In today’s polarized academic environment, college campuses and classrooms can sometimes feel like battlegrounds of ideas rather than spaces for growth. How do we, as
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Come celebrate our 25th anniversary!
For 25 years, the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) at Northern Illinois University has been fostering academic excellence and curriculum innovation through strong
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Culturally Responsive Teaching
During the early development of higher education in the United States, women were largely excluded from attending colleges and universities. Additionally, African American people were
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The importance of names
By Lindsay Vreeland and Kevin Harris Learning student names and pronouncing them correctly is an important step in helping students feel recognized as individuals and
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Encouraging student curiosity
When students show curiosity towards a course topic, they become more engaged and interested in learning. This curiosity also boosts their motivation, reduces discouragement from
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National Higher Education Teaching Conference 2024
June is an ideal time to gather educators, administrators, policymakers, business leaders, and philanthropists. With summer break underway but fall semester planning still distant, participants
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Ungrading: Decentering grades to enhance student learning
Many people inside and outside of academia seem preoccupied with the specter of “grade inflation.” But, what if instead of grade inflation (or its scary
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Feminist pedagogies inform inclusive STEM teaching
Traditional STEM teaching has a persistent predicament of exclusion and inequity. The 2023 Diversity and STEM: Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities report from the
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Strategies for long-term learning success
It’s not a new idea that students need to take an active role in their learning process to learn effectively and retain content over the
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Inclusive group assignments: Fostering teamwork among diverse identities
A survey conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates on behalf of the Association of American Colleges and Universities found that employers believe undergraduate programs
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Equitable, non-traditional grading
Traditional grading methods typically revolve around meeting specific criteria to obtain a grade. For instance, the conventional 0-100% scale aligned with the A-F system is
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Supporting AI Use for Teaching and Learning
The following update was shared by Jason Rhode, associate vice provost for Teaching, Learning, and Digital Education, at the Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and Personnel
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