CITL, Author at Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning

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

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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

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Open to change: Celebrating Open Education Week 2026

February 26, 2026 CITL News, Resources, Workshops

NIU is joining institutions around the world to celebrate Open Education Week, March 2-6, 2026, an annual event dedicated to promoting open educational resources (OER),

Student guide to artificial intelligence

January 7, 2026 CITL Resources, Teaching

As we gear up for the spring semester, the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) is excited to highlight a timely new resource designed

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How you can make quick PDF fixes in Anthology Ally right now

October 13, 2025 CITL Best Practices, News, Resources, Teaching, Technology Trends, Tips, Web Tools

Adapted from an article originally published to the Anthology Community Blog by Mindy Mekhail, Director, Product Marketing, Anthology PDFs are among the most frequently used file types

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CITL launches review of key online learning tools

October 6, 2025 CITL News, Technology Trends, Web Tools

During the 2025–2026 academic year, Northern Illinois University will conduct a comprehensive review of three enterprise online learning tools currently integrated with Blackboard: Yellowdig, VoiceThread,

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Three Quick Accessibility Fixes to Start the Semester Strong

August 18, 2025 CITL Best Practices, Tips

Adapted from an article originally published to the Anthology Community Blog by Katie Grennell, Senior Education & Training Specialist, Anthology Back-to-school season is always a

New Resource for Students – Getting Started with Blackboard Tutorial

August 11, 2025 CITL News, Resources

It is important for students to be comfortable using Blackboard so that they can focus on the content and not how to use the system.

Huskie 3-2-1 Stay on track. Stay in the pack. Finish strong and graduate.

Supporting First-Year Undergraduate Students: Huskie 3-2-1

May 8, 2025 CITL News, Resources

To support the success of incoming students, we have developed “Huskie 3-2-1” – a simple plan to help new Huskies succeed during their first year

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Departments recognized as leaders in course materials affordability

May 5, 2025 CITL News, Resources, Web Tools

This spring, NIU’s Course Materials Affordability Task Force (CMAT) presented the third annual Affordable Course Materials (ACM) Department Awards. These awards are part of the task force’s Leading Impact