Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning -

Featured faculty: Amanda Borosh

April 30, 2026 CITL Featured Faculty, Newsletter, Teaching, Tips

This month’s Featured Faculty spotlight highlights Amanda Borosh, M.Ed., BCBA, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Special Education. Amanda brings more than 15 years of experience in

The image shows a college seminar setting. A professor with a beard sits in the foreground with a laptop, gesturing as he explains something to the group. Around him, college students sit on tiered seating, listening attentively, taking notes in notebooks, or holding tablets and coffee cups. The atmosphere is informal and collaborative, suggesting a discussion-based class rather than a lecture.

Contract grading and student agency: Letting students define the path to their grade

April 28, 2026 Lindsay Vreeland Best Practices, Resources, Teaching, Tips

Traditional grading systems can miss the mark and lead to grade disputes, unclear expectations, and even unintended inequities. Contract grading offers a different approach: students

A person wearing a bright yellow hoodie sits at a desk using a laptop, smiling and gesturing with their hands as if recording a spoken response to a video. They are wearing wireless earbuds. On the desk are papers, a calculator, a smartphone, a notebook, a coffee mug, and a small potted plant. The background shows a softly lit living space with shelves and decorative items.

When should you use VoiceThread? Choosing the right tool for media sharing and interaction

April 22, 2026 CITL Best Practices, News, Resources, Teaching, Technology Trends, Tips, Web Tools

Video content can be an integral part of any course, but especially asynchronous online classes. How you share that content—and to what end—matters. There are

Five adults standing side by side against a plain background, smiling and holding colorful speech bubble signs in different shapes, suggesting conversation or discussion.

When should you choose Yellowdig? Choosing the right tool for engagement

April 22, 2026 CITL Best Practices, Newsletter, Resources, Teaching, Technology Trends, Tips, Web Tools

How do you decide which digital engagement tool to use in your courses? Ideally, you would start with the pedagogy: what do you want students

A woman wearing headphones sits on a beanbag chair with a laptop, raising her arms in excitement inside a modern, glass-walled building.

Online Learning Tool Review updates and announcements

April 13, 2026 CITL News, Teaching, Web Tools

The Online Learning Tool Review, which CITL launched last fall, is now complete. The final decisions reflect not only the data collected but also feedback

Young woman taking an online exam on a laptop with a webcam.

New feature: Respondus Monitor offers second camera option to improve exam security

April 6, 2026 Kevin Harris News, Teaching, Technology Trends, Web Tools

Respondus, the maker of LockDown Browser and Monitor, has recently released a new option that can require students to use a second camera to record

Students sit at a table with different projects spread out among them.

Choose-your-own-adventure assessments: A flexible approach to measuring learning

March 30, 2026 Lindsay Vreeland Best Practices, Resources, Teaching, Tips

Our student populations are evolving, and we’re seeing that traditional “one-size-fits-all” assessments are becoming recognized as less effective. As students’ learning experiences shift—and as some

Illustration of several students interacting with large digital devices (a laptop, tablet, and phone) displaying learning content, with icons such as a globe, lightbulb, graduation cap, and books around them. The scene represents online learning and educational technology, with students studying, collaborating, and accessing course materials in a digital environment.

Keep it simple: An approach to navigating emerging technology

March 23, 2026 Megan Holt Best Practices, Teaching, Technology Trends, Tips

“We are here to support and strengthen [faculty’s] work, not to add complexity,” says William “Bill” Tozzi, regarding his role as an instructional designer in

Promotional graphic for “NIU’s Annual Well-being Fair.” The text reads: “The Presidential Commission on Well-being Presents: NIU’s Annual Well-being Fair, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thursday, April 16, HSC Ballroom.” The lower portion shows colorful wellness-themed icons—such as a water bottle, bicycle, running shoe, yoga figure, dumbbells, fruit, trees, a heart with a heartbeat line, a speech bubble, and a first-aid kit—on a green gradient background. On the right side, text reads: “For more information: go.niu.edu/well-being-fair.”

Celebrate well-being at NIU’s annual Well‑being Fair on April 16!

March 19, 2026 Yvonne Johnson News, Newsletter, Resources

Mark your calendars, Huskies! The Presidential Commission on Well-being is thrilled to host one of NIU’s most energizing community events of the year: the Annual Well‑being

A student wearing headphones takes notes in a notebook while watching an online lecture on a laptop where a teacher points to diagrams on a whiteboard.

When homework isn’t proof of learning: Assessing foundational math in the AI era

March 16, 2026 Amanda Hirsch Best Practices, Resources, Teaching, Technology Trends

If you teach a foundational math course right now, you have likely experienced the following disconnect: polished homework submissions paired with shaky quiz and exam