Workshop Takeaways NIU’s Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning recently hosted a workshop on Supporting First-Generation Students. The workshop featured Kimberly Shotick (Assistant Professor, Student
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New library resource on blended learning
The NIU Library has secured the eBook Blended Learning: Research Perspectives. Volume 3, edited by Anthony G. Picciano, Charles D. Dziuban, Charles R. Graham, and
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Interactive techniques
We added a new guide to our website! This compendium of interactive techniques was compiled and shared via Creative Commons by a Dr. Kevin Yee
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Looking back, moving forward, and saying good-bye: Strategies for ending the semester
Taking the time to deliberately plan for recognizing the end of a semester can help students better retain what they have learned, more easily transition to whatever comes next, and provide satisfying closure for the community you have built.
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Developing fair, consistent, and transparent grading practices
An educator’s grading policies reflect their beliefs about student learning, motivation, and success. Grading policies often vary across campus, within individual departments, and even between
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Improving accessibility: Contrast issues
What’s the issue with contrast? In order for students to be able to follow your instructional materials, they must be able to read them. An
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Midterm check-in reflection questions
The midpoint of the course is a great opportunity for faculty to pause and check in with students on their experience thus far and to
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Fostering a sense of belonging in online learning
What is it about online courses? You spend hours developing interactive lesson plans, but there is a lingering suspicion that students are losing focus. As
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Improving course material accessibility: Scanned vs. OCRed PDFs
Scanned PDFs can be problematic for students with visual impairments because their screen reader may not be able to interpret the page. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) can solve that.
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One small step for accessibility: Adding descriptions to images
Images can be a great way to engage your learners with different modes of learning, and can help communicate complex ideas to students. For students
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Getting students to read and respond to feedback
It’s a familiar story… A faculty member spends hours reading and commenting on student work only to have students turn right to the grade, often
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HyFlex teaching: A flexible alternative
What is HyFlex? HyFlex is a course model that allows students a flexible course structure. Students can attend class sessions in the physical classroom, participate
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