.  

Streamlining Your Grading in Brightspace/D2L

Thursday, Sept. 16 (11:00-12:00 p.m.) via Zoom

Presenters: Sarah Wright, D2L Adoption Specialist 

Come and learn some tips and tricks on how to optimize your grading workflows. We’ll review multiple areas of Brightspace including QuickEval, Grades Tool and Rubrics to help you to create an evaluation workflow that works for you! 

Microintervention Strategies for the Classroom 

Friday, Sept. 17 (10:00-12:00 p.m.) 

Presenters: Shreya Patel and Velshay Stokes

Description: This workshop for faculty, department chairs and coordinators will focus on identifying and intervening in instances of racial microaggressions in the curriculum and classroom. In the first hour, we will explore different types of microaggressions, and various techniques we can use to speak up against racist behaviors. In the second half, we will work in groups and put these skills to practice with case studies. This is a repeated workshop.Complete this registration form no later than Monday, September 13, 2021 to receive a Zoom invite.

Winter Session Workshop II: Prioritizing Your Winter Session Syllabus

Wednesday Sept 22 (10-11:30 a.m.) 

Please register here.

What would you do if you had to teach your course in just three hours? Fortunately, we have three whole weeks to teach a course during the Winter Session, but this thought experiment can help us reconsider our course objectives and materials in new ways. In this interactive working session, faculty will bring a syllabus they’re considering offering during the Winter Session. We will work in small groups to reformat our courses in terms of what must stay, what is nice to have, and what can fall away. As a reminder, the Winter Session Advisory Board has created a guidance document to support faculty who are preparing to teach Winter Session courses.

Is Google Taking Over Your Classroom?

Tuesday, Sept. 21 (4:15-5:30 p.m.) via Zoom

Registration is encouraged but not required.

In the mid-2010s, Chicago Public Schools served as a testing ground for Google’s popular—and unvetted—Chromebooks and education apps. In this session, a continuation of the CTL’s Conversations in Critical Digital Pedagogy, we will have an informal discussion of Natsha Singer’s 2017 New York Times article “How Google Took Over the Classroom.” We’ll consider the recent history of inviting Google into struggling schools and consider our own role as digital gatekeepers in our classrooms.

Faculty Institute 2021

We are pleased to report that 177 faculty attended this year’s event entitled “Advancing Student Success Through Culturally Responsive Pedagogies.” Many more of our colleagues plan to review the event recordings over the next few weeks. The Faculty Institute 2021 recordings, located on the CTL website, will be uploaded for viewing shortly.

Ungrading as Critical Pedagogy: Transforming Assessment and Centering Student Voices

Wednesday, Oct. 6 (2:00-3:45 p.m.)

Register to receive Zoom link.

The Center for Teaching and Learning will host an interactive discussion and Q&A with Dr. Jesse Stommel. Stommel promotes ungrading as part of a radical, decolonizing, and holistic pedagogical approach that offers students a sense of ownership over their own education.

Faculty Orientation and Retention, Promotion and PAI Sessions 

New Faculty Orientation: The Registrar’s Office: Assisting Faculty & Students

Friday, Sept. 10 (11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.)  

Golden Eagles Room

Lunch is provided.

Mandatory Working Session: Year 1 Faculty

Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021 (1:00.-2:00 p.m.)

COBM/CBT Room 114

Work Session: Tenure, Promotion & PAI

Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021 (3:45-5:00 p.m.)

COBM/CBT Room 114

Mandatory Work Session: Year 2 Faculty

Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021 (1:00-3:00 p.m.)

COBM/CBT Room 114

D2L News You Can Use

Requesting to Add Faculty to Your Courses

In order to help faculty share their course materials with colleagues while also protecting student data and privacy, the CTL has adjusted our process for adding faculty to each other’s courses. You can request to add colleagues to a master course shell, that is, a course with no students enrolled that is used to build and store course materials. You can copy the latest version of your course into a master course shell and then add and remove your colleagues whenever you’d like from the Classlist & Email tab in that course.

You can have a master course shell for any course you teach. Please check to see if you already have a master course shell before requesting one. You can see all of your master shells on your D2L homepage under the corresponding tab. 

Faculty Support Mentors for Fall 2021

We are pleased to announce that Jody Siker (j-siker@neiu.edu) and John Bliss (j-bliss@neiu.edu) will serve as our Faculty Support Mentors this fall. You may reach out to them directly or contact the CTL (ctl@neiu.edu) if you would like assistance with virtual course design or teaching. There are no silly questions, so do not hesitate to reach out.

Technology Updates

Transition of Course Evaluation Process

Effective Fall 2021, the course evaluation process will no longer reside in the CTL. Designated point person(s) in each college will now administer this system, in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) (Section 25.04 B) which states that “All official student evaluations remain the property of the University and shall be maintained by the respective college.” EvaluationKit, housed within the Watermark/TK20 platform, remains the software system for the course evaluation process, for now. Please reach out to your respective Dean or Associate Dean to find out who in your college will handle the course evaluations this fall.

New Secure Proctoring System for E-Learning and E-Exams

Effective Fall 2021, Proctorio will be the approved, automated system provided to instructors who use proctored exams. Details on how to use this system within the Brightspace/D2L learning environment will be shared in a separate communication. 

In Case You Missed It

Start Here Orientation Module this Fall

Starting this Fall 2021, in your D2L course you will be able to request the Start Here Orientation Module for our course. This flexible module can be adjusted to suit your needs. It was designed and refined this past fall and pilot tested this Spring 2021. The purpose of this module is to acclimate your students to your course, to you, their instructor, and to their peers. It is also a way to provide your students with easy access to resources like D2L tutorials and student support services. We have loaded these D2L Templates with “how to guides” on the CTL website. These user-friendly guides, created by Sik Son, illustrate the steps for downloading the templates, uploading them into your D2L course and editing them according to your needs. Here is the link.

CTL Drop-in Office Hours

The CTL offers drop-in office hours to provide assistance with D2L or Google Suite applications.  Office hours take place on Wednesdays (10:00-11:00am) and Thursdays (3:00-4:00pm).

Access these virtual office hours by clicking one of the links above.

Winter Session Advisory Board

The Winter Session Advisory Board has offered its first workshop, the Winter Session Wonderland: Information Session for Interested Faculty on Wednesday, July 28th. The video and slide presentation are available for anyone who missed it. In addition, we offer the Winter Session Guidance Document, which we hope will be of benefit.

Teaching Tips & Deeper Dives

10 Course Policies to Rethink on Your Fall Syllabus

Examples and tips on how to write a teaching philosophy statement

Establishing and revising our teaching philosophies and teaching personas (podcast)

How to Teach a Good First Day of Class

The invention of whiteness: The long history of a dangerous idea 



August 2021    

Dear colleagues,


Winter Session Advisory Board

The Winter Session Advisory Board has offered its first workshop, the Winter Session Wonderland: Information Session for Interested Faculty on Wednesday, July 28th. The video and slide presentation are available for anyone who missed it.

In addition, we offer the Winter Session Guidance Document, which we hope will be of benefit.

An Open Work Session will be offered on Wednesday, August 4 from 10:00-11:30am. Please access this virtual work session via Zoom.


Workshops will also be offered to help faculty consider the best way to transform their course in a pedagogically sound manner for the 3-week term.  We will offer two more workshops this year:


Prioritizing Your Winter Session Syllabus

Wednesday Sept 22 (10-11:30 am) via Zoom

RSVPs requested but not required


What would you do if you had to teach your course in just three hours? Fortunately, we have three whole weeks to teach a course during the Winter Session, but this thought experiment can help us reconsider our course objectives and materials in new ways. In this interactive working session, faculty will bring a syllabus they’re considering offering during the Winter Session. We will work in small groups to reformat our courses in terms of what must stay, what is nice to have, and what can fall away. Stay tuned for details on registration.


Active Learning and Inclusive Teaching Techniques for Winter Session Courses 

Thursday, October 28 (10-11:30 am) 

Registration information forthcoming


Description: In a compressed course, class time is a precious resource. In this workshop, faculty will learn about active learning techniques that provide the biggest impact for student learning and success. We will model practical activities that contribute to an inclusive learning environment, such as creating a welcoming environment, demystifying college and course expectations, and providing regular opportunities for student feedback and reflection. 


We want to acknowledge the efforts of our Advisory Board: Martyn DeBruyn, Lisa Hollis-Sawyer, Brooke Johnson, Noreen Powers, in addition to our CTL professionals. 


Faculty Support Mentors for Summer 2021

A reminder that Jody Siker (j-siker@neiu.edu) and G “Max” Maxin IV (gmaxiniv@neiu.edu) serve as our Faculty Support Mentors this summer. You may reach out to them directly or contact the CTL (ctl@neiu.edu) if you would like assistance with virtual course design or teaching. There are no silly questions, so do not hesitate to reach out.


2021 Faculty Institute and Engaged Learning Sessions

It is time to register for the 2021 Faculty Institute, “Advancing Student Success Through Culturally Responsive Pedagogies.”


Join our community on the north campus for a full day of professional renewal. Learn from our dynamic keynote speakers, Dr. Gina Garcia and Mr. Jeff Dess. Reflect on our colleague’s innovative teaching and learning strategies. Celebrate the accomplishments of our distinguished award recipients, and much more.


The 2021 Faculty Institute will be held Wednesday, August 18 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There will also be a half day event coordinated by each college on Thursday, August 19 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. In accordance with the COVID-19 Return to Campus Interim Policy, masks will be required in indoor shared public spaces.


So that we order enough lunches for attendees, please complete your registration no later than Monday, August 10. When you register, you will need to use the dropdown menu to select “1” ticket. 


The first 25 registrants will receive a book that aligns with this year's theme. 


Focused Trainings for Chairs/Coordinators

Please see these links to the powerpoints from our June 2021 session. If you would like to see the recordings, please contact the CTL.


NEW Transition of Course Evaluation Process

Effective Fall 2021, the course evaluation process will no longer reside in the CTL. Designated point person(s) in each college will now administer this system, in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) (Section 25.04 B) which states that “All official student evaluations remain the property of the University and shall be maintained by the respective college.” EvaluationKit, housed within the Watermark/TK20 platform, remains the software system for the course evaluation process, for now. Please reach out to your respective Dean or Associate Dean to find out who in your college will handle the course evaluations this fall.


NEW Change to Respondus Monitor and Lockdown Browser

Effective immediately, instructors will no longer have access to Respondus Monitor due to concerns around the collection and storage of biometric information as per the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”)

However, instructors still have access to the Lockdown Browser feature that prevents students from accessing answers to exams from another browser (e.g., google).  For tutorials on how to use the Lockdown Browser, you can visit this page: https://web.respondus.com/he/lockdownbrowser/resources/


The CTL is in the process of researching alternatives to the Respondus Monitor feature. In the meantime, instructors who used the monitor feature in the past and want to continue to use such a feature are advised to implement live proctoring either in person or on Zoom.


Drop-in office hours

The CTL (hosted by our wonderful Sik Son) offers drop-in office hours to provide assistance with D2L or Google Suite applications.  Office hours take place on Wednesdays (10:00-11:00am) and Thursdays (4:00-5:00pm).

Access these office hours by clicking one of the links above. 


REMINDER: Shortcut to Zoom Recordings

It is important to delete your Zoom recordings on the cloud as soon as possible so that we do not run out of Zoom storage space. Instead, you can download your recordings to your Google drive (and then delete your recording from your Zoom account). To make this process easier, please see this guide to managing your Zoom recordings.


REMINDER: Start Here Orientation Module this Fall

Starting this Fall 2021, in your D2L course you will be able to use the Start Here Orientation Module for our course. This flexible module can be adjusted to suit your needs. It was designed and refined this past fall and pilot tested this Spring 2021. The purpose of this module is to acclimate your students to your course, to you, their instructor, and to their peers. It is also a way to provide your students with easy access to resources like D2L tutorials and student support services. We have loaded these D2L Templates with “how to guides” on the CTL website. These user-friendly guides, created by Sik Son, illustrate the steps for downloading the templates, uploading them into your D2L course and editing them according to your needs. Here is the link.


D2L Onboarding Document

Is there a new instructor in your department or program? Please share this

Brightspace/D2L Onboarding document with them. It takes them through a step-by step process from the point of hire through initial orientation to how to use D2L.


Teaching and Learning Toolkit

Our Master of Arts in Higher Education (ENLACE) students developed a marvelous Teaching and Learning Toolkit that we have posted to the CTL Website. Here is the link. 


Teaching Tips

Have you got a few minutes? We hope you find these short selections helpful.



Our best,


Your CTL Professionals





July 2021    

Dear colleagues,


It is officially summer! Many of you are taking time to pursue professional development opportunities, read great books and reflect on all you have learned this past year.  As well, summer teaching continues for many of you. We hope you allow time for nature walks, picnics with friends, hugs with your loved ones and all those things that remind us of what is truly important. 


Meanwhile, here are some updates of interest:


Winter Session Advisory Board.

The Winter Session Advisory Board has convened and is developing a guidance document for transforming a full semester course into a compressed course. Workshops will also be offered to help faculty consider the best way to transform their course in a pedagogically sound manner for the 3-week term. We want to acknowledge the efforts of our Advisory Board: Martyn DeBruyn, Lisa Hollis-Sawyer, Brooke Johnson, Noreen Powers, in addition to our CTL professionals. We anticipate offering our first workshop the week of July 26th. Stay tuned for details.


Faculty Support Mentors for Summer 2021

We are pleased to announce that Jody Siker (

j-siker@neiu.edu) and G “Max” Maxin IV (gmaxiniv@neiu.edu) will serve as our Faculty Support Mentors this summer. You may reach out to them directly or contact the CTL (

ctl@neiu.edu) if you would like assistance with virtual course design or teaching. There are no silly questions, so do not hesitate to reach out.


***Engaged Learning Sessions. Here are the exciting sessions planned for July.


Executive Function Skills: Strategies for Helping Students Succeed.

Friday, July 16 (9:30-12:30pm) Virtual 3-hour workshop

Presenters: Georgia Bozeday, Director of Education Services at Rush Neurobehavioral Center, and Mike Smith, Education Specialist and Executive Functions Coach.


Complete this

registration form no later than July 9, 2021

Participants will receive a free college manual with strategies for addressing executive function skills into subject-area instruction.


About the workshop: Have you noticed a change in the level of preparedness for students newly entering college, compared with students a decade ago? Are you seeing a lack of organizational and time management skills, more difficulty with problem-solving challenges, concern regarding task initiation?


If you're finding yourself nodding "Yes" to these comments, this workshop will provide some easy-to-use strategies geared to the college level, embedded in regular instruction, to help students improve in these areas. We know based on multiple studies with college students, that proficiency in these executive function skill areas predict success in academics at a significant correlation level.


This highly interactive 3-hour workshop will feature strategies for college-level application of the following topics:


Microintervention Strategies for the Classroom 

Thursday, July 29 (11:00-1:00pm) 

Presenters: Shreya Patel and Velshay Stokes

Description: This workshop for faculty, department chairs and coordinators will focus on identifying and intervening in instances of racial microaggressions in the curriculum and classroom. In the first hour, we will explore different types of microaggressions, and various techniques we can use to speak up against racist behaviors. In the second half, we will work in groups and put these skills to practice with case studies. 

Complete this

registration form no later than Monday, July 26, 2021 to receive a Zoom invite.


Café Conversations: Addressing Whiteness in Academia.

July 16 (2:30-4pm)

Description: Join us for a summer book discussion intended to further our consciousness of what it means to be white or white presenting and how we can take action to deconstruct and dismantle white privilege. We will focus on the book, What White People Can Do Next: From Allyship to Coalition. If you haven’t read the book, you are still welcome to attend. Please register in advance using this

registration form.


Chairs and Coordinators Training.

Conflict Management Series, Continued

Wednesday July 7 and July 21 (11:00-12:15am)

A meeting invite will be forthcoming.


***Other Reminders:


Shortcut to Zoom Recordings.

It is important to delete your Zoom recordings on the cloud as soon as possible so that we do not run out of Zoom storage space. Instead, you can download your recordings to your Google drive (and then delete your recording from your Zoom account). To make this process easier, please see this

Shortcut to Zoom Recordings.


Reminder: Start Here Orientation Module this Fall.

Starting this Fall 2021, in your D2L course you will be able to request the Start Here Orientation Module for our course. This flexible module can be adjusted to suit your needs. It was designed and refined this past fall and pilot tested this Spring 2021. The purpose of this module is to acclimate your students to your course, to you, their instructor, and to their peers. It is also a way to provide your students with easy access to resources like D2L tutorials and student support services. We have loaded these D2L Templates with “how to guides” on the CTL website. These user-friendly guides, created by Sik Son, illustrate the steps for downloading the templates, uploading them into your D2L course and editing them according to your needs. Here is

the link.


Drop in office hours:

A reminder: The CTL offers drop-in office hours to provide assistance with D2L or Google Suite applications.  Office hours take place on

Wednesdays (10:00-11:00am) and

Thursdays (4:00-5:00pm).

Access these office hours by clicking one of the links above.


D2L Onboarding Document.

Is there a new instructor in your department or program? Please share this

Brightspace/D2L Onboarding document with them. It takes them through a step-by step process from the point of hire through initial orientation to how to use D2L.


Teaching Tips.

Have you got a few minutes? We hope you find these short selections helpful.


How Data Can Falsely Implicate Students in Cheating

How to Ungrade

Liberatory Education (for teacher and school leadership preparation folx)


Leadership Tips for Chairs and Coordinators.


Your CTL Professionals


 



June 2021    

Dear colleagues,


Welcome to June 2021! We hope that you and your students have been creating some time to enjoy the fresh air, flowers and sunshine. Kindly see our latest news.


NEW***Call for Faculty Support Mentors.

You may recall that last year, we had several fabulous Faculty Support Mentors who helped faculty with their remote learning needs. These individuals assisted with CTL training, provided one-on-one support to instructors with D2L and Zoom, etc. Now we would like to bring back this successful initiative and are seeking mentors for this Summer 2021 and Fall 2021. Interested faculty would meet the following eligibility criteria:

Faculty Support Mentors could expect to spend an average of 3-5 hours per week engaging in the following activities:


Faculty Support Mentors will be compensated for their time. Supervisor approval is required. The CTL will review all applicants and will prioritize based on eligibility and funding availability. 


If you would like to be considered, please complete this

Form no later than June 15th.



CTL Champions.

The CTL wishes to express its deep appreciation to so many of you who stepped up to share your expertise, time and commitment this past year by presenting at one or more CTL sessions. Please see the FY21

CTL Champions (If we have inadvertently left anyone off of this list, do let us know so that we can correct this communication). 


D2L Onboarding Document.

Is there a new instructor in your department or program? Please share this

Brightspace/D2L Onboarding document with them. It takes them through a step-by step process from the point of hire through initial orientation to how to use D2L.


Winter Session Advisory Board.

The Winter Session Advisory Board has convened and is developing a guidance document for transforming a full semester course into a concentrated course. Workshops will also be offered to help faculty consider the best way to transform their course in a pedagogically sound manner for the 3-week term. Stay tuned for more details.


***Engaged Learning Sessions. Here are the exciting sessions planned for June.


Café Conversations: Addressing Whiteness in Academia.

June 18 (2:30-4pm)

Description: Join us for a summer book discussion intended to further our consciousness of what it means to be white or white presenting and how we can take action to deconstruct and dismantle white privilege. We will focus on the book, Microintervention strategies: What you can do to disarm and dismantle individual and systemic racism and bias. If you haven’t read the book, you are still welcome to attend. Please register in advance using this

registration form.



Equity Through Fundraising and Engagement: How Chairs and Coordinators Can Establish, Maintain and Leverage Scholarships, Stewardship and Relationship Building

Presenters: Sylvia Daniels and Damaris Tapia

Description: How is diversity, equity and inclusion exhibited in fundraising and engagement? And how can Chairs and coordinators use their department Foundation accounts to promote student equity? The Center for Teaching and Learning and the Offices of Development and Alumni Relations are partnering to offer a fiscal agent training series, specifically for Chairs and Coordinators.  Join Sylvia Daniels, Director of Development and Damaris Tapia, Director of Alumni Relations for a discussion on best practices in engagement and fundraising.  Participants are encouraged to attend both sessions.  Dates and times: Part I: June 28 and Part II: Jun 30 (10:00-11:00). This session is targeted for Chairs and Coordinators. Please sign up no later than Friday, June 25th for each of these sessions by completing this

registration form. 


Details about this training:

Part I: DEI in Fundraising  - The Role(s) of Chairs & Coordinators 

This initial session will focus on expanding your understanding of fundraising, including sources, characteristics, styles and approaches.  The session will also explore basic principles of Foundation fiscal agency and key strategies to  support effective scholarship awarding and management. 


Part II: DEI in Stewardship and Engagement - Understanding, Principles and Strategies

As Coordinators and Chairs, you are in a unique position that can allow you to play various roles in nurturing relationships with alumni.  Are you communicating regularly with your alumni pool about the activities of your departments and programs? Are you planning engagement events that bring alumni back to the university? As you award scholarships, are you considering the donor and stewarding them?  This session will explore these various roles and provide tips and strategies for nurturing relationships with alumni. 

 


***What’s Coming in July: Sneak Preview:

In July, the CTL will host the following sessions:


Executive Function Skills: Strategies for Helping Students Succeed.

Friday, July 16 (9:30-12:30pm) Virtual 3-hour workshop

Presenters: Georgia Bozeday, Director of Education Services at Rush Neurobehavioral Center, and Mike Smith, Education Specialist and Executive Functions Coach.


Complete this registration form no later than July 9, 2021

Participants will receive a free college manual with strategies for addressing executive function skills into subject-area instruction.


About the workshop: Have you noticed a change in the level of preparedness for students newly entering college, compared with students a decade ago? Are you seeing a lack of organizational and time management skills, more difficulty with problem-solving challenges, concern regarding task initiation?


If you're finding yourself nodding "Yes" to these comments, this workshop will provide some easy-to-use strategies geared to the college level, embedded in regular instruction, to help students improve in these areas. We know based on multiple studies with college students, that proficiency in these executive function skill areas predict success in academics at a significant correlation level.


This highly interactive 3-hour workshop will feature strategies for college-level application of the following topics:


Microintervention Strategies for the Classroom 

Thursday, July 29 (11:00-1:00pm) 

Presenters: Shreya Patel and Velshay Stokes

Description: This workshop for faculty, department chairs and coordinators will focus on identifying and intervening in instances of racial microaggressions in the curriculum and classroom. In the first hour, we will explore different types of microaggressions, and various techniques we can use to speak up against racist behaviors. In the second half, we will work in groups and put these skills to practice with case studies. 

Complete this registration form no later than Monday, July 26, 2021 to receive a Zoom invite.



***Other Reminders:


Reminder: Start Here Orientation Module this Fall.

Starting this Fall 2021, in your D2L course you will be able to request the Start Here Orientation Module for our course. This flexible module can be adjusted to suit your needs. It was designed and refined this past fall and pilot tested this Spring 2021. The purpose of this module is to acclimate your students to your course, to you, their instructor, and to their peers. It is also a way to provide your students with easy access to resources like D2L tutorials and student support services. Please fill out this form to request the module. 


Drop in office hours:

A reminder: D2L and Google Tools drop in office hours take place

The CTL (hosted by our wonderful Sik Son) offers drop-in office hours to provide assistance with D2L or Google Suite applications.  Office hours take place on Wednesdays (10:00-11:00am) and Thursdays (4:00-5:00pm).

Access these office hours by clicking one of the links above.



Teaching Tips.

Have you got a few minutes? We hope you find these short selections helpful.




Your CTL Professionals 

 



May 2021

Dear colleagues,

 

We hope you had a nice break between the spring and summer semesters. Sit down with a cup of tea, coffee or your beverage of choice as you read the latest update letter. As always, we have much to share.

 

Special Initiatives.

 

*NEW! Quality Matters Online Teaching Workshops Summer 2021 Stipend Opportunity.

Our previous stipend initiative focused on course design aligned with the 8 Quality Matters standards. We now offer a new stipend opportunity focused on teaching in the virtual environment.  Faculty who successfully complete three QM workshops are able to receive a $900.00 incentive. This opportunity is offered to faculty who meet the following criteria:

 

Unlike previous stipend opportunities, this one is limited to the first 20 instructors who register and meet the qualifications. Stipends are contingent on completion of all three workshops, which begin and end on Wednesdays, as indicated below.


 




Participating faculty will be asked to purchase a required textbook, but will be reimbursed for this expense. To apply for this stipend initiative that includes all three workshops, please complete this FORM no later than Monday, June 7.

 

NOTE: If you would like to take 1-2 of the above workshops, and not earn the stipend, there is a place on the form to indicate this. (We will still pay for the workshops.)

 

Third Party Integrations.

Faculty, department chairs and program coordinators often request third party integrations be added to their courses. Presently, the CTL is updating its procedures and processes in regard to these requests. Third party integrations require (a) support from the 3rd party (e.g., Pearson), and (b) assurances about confidentiality of student data. For example, if the integration requires a separate username and password that takes the user (i.e., student) out of the D2L learning environment, it will not be possible to approve the integration. Additionally, our LMS/D2L Administrator, Alvin Butler, will require time to test the integration before approving it or enabling the tool. Stay tuned for details about our new policy and timelines related to enabling or not enabling these integrations. 

 

Why using free technology is not necessarily a good thing.

During the mad rush to pivot to remote teaching and learning last year, we all had to get creative. Oftentimes, this meant adopting “free to use” tech tools available online. But with the benefit of hindsight and hopefully a bit of breathing room this summer, we should all take stock of how these tools are using--and potentially abusing--student and faculty data. Free online tools that let students record conversations or share their schedules may be engaging or convenient, but they also make no promises to protect user data, which runs afoul of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). This federal law protects students of all ages against the unauthorized sharing of their educational records and information. 

 

The only technology and software tools that officially comply with FERPA are those with which NEIU has a contract (e.g. Desire2Learn, Nmail/Gmail, Zoom, etc.). Check out the article “Shift to online learning ignites student privacy concerns” by the International Association of Privacy Professionals, which gives a quick rundown of the issue. And of course, your CTL professionals are happy to help you find privacy-conscious ways of meeting your teaching and learning goals.

 

Start Here Orientation Module this Fall.

Starting this Fall 2021, in your D2L course you will see the Start Here Orientation Module. This flexible module can be adjusted to suit your needs. It was designed and refined this past fall and pilot tested this Spring 2021. The purpose of this module is to acclimate your students to your course, to you, their instructor, and to their peers. It is also a way to provide your students with easy access to resources like D2L tutorials and student support services.  Have more questions? Please contact the CTL@neiu.edu.

 

Engaged Learning Sessions. Here are the exciting sessions planned for May and June.



Café Conversations: Addressing Whiteness in Academia.

Friday, May 21 (2:30-4pm)

Description: Join us for a summer book discussion intended to further our consciousness of what it means to be white or white presenting and how we can take action to deconstruct and dismantle white privilege. We’re buying the book!

The focus book for this session is From Equity Talk to Equity Walk.  Don’t worry if you haven’t read the book. Some of us have and can fill you.

Please register in advance using this registration form.

 

Friday, June 18 (2:30-4pm)

Our book discussion will focus on Microintervention Strategies: What You Can Do to Disarm and Disarm and Dismantle Individual and Systemic Racism and Bias.

Please register in advance using this registration form.

 

Technology Nuts & Bolts

 

Hosting Your Class on D2L’s Virtual Classroom. 

Presenter: Sik Son. 

 

Description: Believe it or not, we now have the ideal replacement for Zoom as your synchronous virtual learning environment. Even better, it is hosted in our learning management system, Brightspace D2L!  Recordings are stored in the D2L cloud, so you don’t have to worry about downloading your Zoom recordings and deleting them. Plus, all the features you have enjoyed in Zoom (e.g., breakouts, whiteboard, polling, etc.) are available within the secure D2L platform. We are excited to show you the bells and whistles. Please complete this registration form to receive a Zoom invite link to the appropriate session.

 

Focused Trainings for Chairs/Coordinators

Conflict Management Series for Chairs and Coordinators

Monday, May 24, Wednesday, May 26 and Friday, May 28 (11:00-12:15 p.m.)

Presenter: Tyler Smith

Description: Are you interested in learning more about conflict management? The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and the Ombuds Office are partnering to offer a three-part Conflict Management training series, specifically for Chairs and Coordinators.  Each session will run for 75 minutes.  Interested participants are encouraged to attend all three sessions.  The three sessions will include: Part I: Understanding, Principles and Strategies, Part II: The Role(s) of Chairs & Coordinators, and Part III: Putting it Into Practice. The series is reserved for chairs and coordinators. If you have not received an invite, contact the CTL (ctl@neiu.edu)

 

Equity Through Fundraising

Presenters: Sylvia Daniels and Damaris Tapia

Description: What are foundation accounts and how can the fiscal agent use them to promote student equity? The Center for Teaching and Learning and the Foundations Office are partnering to offer a three-part fiscal agent training series, specifically for Chairs and Coordinators.

Tentative dates and times: June 14, 16, 18, M-W-F (11:00-12:15). Stay tuned for details in our next update letter.

 

Teaching Tips.

Have you got a few minutes? We hope you find these short selections helpful.

 

Podcast

 

·         Live with Wendy Trevor: Overcoming Student Distaste for Collaborative Group Work Online

Readings

 

·    Encouraging Self Advocacy: How to Build Environments for Awareness and Self-Disclosure for Students with Learning Disabilities

·    Metacognition: The Skill Students Need and Often Don’t Have

·    Student and Teacher Perceptions of Online Workload and What They Tell Us

 



April 2021


Dear colleagues,


The semester is drawing to a close, which is truly hard to believe. Yet, your CTL is busier than ever!  We hope you will find some of the initiatives and events planned for the summer of interest. There is more to come, which will be communicated in a later update letter.


Special Initiatives.

CTL Virtual Instruction $1000.00 Stipend Opportunity deadline closes on May 10th. Please see the CTL March 2021 Update Letter for details. Eligible faculty must sign up using THIS FORM  no later than May 10, 2021.


CTL Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools course. Registration deadline closes on May 10th. Please see the CTL March 2021 Update Letter for details. Please register here no later than Monday, May 10 at 5pm. 

 

Quality Matters (QM) two-week summer training. Registration deadline closes on May 10th. Please see the CTL March 2021 Update Letter for details. Seats are limited for these trainings, so you must let us know no later than May 10, 2021 using this Form. 


Winter Session (J-Term) Advisory Board.

The  CTL is in the process of forming a Winter Session Advisory Board based on recommendations from the Deans. This summer this group will meet regularly with the CTL for the purposes of (a) drafting evidence-based guidance documents, and (b) developing workshops to support faculty in transitioning their 16-week or 8-week course into a pedagogically sound, 3-week course delivery format. This is the first time NEIU has offered a winter session. Departments/programs and respective faculty should consider courses that they might want to offer during the winter session in what we will approach as a pilot project. Stay tuned for more information in the weeks ahead.


*NEW-Onboarding for Brightspace/D2L.

We have finally completed the Onboarding for Brightspace/D2L document so that our new faculty and instructors can get started with D2L. Naturally, the CTL will continue to offer open office hours and provide small group or one-on-one consultation to instructors who require additional assistance. However, we think this new resource will be a helpful first step. Where can you find this document? It is housed on the CTL website.


POOIT Ready for a Summer Pilot.

Our Peer Observation of Online Teaching Instrument (POOIT) is ready for a pilot run. This instrument has indicators for equity and inclusion integrated within the scoring categories. We will contact chairs and coordinators by May 7th to solicit instructors for a summer pilot and make revisions based on this input.  A special thank you to the POOIT Team: Lisa Hollis-Sawyer, Juan Martinez, Shayne Pepper and Gina Wells for their tireless dedication all year on this initiative, and also to Liz Rodriguez for additional feedback on the instrument.


Engaged Learning Sessions. Here are the exciting sessions planned for May.


Café Conversations: Addressing Whiteness in Academia.

Friday, May 21 (2:30-4pm)

Description: Join us for a summer book discussion intended to further our consciousness of what it means to be white or white presenting and how we can take action to deconstruct and dismantle white privilege. We’re buying at least one book! So that we know how many books to order, please register as soon as possible in advance using this registration form.


Technology Nuts & Bolts


Hosting Your Class on D2L’s Virtual Classroom. 

Thurs, May 27 (1-2:30)-Presenter: Sik Son


Description: Believe it or not, we now have a great replacement for Zoom as your synchronous virtual learning environment. Even better, it is hosted in our learning management system, Brightspace D2L!  Recordings are stored in the D2L cloud, so you don’t have to worry about downloading your Zoom recordings and deleting them. Plus, all the features you have enjoyed in Zoom (e.g., breakouts, whiteboard, polling, etc.) are available within the secure D2L platform. We are excited to show you the bells and whistles. Please complete this registration form to receive a Zoom invite link.


Focused Trainings for Chairs/Coordinators

Conflict Management Series for Chairs and Coordinators

Monday, May 24, Wednesday, May 26 and Friday, May 28 (11:00-12:15 p.m.)

Presenter: Tyler Smith

Description: Are you interested in learning more about conflict management? The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and the Ombuds Office are partnering to offer a three-part Conflict Management training series, specifically for Chairs and Coordinators.  Each session will run for 75 minutes.  Interested participants are encouraged to attend all three sessions.  The three sessions will include: Part I: Understanding, Principles and Strategies, Part II: The Role(s) of Chairs & Coordinators, and Part III: Putting it Into Practice. The series is reserved for chairs and coordinators. If you have not received an invite, contact the CTL (ctl@neiu.edu)


Zoom Recordings.

All of your Zoom recordings will disappear by May 15th so that we can free up Zoom storage space. Act fast to download your recordings to your Google drive (and then delete your recording from your Zoom account). To make this process easier, please see this Shortcut to Zoom Recordings


Teaching Tips.

Have you got a few minutes? We hope you find these short selections helpful.







March 2021


Dear colleagues,


Happy Spring! If you feel like we do, the sunshine arrived just in time. COVID-19 vaccinations are being distributed and plans to reopen this fall, in some form or another, is on the horizon. The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is pleased to provide information to help you plan for the coming month of April (and beyond). 


Summer 2021: CTL Virtual Instruction $1000.00 Stipend Initiative:

We are pleased to announce the CTL Summer 2021Virtual Instruction for Online Teaching Initiative, and to offer you the opportunity to participate. As many of you may recall, last summer we were able to offer a $1000.00 stipend for faculty who successfully completed both the CTL online course training and Quality Matters training. We are able to offer this opportunity again for faculty who meet the following criteria:

 

Here are the details:


This is a two-part training initiative for eligible faculty.


CTL Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools.

Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools will be offered Tuesday, May 11 - Monday, June 7, 2021. Please register here no later than Monday, May 10 at 5pm. This asynchronous course has no set meeting times, but there are weekly due dates to meet. Participants should expect to spend 3-4 hours per week reviewing instructional materials, participating in online discussions, and working on individual assignments that apply course materials to their teaching practice. 


If you are new or fairly new to online teaching, this is the perfect class for you, taught by Liz Rodriguez. Faculty who have taken the Quality Matters (DYOC) course and who have also taken a course from Liz report greater comfort and success with teaching in the virtual environment. Note: this course requires a minimum of 12 participants in order to run.


Quality Matters (QM) two-week summer training.

The CTL is pleased to make available another round of two-week Quality Matters (QM) training this summer.


If you have not taken the QM Designing Your Own Course (DYOC) training, we can register you for a two-week training that takes place June 10-June 24, 2021. DYOC is appropriate for a course that has not been designed for online learning.That is, it may have been taught during the sudden shift to remote learning, but your course was not designed with an understanding of the QM standards.


If you have already taught a course online and want to improve it, you may take the QM Improving Your Own Course (IYOC). This training takes place June 17-July 1, 2021. IYOC is appropriate for a course that has been designed and taught online but would benefit from improvement in accordance with the QM standards.


Participants earn a Quality Matters Certificate of Completion as long as they meet the assignment deadlines established for the QM course. QM informs us that participants who do not adhere to deadlines will not be allowed to complete the course. The QM sessions are asynchronous and not self-paced. Participants must log on the first day and work regularly throughout the scheduled dates in order to successfully complete the course.


Participants should expect to spend the following amount of time in QM course activities: 8-10 hours per week or a total of 16-20 hours on DYOC or IYOC.


Seats are limited for these trainings, so you must let us know no later than May 10, 2021 using this Form. 



Here are some updates of relevance to your work:


NEW!  D2L/Google Suite Drop-In Office Hours

Beginning this April, the CTL (hosted by our wonderful Sik Son) will offer drop-in office hours to provide assistance with D2L or Google Suite applications.  Office hours take place on Wednesdays (10:00-11:00am) and Thursdays (4:00-5:00pm).

Access these office hours by clicking one of the links above. 


Start Here Orientation Module.

Starting this Fall 2021, in your D2L course you will see the Start Here Orientation Module. This flexible module can be adjusted to suit your needs. It was designed and refined this past fall and pilot tested this Spring 2021. The purpose of this module is to acclimate your students to your course, to you, their instructor, and to their peers. It is also a way to provide your students with easy access to resources like D2L tutorials and student support services.  Have more questions? Please contact the CTL@neiu.edu.


NEW! D2L Course Template.

We now have a course template that entire programs can use to ensure the format of their course offerings on D2L have a consistent (user-friendly) format. This means that instructors within the same program can focus more on their exciting course content and spend less time having to familiarize their students with the unique way their individual course has been designed.  We welcome instructors and also programs to try out our new template. If you are interested, please complete this form. no later than May 1 to have the template provided for your summer course. Feel free to reach out to Sik Son (s-son@neiu.edu) if you have more questions.


New Faculty/Instructor D2L Onboarding.

The creation of a user-friendly D2L onboarding manual is in process and will be ready before the fall semester (and perhaps earlier). This manual provides a step-by-step guide for instructors to get them comfortable with basic D2L course design. Danielle Pryer is helping us pilot test the manual even as we write this letter. 


Peer Observation Online Instrument for Equity and Inclusion.

We mentioned in a previous CTL update letter that we formed the Peer Observation Online Instrument Team (POOIT) to develop a guidance document and instrument to support faculty with peer observations in the virtual environment. A special thanks to all the chairs and coordinators who provided their current peer observation instruments so we could establish a baseline. The categories from these instruments have gone through a qualitative coding analysis process. Now our team (Juan Martinez, Lisa Hollis Sawyer, Shayne Pepper, Gina Wells and Sandra Beyda-Lorie) are developing descriptors for these sorting categories along the lines of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor that align with the Department’s Application of Criteria (DAC). We are particularly excited that indicators for equity and inclusion are being integrated into the instrument. We hope to pilot the instrument this summer. If any program or department would like to help us, please contact s-beyda@neiu.edu. 


Shortcut to Zoom Recordings.

It is important to delete your Zoom recordings on the cloud as soon as possible so that we do not run out of Zoom storage space. Instead, you can download your recordings to your Google drive (and then delete your recording from your Zoom account). To make this process easier, please see this Shortcut to Zoom Recordings.


Zoom Technology Issues.

All technology requests regarding Zoom should go to to helpdesk@neiu.edu or using extension 4357 when calling in. Terry Black and the User Services team will provide support. The CTL will continue to support pedagogical-related issues.



Engaged Learning Sessions. Here are the exciting sessions planned for April:


Enhancing Online Instruction Through Community Based Learning: Biochemistry for Elementary School Students During Covid-19 Pandemic

Wednesday, April 7 (11:00-12:00 p.m.). Presenters: Emina Stojkovic and Angela 

Nugent

Description: The presenters share the design and results from a collaboration between students in a Biochemistry course and elementary school students during the pandemic in an effort to further community-based learning. They will discuss the implications of their experience for faculty who want to incorporate similar projects in their upper level courses.

To access this session, please see Zoom Link.


Scholarships 101 for Faculty

Wednesday, April 14 (1:00-2:00 p.m.). Presenters: Michelle Morrow and Maureen Amos

Description:  The top concern students have is how to pay for their college education. Yet many scholarships go unclaimed. This session will provide faculty information they can use to support their students. Session objectives include: understanding how the scholarship office fits into the University’s structure, finding out about the types of funding/scholarships that exist, and acquiring tips for assisting students in searching for and securing scholarships. A zoom invite to this session will be sent prior to the session, upon completion of this Registration Form. 


Critical Digital Pedagogy: What is Student Engagement?

Tuesday, April 20 (4:15-5:30 p.m.).

Description: Over the past year, faculty have worked overtime to engage students in the distanced, virtual space. But what does meaningful engagement look like? How can we foster, as Paolo Freire writes, “an education of question [that] can trigger, motivate, and reinforce curiosity”? In this session, we will explore strategies for empowering students to take ownership of their engagement in the online space. Recommended reading: “Ethical Online Learning: Critical Pedagogy and Social Justice”

To access this session, please join via Zoom link.



Café Conversations: Addressing Whiteness in Academia

Friday, April 23 (2:30-4:00 p.m.) 

Description: Join us for an informal, ongoing series of conversations for white and white presenting faculty to expand our consciousness around what it means to be white or white presenting, and how to interrupt behaviors that unintentionally do harm to students and colleagues of color. This may be the last season of the spring, but we are already making plans to expand our conversation this summer. We’ve got some ideas and look forward to hearing your ideas at this session.

Please register in advance using this Registration Form.


Focused Trainings for Chairs/Coordinators



Chairs and coordinators will receive a link to join these Zoom sessions via their Google Calendar Invite. 



Our best,


Your CTL Professionals





February 2021


Dear colleagues,


Please read all of this letter since we have so much of interest to share. 


First of all, it is our pleasure to introduce you to your entire CTL Team!


Alvin Butler is our new Learning Management System (LMS) D2L Systems Administrator. As an experienced LMS Administrator, Alvin brings to the position a wealth of knowledge and experience in educational technology. He has provided leadership for software training and the effective use of a variety of synchronous and asynchronous learning platforms, in addition to supportive applications. He has also provided faculty development training related to instructional technology, among other accomplishments. 


Sik Son is our Instructional Technology Specialist, with a special focus on instructional design for virtual learning modes. He earned a doctoral degree in adult education from Northern Illinois University. He worked with Chicago Public Schools as an educational technology consultant for six years, supporting teachers to utilize technology to improve classroom instructions. Sik also worked as an Executive Director for various non-profit organizations for over a decade, developing community education programs and advocating for immigrant rights. 

Danielle Pryor is the Business Associate for the CTL and provides budgetary and administrative support for our area. She has worked in the Provost’s Office and the Controller’s Office prior to joining the CTL in July 2020. Danielle is also an NEIU alum, having graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Finance.  Danielle has enjoyed working at NEIU, grateful for all the friendships she has made and looks forward to the challenges and accomplishments yet to come.  In her personal life, Danielle lives on the Northside of Chicago with her fiancé Ron and their Labrador, Cody. She is a huge sports fan!


Dr. Liz Rodriguez is the Coordinator of Learning Innovations of the Center for Teaching and Learning. She's excited to work toward intentional and equitable use of technology in both online and in-person classrooms and has experience with educational podcasting, creating open educational resources, and working with digital archives. She's also taught undergraduate and graduate courses at NEIU in the English Department and Non-Traditional Degree Programs. As an NEIU alum and McNair Scholar, Liz is humbled to work in the community that was formative in her intellectual and professional development.


Dr. Sandra Beyda-Lorie is the Executive Director for Innovations in Teaching and Learning. She has been proud to serve NEIU in multiple roles (dean, department chair, accreditation and assessment coordinator, program coordinator, graduate advisor and tenured faculty). She earned her Ph.D. in Special Education with a cognate in Administrative Systems from Purdue University. Her academic and practitioner-based background includes special education, secondary education-English and speech/theatre. She champions great teaching, authentic collaboration, and believes in the power of welcoming, inclusive and culturally responsive learning environments that leverage NEIU students’ strengths, insights and abilities. 

 

Changes to LMS/D2L processes coming.

Our new LMS Systems Administrator, Alvin Butler, has been busy conducting a deep analysis of D2L roles, permissions, use (and under-use) of D2L tools, and our past practice of purging (or not ever having purged) old courses and course shells in the system. This examination is part of an initiative to “clean house” so that we can run D2L with the security and productivity that our students deserve. Stay tuned for further information and guidance as we make some much needed improvements.


Shortcut to Zoom Recordings.

It is important to delete your Zoom recordings on the cloud as soon as possible so that we do not run out of Zoom storage space. Instead, you can download your recordings to your Google drive (and then delete your recording from your Zoom account). To make this process easier, please see this Shortcut to Zoom Recordings.


What to do on D2L: Mid-Semester.

Administering an informal evaluation is a great way to see how your class is going from a student perspective and gives you time to adjust your instruction accordingly. Now is a great time. Learn more on our CTL Website.


CTL Events coming up in March.

Please see these "Engaged Learning Sessions" of relevance to your work.


How to Create a Partnership with Students Through D2L Communication Tools  --Friday, March 5 from 2:00-3:30 p.m.

Facilitator: Sik Son, Instructional Technology Specialist

Description: Creating partnerships in which faculty and students work together to ensure success is a critical equity-based practice. In this session, participants will explore ways to leverage the virtual learning environment to strengthen the relationship between instructor and student.

Zoom link to join.


Getting Interactive: Using PearDeck for Student Learning During Presentations --Wednesday, March 10 from 10:00-11:00 a.m. Facilitator: Ariana Bancu, Linguistics

Description: In this workshop, we will learn about PearDeck, an add-on application for Google Slides. This interactive tool incorporates audio, video, interactive questions, and formative assessments in lecture presentations. It is useful in all instructional modes for creating more engaging, interactive lessons for students.

RSVPs encouraged using this Registration Form.

Zoom link to join


Conversations in Critical Digital Pedagogy Topic: Reading the Fine Print: Data, Property, and Privacy in Ed Tech --Tuesday, March 23 from 4:15--5:30 p.m.

Facilitators: Lisa Wallis, Library; Liz Rodriguez, CTL

Description: We all do it: we click “I have read the Terms and Conditions” when signing up for a new app or website without actually reading. But what exactly are we agreeing to when we sign up for a cool new app? In this session, we’ll interrogate policies for “free to use” applications like Kahoot and Flipgrid and discuss the ethics of using educational technology in the classroom.

RSVPs encouraged using this Registration Form.

Zoom link to join


Café Conversations: Addressing Whiteness in Academia--Friday, March 26 from 2:30-4:00 p.m.

Facilitators: Vicki Byard, Katy Smith and Sandra Beyda-Lorie

Description: Join us for an informal, ongoing series of conversations for white and white presenting faculty to expand our consciousness around what it means to be white or white presenting, and how to interrupt behaviors that unintentionally do harm to students and colleagues of color.

Please register in advance using this Registration Form.


Webinars and Recordings (one hour)




Suggested reading(s)


Special Tips: Adding Captions to Your Presentations

Would you like to improve the accessibility of your course by adding closed captioning/subtitles during a presentation? You can do so with the latest version of PowerPoint.  See Richard Byrne’s tutorial (2:24 minutes) for adding subtitles in a variety of languages to a live presentation. 


Google Slides also has a closed captioning feature for live presentations. Click the “Present” button while in Google Slides, then click the “cc” icon, and it will begin captioning your presentation. Slides captions only in English at this time.


Share with Your Students! El Centro Success Workshops

Each week, El Centro offers virtual interactive Student Success Workshops to help students succeed throughout their college career. The workshops are designed to provide resources, share information, and build a community with our students. All NEIU students are welcome to attend and are encouraged to ask any questions. Next topic: Tues, Feb. 23: Managing Time and Navigating NEIUport via Zoom



Our best,


Your CTL Professionals





Mid -January 2021

Dear colleagues,


We hope your semester is off to a great start. Here are the CTL events coming up in February as well as other information of relevance to your work.


Engaged Learning Sessions


Conversations in Critical Digital Pedagogy: What is Critical Digital Pedagogy? An Introduction-Tuesday, February 9 (4:15-5:30 p.m.). Presenter: Liz Rodriguez

Description: Join us for the inaugural session of a series of conversations interrogating the ethics, affordances, and trade offs posed by teaching with and through technology. During this session, we will discuss Jesse Stommel’s brief article “Critical Digital Pedagogy: a Definition,” which applies the work of Paolo Freire to present a framework for using technology in ways that are liberatory, collaborative, and multivocal.

RSVPs encouraged

Zoom link to join the session


Compassionate Teaching Strategies-Thursday, February 11 (1:30-2:30 p.m.). Presenters: Shedeh Tavakoli, Ph.D.  and Laura Tejada, Ph. D.

Description: Compassion-based teaching approaches have significant effects on overall well-being and performance. The range of physiological effects of compassionate practices and their positive effect on prosocial cognitive competencies and behavior are well documented. In this session, we will engage in a dialog on practical methods that enhance connections between faculty and students, and build resiliency. Using examples, the presenters will demonstrate several compassion-based approaches when teaching distressed students.

Zoom link


Café Conversations: Addressing Whiteness in Academia

Friday, February 19 (2:30-4:00 p.m.) Facilitators: KT Duffy, Laurie Fuller and Ashley Elrod

Description: Join us for an informal, ongoing series of conversations for white and white presenting faculty to expand our consciousness around what it means to be white or white presenting, and how to interrupt behaviors that unintentionally do harm to students and colleagues of color.  Please register in advance using this Registration Form.


Session targeted to Year 2 faculty

Grants, Research & the IRB-Wednesday, February 17 (1:00-2:30 p.m.). Presenters: Michael Stern, Sudha Srinivas, Ruth (Breckie) Church, and Shedeh Tavakoli

Zoom link


Back by Popular Demand-- CTL Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools course.

Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools will be offered Tuesday, February 2 - Monday, March 1, 2021. Please register here no later than Monday, February 1 at 5pm.  If you are new or fairly new to online teaching, this is the perfect class for you, taught by Liz Rodriguez. Faculty who have taken the Quality Matters (DYOC) course and who have also taken a course from Liz report greater comfort and success with teaching in the virtual environment. 


Zoom Storage: Action Required!

Please remove your Zoom recordings at least twice a month in order to provide enough storage space for all faculty who want to use this feature. We recommend that you download the recording and store it on your Google drive. From there, you can share with students. Then you must delete the recording from the Zoom platform. The first week of classes has begun and we have already used 43% of our Zoom storage! Please see these instructions.


Faculty Resource Collaborative is ready!

For those of you in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Goodwin College of Education, you are now able to access the new Faculty Resource Collaborative site on D2L.  The course is located under the Department Sharing tab in your My NEIU Courses. This is a site requested by your colleagues that the CTL set up as a way to connect with your peers, share best practices, offer suggestions and engage in discussion with one another. From time-to-time, we will post articles, videos and other timely information.  However, any of you can (and should) post material and raise important issues related to teaching and learning. 


We suggest that you update your Instant Notifications in D2L Settings to automatically receive an email anytime new announcements, discussion postings, or other content has been added to this site.


Teaching Tips.

Have you got a few minutes? We hope you find these short selections helpful.


This Semester, Don’t Forget Participation Feedback


What is the Purpose of Online Discussion?


Responding to the Insurrection at the US Capitol


8 Strategies to Prevent Teaching Burnout



Our best,



Your CTL Professionals




January  2021


Welcome Back! We hope you have had a restorative winter break. The CTL would like to make you aware of the following information.


Here are the CTL sessions for the month of January, 2021.


Engaged Learning Sessions

Description: The 2020 Pandemic posed unique mental health challenges for our students. Faculty and staff have done their utmost to listen, support, and provide an unconditionally loving presence to our students. Yet, these deep connections may create conditions which increase our risk of developing compassion fatigue. So, the question is: who cares for the care-giver? How can we find the time to manage self-care amidst our daily lives? Our presenters will offer research-based guidance and self-care strategies to mediate empathy-induced stress and anxiety.

Zoom Invite


Description: Collaborative learning (small group) activities help students construct knowledge toward a common purpose. Presenters will share the core elements of collaborative learning and tips for successful implementation. Presenters will also engage participants in a few examples for using this instructional method in the virtual environment.

Zoom Invite


Friday, January 29 (2:30-4:00 p.m.) Facilitators: Laurie Fuller, Kris Over, Sandra Beyda-Lorie

Description: Join us for an informal, ongoing series of conversations for white and white presenting faculty to expand our consciousness around what it means to be white or white presenting, and how to interrupt behaviors that unintentionally do harm to students and colleagues of color.

Please register in advance using this Registration Form.


Techie Nuts and Bolts Sessions

Description: The CTL is in the pilot phase of a new module that can be uploaded onto your D2L course to help your students get off to a great start in the virtual environment. Come and take a look at it and see how this flexible module can meet your needs and those of your students.

Zoom Invite


Quality Matters Training.

We have purchased two sections of QM Design Your Own Course (DYOC). These sessions run January 14-28th. Please contact Sandra Beyda-Lorie (s-beyda@neiu.edu) no later than Friday, January 8th, if you are interested in this training. Seats are limited.  


Sign up for CTL’s Spring Online Teaching Course.

Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools will be offered Tuesday, February 2 - Monday, March 1, 2021.  Please sign up for Online Teaching no later than Monday, February 1 at 5pm.  If you are new or fairly new to online teaching, this is the perfect class for you. This course provides participants with ideas and strategies that go beyond what Quality Matters offers.


Time Sensitive --Zoom Update.

In collaboration with UTS we have implemented some changes to Zoom for Spring 2021 to make things more faculty and student friendly.  We now have direct integration with D2L and are in the process of setting free basic accounts for all students enrolled in a Spring 2021 course.  More details on these initiatives can be found here by reviewing this separate document/guide linked here.


Faculty Manual.

The CTL has updated its faculty manual to provide basic information to instructors new to the university. Please see this updated Faculty Manual.


Peer Online Observation Instrument Guidance Document.

The CTL has gathered a working group to examine our current observation tools, and provide assistance for those departments/programs who would like to establish or revise their observation instrument so that it addresses teaching in the virtual environment. We have formed the Peer Online Observation Instrument Instrument Team (POOIT). Team members consist of the following faculty: Lisa Hollis Sawyer, Juan Martinez, Shayne Pepper, Gina Wells, and Sandra Beyda-Lorie.


We plan to share another update letter later this month that includes additional initiatives and sessions that will take place in the month of February.


Our best,



Your CTL Professionals




December 2020

Hello, colleagues,

The semester is almost over. Congratulations for making it this far!  Please read these important updates intended to help make your work easier.

Quality Matters Training.

We have purchased two sections of QM Design Your Own Course (DYOC). These sessions run January 14-28th. Please contact Sandra Beyda-Lorie (s-beyda@neiu.edu) no later than Friday, January 8th, if you are interested in this training. Seats are limited.  

Sign up for CTL’s Spring Online Teaching Course.

Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools will be offered Tuesday, February 2 - Monday, March 1, 2021.  Please sign up for Online Teaching no later than Monday, February 1 at 5pm.  If you are new or fairly new to online teaching, this is the perfect class for you.

Course Evaluations.

We are now using Watermark’s EvaluationKit for our student course evaluations. The new system requires faculty to download from D2L their course evaluations at the end of each semester. The steps to this process, when your evaluations are available for download and other information is located on the CTL Website. For your convenience, here is the link to information on Course Evaluations.

NEW: Just in time January 4-8th CTL Sessions

The Center for Teaching and Learning is offering a series of just in time sessions when you return from your well deserved winter break. Here is the January 4-8th CTL Session Overview: Registration using this Registration Form for any of the open sessions below is strongly encouraged.  

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Description: A simple-to-navigate course helps students find the materials they need to succeed. In this session for D2L beginners, participants will learn how to organize course materials in modules, or folders, and create simple checklists that help students keep track of their work.

Description: This basic session shows participants how to use the Google Drive, create & upload folders, files and documents, and share them with others. Participants will also learn the basics of creating forms and slides. 

Wednesday, January 6, 2021

Description: At a time when we’re all apart, making meaningful connections with our students is more important than ever. In this session, participants will learn practical strategies for engaging students in remote courses.

Thursday, January 7, 2021

Description: Students want to know how they are doing in your course. Of most importance is their grade. Learn how to set these up in D2L, using point or weighted systems and how to release those grades to your students.

Friday, January 8, 2021

Description: Do you have basic questions about setting up your Zoom class? If you register for this session, we will send you a recording/tutorial in early January. After viewing this recording, if you still have questions, drop in for office hours.

Description: Zoom offers many ways to engage students in the synchronous environment. Learn about the many ways this platform can support interactive and collaborative learning.

Description: A simple-to-navigate course helps students find the materials they need to succeed. In this session for D2L beginners, participants will learn how to organize course materials in modules, or folders, and create simple checklists that help students keep track of their work.

Faculty Resource Collaborative (FRC): NOW OPEN.

Many of you have asked for a virtual space where you can share ideas, offer tips (including our Little, Big Tip videos), and exchange strategies that are working for you. The site is finally ready and available on D2L! How do you find this “course?” 

Go to D2L. All of your courses are available on the D2L homepage under My NEIU Courses, located beneath the Announcements. Click on the tab called Department Sharing. Click on the Faculty Resource Collaborative. Then click on the three dots icon and select Pin to ‘bookmark’ this course. This tutorial shows you how to set up notifications so that you automatically receive an email or text when new content appears on this site. The site is your site, made available by the CTL but driven by you—your examples, your videos, your links to other helpful information. 

Zoom Guidance.

Those of you using Zoom may appreciate some guidance. Here is some advice to offer your students and to help you with the basics. This page is located on the CTL Website.

Managing Your Online Course: What Should You Be Doing Now? 

It’s December. Grades will be due soon and the Spring semester is right around the corner. With so many activities to focus on, where do you begin? Here are some tasks the CTL recommends you complete this month before taking advantage of a well-deserved winter break. For a year-long list that helps you plan your semester, check out the menu bar on the left on the tab of the CTL website called, Guidance for Online Learning: Expectations and What to Do When..

Closing out the Semester.

Anticipate Course Revisions.

Getting ready for next semester.

You can easily copy your courses from this semester into the course shells for next semester. With just a few tweaks, your course will be ready to go. Here are the step by step instructions:

D2L basic semester start instructions.

Our learning management system, Desire2Learn (D2L) provides a helpful document with links to answer basic questions that instructors typically have about finding their courses on D2l, activating their course so students can see it, etc. See these Semester Start instructions.

Faculty Support Mentors

Do you want help from a colleague with experience offering quality online instruction or someone with whom you can brainstorm pedagogical solutions? When you need one-on-one or small group help our Faculty Support Mentors are here to help. 

Faculty who would like support with pedagogy or technology used for their classes should submit a request for support using this form. You may also contact our mentors directly:

Previous CTL Update Letters.

Missed a previous update letter? You will find them on the CTL Website (What’s New at the CTL) or go to this link.

We hope you have a wonderful, well-deserved winter break. Our students need you to rest and renew!

Our best,

Your CTL Professionals


November 2020

Hello, colleagues,

The semester is almost at end. We know you are all tremendously busy with “Close Down Fall” and “Start Up Spring” tasks.  Here are some updates, many of which we hope will make your work easier.

Upcoming CTL Sessions: Here are sessions for the month of December.

·      Techie Nuts & Bolts Session

o   Organizing your course on D2L -Tuesday, December 1 (10:30-11:30). Please register by 9:00 am Tuesday HERE.   

·      Engaged Learning Sessions

o   Moving Toward a Syllabus that Serves Our Students (Thursday, December 3 (5:00-7:00pm) Presenters: Conversations in Classroom, Culture and Curriculum Team. So many of you asked us for an evening session, so we are happy to accommodate your request. Please access this Registration Form to receive advance reading materials and a Zoom invitation.

·      Cafe Conversations: Addressing Whiteness in Academia

o   Join us for an informal, ongoing series of conversations for white and white presenting faculty to expand our consciousness around what it means to be white or white presenting, and how to interrupt behaviors that unintentionally do harm to students and colleagues of color. Please access the Registration Form to receive a Zoom invitation to the upcoming sessions, if you have not already done so.

o   Friday, December 11 (2:30-4:00pm) (Co-facilitators: Jeremy Babcock, Sandra Beyda-Lorie, Ashley Elrod). Please access the registration form above to receive a Zoom invitation to this session.

·      Faculty Retention, Promotion & PAI Sessions

o   Faculty Portfolio: Years 1-5 TK20 Work Session- Wed, Dec 2 (3:45-5pm)

o   Faculty Portfolio: Years 1-5 TK20 Work Session-- Thurs, Dec 3 (9-10:30am)

Special Sessions: Week of January 4-8th

·      Collaborate with your department chair or program coordinator about sessions the CTL can offer during our first week back from the winter break, focused on your specific needs.

CTL Website

The CTL has been adding resources to its website. If you have not popped in recently, check out the menu bar on the left. As one example, we are building out an Equity-Minded and Inclusive Practices site. Another addition is the Guidance for Online Learning: Expectations and What to Do When site. As well, we welcome submissions by faculty who would like to contribute to pages related to teaching strategies. If interested, contact us at ctl@neiu.edu 

Sign up for CTL’s Spring Online Teaching Course.

Online Teaching Fundamentals and Tools will be offered Tuesday, February 2 - Monday, March 1, 2021. Please register here no later than Monday, February 1 at 5pm.  If you are new or fairly new to online teaching, this is the perfect class for you, taught by Liz Rodriguez. In fact, faculty who have taken the Quality Matters (DYOC) course and who have also taken a course from Liz report greater comfort and success with teaching in the virtual environment.

Quality Matters Trainings.

We have purchased two sections of QM Design Your Own Course (DYOC). These sessions run January 14-28th. Please contact Sandra Beyda-Lorie (s-beyda@neiu.edu) as soon as possible if you are interested in this training. Seats are limited.  

Teaching Tips.

Have you got a few minutes? We hope you find these short selections helpful.

·      We all need a reason to laugh and to connect, especially in the virtual environment. Take a look at these 21 free icebreaker activities to engage students and strengthen your learning community.

·      Addressing Common Issues with Online Group Work (Horn & Peloza, 2020)

·      Five Easy Ideas that Build Bridges to Your Online Learners (Goyak, 2020)

·      Teachable Moments About Privilege (Radmer, 2018)

·      Tips for Creating a More Inclusive Syllabus (Fisher & Keenan, 2020)

·      Teaching Students, Not Subjects (Orlando, 2020)

Whose work is it?

The purpose of our unit is to support and collaborate with faculty, access the abundant expertise already exists in our community and respond to initiatives that faculty want to move forward, in ways that, within our time and resources, we have the ability to do. The CTL has been working on several initiatives so far this year, but does not work in isolation nor generate these ideas in a vacuum. Therefore, we wish to take this opportunity to give credit where credit is due.

One important example to highlight is the Conversations in Classroom, Culture and Curriculum (CCC) Team. It draws upon the scholarship and expertise of our faculty who have devoted their careers to equity.  If you have not had the opportunity to read the scholarly work of your colleagues, here are a few to check out:

·  Ali, S. (2020). Redefining exceptionalism: The importance of removing super hero language from education. Journal of Education and Culture Studies, 4 (3): p.1 DOI: 10.22158/jecs.v4n3p1

·  Fuller, L., & Meiners, E. R. (2020) Will white people work collectively to trump white power? Stepping up for struggle beyond the yard sign, International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 33:2, 263-273, DOI: 10.1080/09518398.2019.1681540

·      Perlow, O. N., Wheeler, D. I., Bethea, S. L., Scott, B. M. (2018). Black women’s liberatory pedagogies: Resistance, transformation and healing within and beyond the academy.Palgrave Macmillan.

Guidance not Policy

The CTL does not establish policy. We create guidance documents to support best practice and may propose ideas to university governance groups in order to consider and/or to deepen our shared understanding on matters of pedagogy, curriculum and instructional design. We value open discussion around continuous improvement and appreciate all the suggestions we have received so far.

Managing Your Online Course: What Should You Be Doing Now? 

It’s December. Grades will be due soon and the Spring semester is right around the corner. With so many activities to focus on, where do you begin? Here are some tasks the CTL recommends you complete this month before taking advantage of a well-deserved winter break. 

Closing out the Semester.

·   Release grades. If you want students to be able to view their final grades in D2L, you must release them. Follow these instructions. 

·   Back up grades. It is a good idea to back up grades, just in case. However, you must be sure to protect student data. We recommend using Google Drive for this purpose, as it is password protected and FERPA-compliant.  If you need training to use the Google Drive, please reach out to clt@neiu.edu

·       Handle any deferred grade requests. See Incomplete Grade Policy.

·       Remind students to download/print any work they want to keep.

·       Post final grades. You will find instructions here.

·   Embrace a continuous improvement process. Use student feedback to make changes to your course. While it is fresh in your mind, now is the ideal time to consider what worked well and where there is room for improvement in course content, activities and assessments. We recommend storing a Google document on your Google Drive for this purpose. 

·   Reflect on your equity-minded and inclusive practices. Make notes about what you want to change about your course to address equity and inclusion. Don’t know where to begin? Check out these suggestions.

·   Reach out to the librarians. If you need help with bringing in readings, videos, audio or images to better represent your students and discipline, don’t forget about the NEIU librarians. You will also find a wealth of resources on our Library’s website. See the Faculty Guide to the Library.

Anticipate Course Revisions.

·   D2L Gradebook.  Using the D2L gradebook is strongly recommended. Students want to know where they stand in your course. They expect to see their grades posted throughout the semester and not just at the end of their course.

·   D2L Groups.  If you want to break down your class into smaller groups for certain learning activities, this is a helpful tool.

·   D2L Modules. Reorganize modules to support consistency. For example, consider the following pattern to every module:

a. Module Overview, with a brief description and learning objectives for the module listed, along with how the objectives align with course learning outcomes.

b.     Module or Unit Checklist, so students can track completion of what they are required to do in the module

c.     Read & Review, a section where required readings, videos, audios and any other content is posted that students review prior to or after the class session 

d.     Learning Activity/ies or “You Do” section where students engage in learning activities appropriate for meeting the module objective(s). These may include discussion forums, applied projects, writing activities, lab simulations, etc.

e.     Assessment, a formative or summative assessment that aligns with the course objective(s)

f.      Assignments and due dates.

Getting ready for next semester.

You can easily copy your courses from this semester into the course shells for next semester. With just a few tweaks, your course will be ready to go. Here are the step by step instructions:

1.     Copy your current course into your course for next semester.  

2.     Manage your dates. You can adjust the dates for when assignments are due all at one time using the same pattern and rhythm from the previous semester.

D2L Start Here Module.

We have created a D2LStart Here Module and made revisions to it after running it by four different groups of faculty and some of our advisors. This spring we will have various faculty pilot it in their courses. If you are interested in being part of this pilot, do reach out to us at ctl@neiu.edu.

As always, if we can support you, please reach out.

 

Our best, 

Your CTL Professionals

October 2020

Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) Update

October 2020

Hello colleagues,

It is hard to believe that we are past the 8-week mark. In some ways, it feels like the fall semester just got started, right?  It has been wonderful to see so many of you at our CTL events this past month. Professional development is clearly important to you and we suspect that virtual sessions are much more convenient. We hope that you will find the CTL responsive to your needs.  Here are the latest initiatives and faculty development opportunities to help you plan the remainder of your semester.

We are pulling together our team.

It is our pleasure to introduce you to our new Instructional Technology Specialist, Sik Son. Sik began October 1st and is already busy with the development of a “Start Here/Student Orientation Module” that all faculty can use for their course site.

We are also fortunate to have on our team Danielle Pryor, our Business Administrative Associate. She has been instrumental in taking care of numerous pre-approvals, one-time payments for Quality Matters, stipends, etc., and a host of other duties to support the CTL. Previously working in the Provost’s Office, we are very happy that she is now working with us.

The bad news is that we lost our Systems Administrator, Imran. That is the individual who takes care of our learning management system; D2L. We hope to find someone to fill that position as soon as possible. Meanwhile, we extend our appreciation to Liz Rodriquez and Cristina Haidau for addressing and troubleshooting issues related to D2L.

Course Evaluation Transition.

We are now using Watermark’s EvaluationKit for our student course evaluations. A special thanks to Kenny Beyer for ensuring a seamless transition. The new system requires faculty to download from D2L their course evaluations at the end of each semester. The steps to this process and other information faculty are found HERE.

Faculty Development Sessions.

We are offering the following sessions now, and through the month of December 2020. 

Engaged Learning Sessions

·      Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Workshop (Wednesday, October 28—8:30-10:30 am). If interested, please register today!

·  Learning for the Real World: Exploring Alternatives to Assessment (Friday, November 6 (2-3:30pm) Presenters: Sandra Beyda-Lorie, Christina Bueno, Sarah Fabian, Pam Geddes, Dave Jordan, Kara Nuss. Please access this Registration Form to receive a Zoom invitation.

·  Bringing Diverse Voices and Diverse Formats into Your Classroom: How Our Librarians Can Help (Thursday, November 12 (3:00-4:00 PM) Presenters: Robin Harris, Michelle Oh, Mary Thill. Please access this Registration Form to receive a Zoom invitation.

·  Moving Toward a Syllabus that Serves Our Students (Thursday, December 3 (5:00-7:00pm) Presenters: Conversations in Classroom, Culture and Curriculum Team. So many of you asked us for an evening session, so we are happy to accommodate your request. Please access this Registration Form to receive advance reading materials and a Zoom invitation.

Faculty Retention, Promotion & PAI Sessions

·  Faculty Portfolio: Years 1-5 TK20 Work Session- Wed, Dec 2 (3:45-5pm)

·  Faculty Portfolio: Years 1-5 TK20 Work Session-- Thurs, Dec 3 (9-10:30am)

Cafe Conversations: Addressing Whiteness in Academia

Join us for an informal, ongoing series of conversations for white and white presenting faculty to expand our consciousness around what it means to be white or white presenting, and how to interrupt behaviors that unintentionally do harm to students and colleagues of color. Please access the Registration Form to receive a Zoom invitation to the upcoming sessions, if you have not already done so.

·      Friday, November 13 (2:30-4:00pm) (Co-facilitators: KT Duffy, Laurie Fuller, Pam Geddes)

·      Friday, December 11 (2:30-4:00pm) (Co-facilitators: Jeremy Babcock, Sandra Beyda-Lorie, Ashley Elrod)

Faculty Support Mentors

Do you want help from a colleague with experience offering quality online instruction or someone with whom you can brainstorm pedagogical solutions? When you need one-on-one or small group help our Faculty Support Mentors are here to help. 

Faculty who would like support with pedagogy or technology used for their classes should submit a request for support using this form. You may also contact our mentors directly:

·      Emily Booms, e-booms@neiu.edu: Specialties: collaboration and learning technology tools

·      Martyn de Bruyn, m-debruyn@neiu.edu: Specialties: discussion boards, quiz creation, assignment folders

·      Dave Jordan, d-jordan1@neiu.edu: Specialties: gradebook setup, quizzes, general teaching technology

·      Cristine Haidau, c-haidau@neiu.edu: Specialties: collaboration and learning technology tools

·      Rose Sperrazza, rusperra@neiu.edu: Specialties: collaboration and learning technology tools

Online Learning, Quality Matters, and Next Steps

We are happy to share that 123 faculty completed the Quality Matters (QM) Designing Your Own Course (DYOC) or Improving Your Own Course (IYOC) in our August trainings. This November, an additional 36 faculty are signed up to complete the training.

We still have a few seats left for the November 12-26th QM trainings. If you have not taken a QM training and wish to do so, please contact the CTL at ctl@neiu.edu as soon as possible so we can get you registered.

QM is the only non-profit, quality assurance organization that exists to define and maintain quality assurance in online learning. A small group of our colleagues, including many of our Faculty Support Mentors, are taking additional QM courses to enable them to become QM Peer Reviewers. Liz Rodriquez has the distinction of being the first professional at NEIU to become an official QM Certified Peer Reviewer!

Beginning this spring, the goal is to offer workshops on how to meet some of the QM standards. We are also looking to train faculty to serve as Internal QM Reviewers. Courses that successfully meet an internal review are eligible to have a “QM Essential” designation. If you are interested in becoming either an Internal QM Reviewer or official QM Reviewer, please contact the CTL at ctl@neiu.edu. You could help your colleagues improve their online course design by offering valuable feedback and support.

Assessment of Students Online Experience

This November the CTL, in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment (IR) will survey a random selection of students who are enrolled in distance learning courses this fall. The purpose of the survey is to gather information on students’ overall impressions with NEIU’s online courses in order to improve the learner experience and inform faculty development. The instrument, Assessment of Students Online Experience, is aligned with Quality Matters standards.

Faculty Learning Community on D2L.

Many of you have asked for a virtual space where you can share ideas, offer tips (including our Little, Big Tip videos), and exchange strategies that are working for you. We are in the process of working with the colleges to enroll faculty on a D2L course site called the Faculty Support Collaborative to meet your needs. The site will be your site, made available by the CTL but driven by you—your examples, your videos, your links to other helpful information. Stay tuned!

Thank you,

Your CTL colleagues

 

 


September 2020

Hello, colleagues,

The CTL hopes you are off to a wonderful start to the semester. As you put into practice everything you have learned from our CTL online teaching course and Quality Matters (QM) trainings this summer, we want to thank you for your continued commitment to our students.

Faculty Learning Community on D2L.

Many of you have asked for a virtual space where you can share ideas, offer tips (including our Little, Big Tip videos), and exchange strategies that are working for you. We are in the process of creating a course on D2L to meet your needs. The site will be your site, made available by the CTL but driven by you—your examples, your videos, your links to other helpful information. Stay tuned!

Faculty Development Sessions.

We are offering the following sessions now, and through the month of October.  Information on sessions in November and December will be provided in a future update letter.

Techie Nuts and Bolts

·      Creating More Accessible Word Documents (Thursday, Sept 24 –5:30-6:30)

·      D2L Gradebook (Friday, Sept 25—10:00-11:00am)

·      D2L Gradebook (Friday, October 9—12:00-1:00pm)

·      Creating More Accessible PowerPoint Presentations (Wednesday, October 7—10:30-11:30 am)

·      Register for these sessions HERE.

Engaged Learning Sessions

·      A Conversation with STEM and Humanities Faculty about Democratic Alternatives to Point-Based Grading (Wednesday, October 14—2:00-3:00 pm). Please register HERE no later than Friday, October 9th. 

·      How to Build Community in the Online Learning Environment P(Wednesday, October 21—12:00-1:00 pm). Please register HERE no later than Thursday, October 15th.

·   Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Workshop (Wednesday, October 28—8:30-10:30 am). If interested, please register today!

Faculty Retention, Promotion & PAI Sessions

·      Q&A Faculty Panel on Retention and Promotion (Tuesday, Sept 22-- 3:05-4:05)

·      Year 2 Retention (Wednesday, Sept 30 (1:00-3:00pm)

·      Tenure & Promotion & PAI (Friday, October 2—1:00-3:00 pm)

·      The appropriate faculty will receive a Zoom invitation prior to each session. 

Zoom Storage.

Faculty who are using Zoom and are recording their sessions must be sure to download these recordings once a week to their Nmail google drive. These recordings can be made available to students on D2L by linking to the recording. Please read this important announcement about the limitations in storing recordings on the Zoom cloud and a step-by-step process for how to download these recordings to your Google Drive. The information can be found HERE.

STEM Links and Activities page.

The CTL has added to its website a page to support our STEM faculty. You will find this page as a menu item on the CTL website that follows:

https://www.neiu.edu/academics/academic-affairs/center-teaching-and-learning

Course Evaluation Transition.

This past summer we transitioned from the use of SmartEvals to EvaluationKit, hosted by Watermark with the intention to implement student course evaluations in the new system by Fall 2020. This new system will require faculty to download their course evaluations at the end of each semester. The steps to this process and other information faculty can be found HERE.

Quality Matters Feedback.

If you completed the Quality Matters training this past August, and have not already provided feedback to the CTL about the experience, please complete this short survey HERE.


Best,

Your CTL Professionals

 


July 2020

Hello, colleagues,

The CTL hopes you are off to a wonderful start to the semester. As you put into practice everything you have learned from our CTL online teaching course and Quality Matters (QM) trainings this summer, we want to thank you for your continued commitment to our students.

Faculty Learning Community on D2L.

Many of you have asked for a virtual space where you can share ideas, offer tips (including our Little, Big Tip videos), and exchange strategies that are working for you. We are in the process of creating a course on D2L to meet your needs. The site will be your site, made available by the CTL but driven by you—your examples, your videos, your links to other helpful information. Stay tuned!

Faculty Development Sessions.

We are offering the following sessions now, and through the month of October.  Information on sessions in November and December will be provided in a future update letter.

Techie Nuts and Bolts

·      Creating More Accessible Word Documents (Thursday, Sept 24 –5:30-6:30)

·      D2L Gradebook (Friday, Sept 25—10:00-11:00am)

·      D2L Gradebook (Friday, October 9—12:00-1:00pm)

·      Creating More Accessible PowerPoint Presentations (Wednesday, October 7—10:30-11:30 am)

·      Register for these sessions HERE.

Engaged Learning Sessions

·      A Conversation with STEM and Humanities Faculty about Democratic Alternatives to Point-Based Grading (Wednesday, October 14—2:00-3:00 pm). Please register HERE no later than Friday, October 9th. 

·      How to Build Community in the Online Learning Environment P(Wednesday, October 21—12:00-1:00 pm). Please register HERE no later than Thursday, October 15th. 

·   Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Workshop (Wednesday, October 28—8:30-10:30 am). If interested, please register today!

Faculty Retention, Promotion & PAI Sessions

·      Q&A Faculty Panel on Retention and Promotion (Tuesday, Sept 22-- 3:05-4:05)

·      Year 2 Retention (Wednesday, Sept 30 (1:00-3:00pm)

·      Tenure & Promotion & PAI (Friday, October 2—1:00-3:00 pm)

·      The appropriate faculty will receive a Zoom invitation prior to each session.

Zoom Storage.

Faculty who are using Zoom and are recording their sessions must be sure to download these recordings once a week to their Nmail google drive. These recordings can be made available to students on D2L by linking to the recording. Please read this important announcement about the limitations in storing recordings on the Zoom cloud and a step-by-step process for how to download these recordings to your Google Drive. The information can be found HERE.

STEM Links and Activities page.

The CTL has added to its website a page to support our STEM faculty. You will find this page as a menu item on the CTL website that follows:

https://www.neiu.edu/academics/academic-affairs/center-teaching-and-learning

Course Evaluation Transition.

This past summer we transitioned from the use of SmartEvals to EvaluationKit, hosted by Watermark with the intention to implement student course evaluations in the new system by Fall 2020. This new system will require faculty to download their course evaluations at the end of each semester. The steps to this process and other information faculty can be found HERE.

Quality Matters Feedback.

If you completed the Quality Matters training this past August, and have not already provided feedback to the CTL about the experience, please complete this short survey HERE.

Best,

Your CTL Professionals

 


June 2020

Dear Colleagues,

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) has witnessed an overwhelming response to our Summer Virtual Instruction for Online Teaching and Virtual Instruction to Improve Online Teaching courses. This is exciting news! We are pleased that we are able to accommodate everyone who wants to take any of the CTL online courses this summer (June 9-July 6).

We are also pleased to offer Quality Matters course to those whose online registration form indicated an interest in completing this training.

We wish to provide additional details in regard to the summer trainings.

●  Virtual Instruction for Online Teaching

o   For individuals who have not developed a course for remote/online instruction or who have not taken a CTL online teaching course, you are invited to participate in a two-part online teaching course. Part I, a four-week course delivered by NEIU’s Center for Teaching and Learning, takes place from June 9-July 6. Part II, a two week-course Designing Your Online Course (DYOC) delivered by Quality Matters, takes place from Aug. 6-20.

o   Participants will receive a $1,000 stipend for their participation in the full series of training (i.e., Part I and Part II). In addition, they will receive a Quality Matters Certificate of Completion as long as they meet the assignment deadlines established for the QM course. QM informs us that participants who do not adhere to deadlines will not be allowed to complete the course. The QM sessions are asynchronous and not self-paced. Participants must log on the first day and work regularly throughout the scheduled dates in order to successfully complete the course.

o   Participants should expect to spend the following amount of time in course activities:

▪   NEIU CTL’s four-week course: 2-3 hours per week on readings, discussions and assignments, or a total of 8-12 hours

▪   Quality Matters two-week course: 8-10 hours per week or a total of 16-20 hours on DYOC

o   To register for both Part I and Part II, no later than June 9, please sign up using this form.

▪   Note that anyone who has previously signed up for any summer training, whether with the CTL or Quality Matters, does not need to sign up again.

o   Compensation will be processed after participants complete both courses. Please allow time for processing of paperwork.

o   Only those individuals who have not previously taken a CTL online teaching or online development course are eligible for the stipend.

o   Faculty who have taken CTL’s hybrid teaching, but not online teaching or online design are eligible for the stipend

●  Virtual Instruction for Improving Online Teaching (have previously developed an online course)

o   For individuals who have already developed an online course and want to improve it, you are invited to take the Quality Matters two-week Improving Your Online Teaching Course (IYOC) from Aug. 6-20.

o   Expect to spend 8-10 hours per week or a total of 16-20 hours on IYOC.

o   To register for the Quality Matters IYOC, no later than June 16, please sign up using this form.

o   Participants will not receive compensation for participation in this course. However, they will earn a Quality Matters Certificate of Completion as long as they meet the assignment deadlines established for the QM course. QM informs us that participants who do not adhere to deadlines will not be allowed to complete the course. The QM sessions are asynchronous and not self-paced. Participants must log on the first day and work regularly throughout the scheduled dates in order to successfully complete the course.

o   Please note that the final determination of whether or not a faculty is eligible for the IYOC will be made by the CTL. For example, faculty who started but did not complete a CTL online teaching or online design course may be assigned to the DYOC, instead of IYOC to ensure quality teaching for an online learning environment. 

If you have additional questions, please direct these to CTL@neiu.edu.

We appreciate your understanding and patience with us as we do our utmost to provide support for teaching and learning.

Our best,

Your CTL Professionals

Center for Teaching & Learning | ctl@neiu.edu | 773.442.4467