technology - 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

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

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

Data monitoring and analysis on desktop, tiny people with magnifying glass research graph

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,

Supporting AI Use for Teaching and Learning

May 9, 2024 CITL News, Newsletter

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

Young woman working on computer with computer algorithms superimposed

Incorporating AI in the classroom ethically

April 30, 2024 Amanda Hirsch Best Practices, Resources, Teaching, Technology Trends, Tips

What do you think of AI? (Redux) In the blog post “Generative-AI-resistant assignments,” we posed the question, “What do you think of AI?” Whether we

Finger holding up glowing light bulb on an open book.

David W. Raymond Award for Use of Technology in Teaching

January 30, 2024 CITL News, Teaching, Technology Trends

Seeking Nominations Calling all classroom innovators! Tenured and tenure-track faculty in all content areas using technology in their classrooms may apply for the David W.

Smiling black professor helping black male student sitting at computer in library

What’s new in Blackboard?

January 30, 2024 Kevin Harris News, Newsletter, Resources, Web Tools

Blackboard continues to release monthly updates and improvements to the Ultra Course View. Many updates originate on the Anthology Idea Exchange, where you can introduce

2023 Faculty and Technology Report Graphic

EDUCAUSE 2023 Faculty and Technology Report

October 3, 2023 Linh Nguyen News, Teaching, Technology Trends

Higher education has changed due to COVID-19, new technologies, public funding, and fluctuating enrollments. How can an institution like NIU best provide instructional and technology

Educause 2023 students and technology report

September 11, 2023 Linh Nguyen Best Practices, News, Resources, Teaching, Tips

What does it mean to be a college student in 2023 when the global pandemic effects are lingering, the cost of higher education is increasing

Should you add an AI policy to your syllabus?

July 31, 2023 CITL Best Practices, Newsletter, Teaching, Tips

What to consider in drafting your own course policy on students’ use of tools like ChatGPT. By Kevin Gannon | July 31, 2023 The Chronicle