**ONLINE** Perusall Academy: Activate
Monday, September 21, 2026 from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Get started and build your course with the basics to set up for the term. The Activate training session is designed for those just starting with Perusall or those who want a refresher of the basics.
You'll learn how to:
- Set up your course step-by-step
- Connect Perusall to your LMS
- Add and organize course materials
- Create your first assignments
- Customize your course for accessibility and a personalized experience
Our
interactive, hands-on sessions led by our Learning & Engagement team to help you make the most of Perusall in your courses. All instructors are invited to join.
Can't join live? Register anyway and we'll send you the recording and the Perusall sandbox course. Workshop is led by staff from Perusall. Register Now!
**ONLINE** LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor: Protect the Integrity of Online Tests
Tuesday, September 22, 2026 from 11:00 AM to 11:45 AM
This comprehensive training webinar is intended for faculty who are interested in using LockDown Browser and/or Respondus Monitor to promote academic integrity for their online exams. The training will cover LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor, the student experience with each application, efficient assessment data review, and best practices for successful implementation. Can't attend? Register anyway and they'll send you the recording. Workshop is led by staff from Respondus. Register Now!
**NEW - ONLINE** Building Student Assessments with Adobe Express
Tuesday, September 22, 2026 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Explore Adobe Express, a versatile digital design tool now available to all NIU faculty, staff, and students. This all-in-one solution covers image generation, photo and video editing, web design, posters, presentations, animations, and more, enhanced by generative AI. With hundreds of templates to inspire creativity, Adobe Express addresses the need for accessible digital tools in education. In this hands-on workshop, participants will draft ideas for building student assessments for individual and group projects. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Perusall Academy: Innovate
Wednesday, September 23, 2026 from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Learn more about advanced assignments, engagement, and grouping to customize your course. Each Innovate session includes a 30-minute overview on grouping followed by a special topic.
In this Innovate session, you'll learn how to:
- Create student groups for flexible collaboration
- Design Peer review assignments
- Set up autoscoring and scoring templates for all review-based assignments
Our interactive, hands-on sessions led by our Learning & Engagement team to help you make the most of Perusall in your courses. All instructors are invited to join.
Can't join live? Register anyway and we'll send you the recording and the Perusall sandbox course. Workshop is led by staff from Perusall. Register Now!
**ONLINE** Video-based Assessment Using Kaltura
Wednesday, September 23, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Student produced videos are an effective and engaging way to evaluate students. In addition to demonstrating their learning, video creation provides an opportunity for students to develop their communication, critical thinking, and problem solving skills. In this workshop we will discuss how to use Kaltura, NIU’s video hosting platform, to record and share video content, the benefits of using video-based assessment for formative and summative purposes, and ways to integrate student produced videos into your overall assessment strategy. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Dig Into the Season: Spring Forward: Power User Moves and Advanced Strategies
Wednesday, September 23, 2026 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
What your Yellowdig data is already telling you. A closer look at using analytics to understand what's working, catch what isn't, and scale it across your courses. Workshop led by Yellowdig staff. Register Now!
**ONLINE** Cultivating Student Voices
Wednesday, September 23, 2026 from 3:10 PM to 3:40 PM
In classroom discussions, in assessments, and in their writing and thinking, the student voice seems increasingly threatened. One of the promises of higher education has always been to surface and strengthen each individual's unique voice. What can teachers do to cultivate student voices in the classroom, in course activities, and in assessments? In this webinar, James M. Lang, author of Small Teaching, will explore simple strategies for cultivating and strengthening student voices in classroom discussions, course activities, and assessments. This session is offered by OneHE. Register Now!
**ONLINE** Respondus Monitor: New Features, Fresh Ideas
Thursday, September 24, 2026 from 1:00 PM to 1:30 PM
See the latest enhancements for LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor, including second camera support, handheld device detection, and the use of MS Word and Excel during secure exams. You'll also discover innovative and cost-effective ways these tools are being used for in-class assessments, labs, pop-up testing centers, presentations, and remote proctoring. Can't attend? Register anyway and they'll send you the recording. Workshop is led by staff from Respondus. Register Now!
**ONLINE** Perusall Academy: Elevate
Friday, September 25, 2026 from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Go deeper into analytics and course design for collaborative learning. Each Elevate session includes a 30-minute overview on scoring and AI best practices, followed by a special topic.
In this Elevate session, you'll learn how to:
- Discuss AI best practices and explore academic integrity features
- Add and create Checkpoint prompts or quizzes within a reading, video, or podcast
Our interactive, hands-on sessions led by our Learning & Engagement team to help you make the most of Perusall in your courses. All instructors are invited to join.
Can't join live? Register anyway and we'll send you the recording and the Perusall sandbox course. Workshop is led by staff from Perusall. Register Now!
**ONLINE** EDGE - Understanding Our Incoming Students: Academic Concerns and the Advising Journey
Friday, September 25, 2026 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
For the first session of the Enriching the Design of General Education learning community of the 2026-2027 academic year, join us for a discussion centered on the voices of our incoming freshmen. Using feedback from more than 250 students collected during orientation, we will examine the most common academic concerns students have as they prepare to begin their college experience. The session will also provide an overview of the freshmen academic advising process, highlighting key touchpoints from the first advising meeting through the first semester. Faculty will leave with a clearer understanding of the student experience, the role of advising in promoting success, and strategies on how you can support a smooth transition to NIU in your general education course. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Perusall Academy: Activate
Monday, September 28, 2026 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Get started and build your course with the basics to set up for the term. The Activate training session is designed for those just starting with Perusall or those who want a refresher of the basics.
You'll learn how to:
- Set up your course step-by-step
- Connect Perusall to your LMS
- Add and organize course materials
- Create your first assignments
- Customize your course for accessibility and a personalized experience
Our
interactive, hands-on sessions led by our Learning & Engagement team to help you make the most of Perusall in your courses. All instructors are invited to join.
Can't join live? Register anyway and we'll send you the recording and the Perusall sandbox course. Workshop is led by staff from Perusall. Register Now!
**ONLINE** Empowering First Generation Students, Transforming Lives
Tuesday, September 29, 2026 from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Over half of our first-year Huskies are pioneering their family's college journey, bringing with them rich cultural wealth, diverse perspectives, and remarkable resilience. As educators, we have the extraordinary opportunity to transform these trailblazers' academic experience and create a lasting impact that reverberates across generations. In this workshop, discover how to harness the strengths and lived experiences of our first-generation students while building an inclusive learning environment where all students thrive. Together, we'll explore evidence-based strategies that empower students to take charge of their success. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor: Protect the Integrity of Online Tests
Wednesday, September 30, 2026 from 12:00 PM to 12:45 PM
This comprehensive training webinar is intended for faculty who are interested in using LockDown Browser and/or Respondus Monitor to promote academic integrity for their online exams. The training will cover LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor, the student experience with each application, efficient assessment data review, and best practices for successful implementation. Can't attend? Register anyway and they'll send you the recording. Workshop is led by staff from Respondus. Register Now!
**ONLINE** Perusall Academy: Innovate
Wednesday, September 30, 2026 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Learn more about advanced assignments, engagement, and grouping to customize your course. Each Innovate session includes a 30-minute overview on grouping followed by a special topic.
In this Innovate session, you'll learn how to:
- Create student groups for flexible collaboration
- Design Fishbowl and Instructor-review assignments
Our interactive, hands-on sessions led by our Learning & Engagement team to help you make the most of Perusall in your courses. All instructors are invited to join.
Can't join live? Register anyway and we'll send you the recording and the Perusall sandbox course. Workshop is led by staff from Perusall. Register Now!
**ONLINE** Student Collaboration with Blackboard Groups
Thursday, October 1, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Student group work can be an effective component in meeting and enhancing your course objectives. Unfortunately, the logistics of forming, supporting, and assessing groups can also present significant challenges. In this workshop, we will explore the group features in the Blackboard Ultra Course View and discuss related tools and strategies in order to address some of the more common difficulties when working with groups. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Perusall Academy: Elevate
Friday, October 2, 2026 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Go deeper into analytics and course design for collaborative learning. Each Elevate session includes a 30-minute overview on scoring and AI best practices, followed by a special topic.
In this Elevate session, you'll learn how to:
- Discuss AI best practices and explore academic integrity features
- Use and implement advanced features in your course library, assignments, commenting, scoring, and chats
Our interactive, hands-on sessions led by our Learning & Engagement team to help you make the most of Perusall in your courses. All instructors are invited to join.
Can't join live? Register anyway and we'll send you the recording and the Perusall sandbox course. Workshop is led by staff from Perusall. Register Now!
**ONLINE** What Do We Actually Know? Teaching and Connecting in the Age of AI
Monday, October 5, 2026 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
From student assignments to instructor feedback, AI can now generate
much of what we see in an online course. But when everything looks
polished, what do we actually know? Are students learning? Are faculty
connecting? Or are we mistaking polished output for meaningful
engagement? For early-college online students, that distinction can
determine whether confusion is recognized, support is sought, and
persistence is possible. In this session, Jean Mandernach, Ph.D. Executive Director of the Center for Innovation in Research on Teaching and the Center for Educational Technology and Learning Advancement at Grand Canyon University, examines how AI is changing what
faculty can see about learning, how students experience connection, and
where instructors bring distinctive value. Participants will explore
when AI strengthens access and engagement, when it obscures learning or
creates distance, and how to decide what to automate, what to redesign,
and what still depends on human judgment and relationship. Workshop is part of The unDistance Learning Conference 2026, hosted by Georgia State University. Register Now!
**ONLINE** Principles and Practices for AI-Aware Teaching in Online Courses
Tuesday, October 6, 2026 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
With generative AI making its way into all manner of domains, educators
have a role to play in teaching students how to use AI effectively and
ethically, as well as when to avoid using it altogether. In this
session, Dr. Derek Bruff, Associate Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at University of Virginia, will explore AI-aware teaching choices that support learning
when AI tools are just a tab away, from thoughtful AI integration to
well-placed AI-resistant tasks. We’ll pay particular attention to the
assessment challenges of online courses and consider promising practices
helping students show their thinking, not just their final products. Workshop is part of The unDistance Learning Conference 2026, hosted by Georgia State University. Register Now!
**ONLINE** Connecting with Remote Students: Using MS Education for Online Meetings and More
Tuesday, October 6, 2026 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Connecting with your students remotely is a great way to extend your reach and engagement with them. Whether you are teaching fulling online, hybrid, or using virtual meetings for office hours, you will want to have confidence using these new tools in your course. This workshop will cover adding Microsoft Education to your course, and you will learn to integrate Meetings, Teams, and Class Notebooks in courses. (We will also include how to add Zoom meetings in your Blackboard course.) Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Dig Into the Season: Summer Refresh: A First Look at New Features and Future Horizons
Wednesday, October 7, 2026 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
What's new in Yellowdig, and what's coming next. A first look at the newest features and the roadmap ahead, so you can plan your next term with the latest tools in hand. Workshop led by Yellowdig staff. Register Now!
**ONLINE** Quinncia Platform Walkthrough & Training
Wednesday, October 7, 2026 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
Discover how Quinncia can help students put their best foot forward!
Quinncia is an AI-powered career-readiness platform that helps students build stronger resumes, practice AI interviews, strengthen their LinkedIn presence, and develop the confidence and skills they need to succeed in today’s job market.
Join us for an interactive tour of the Quinncia platform where we’ll explore key features, share best practices, and show you how to make the most of the tools available to your students. We’ll wrap up with a live Q&A so you can get answers to your questions and leave feeling confident using Quinncia.
Come explore, learn, and see what Quinncia can do! Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor: Protect the Integrity of Online Tests
Wednesday, October 7, 2026 from 1:00 PM to 1:45 PM
This comprehensive training webinar is intended for faculty who are interested in using LockDown Browser and/or Respondus Monitor to promote academic integrity for their online exams. The training will cover LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor, the student experience with each application, efficient assessment data review, and best practices for successful implementation. Can't attend? Register anyway and they'll send you the recording. Workshop is led by staff from Respondus. Register Now!
**ONLINE** The AI Education Survival Guide: Thriving in Changing Times… Together
Wednesday, October 7, 2026 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
In this session, Mikhael Loo, AI Integration Specialist for the Office of Innovative Technologies at University of Tennessee, Knoxville, offers a candid, joyful, and deeply humanizing
exploration of how faculty and students can navigate this shift as
allies. For decades, education relied on the final artifact—the written
essay or finished project—as proof that learning took place. Now that AI
can instantly generate that output, we are challenged to re-examine how
mental models, foundational skills, and human agency are truly built. Grounded in an intimate, visual “field guide” framework, this talk
bridges the gap between faculty and students through shared empathy,
radical self-worth, and productive learning friction. By anchoring our
work in real human audiences and legitimate needs, we restore purpose,
empathetic discernment, and genuine motivation to the learning journey. Workshop is part of The unDistance Learning Conference 2026, hosted by Georgia State University. Register Now!
**ONLINE** Bridging AI and OER: Curating, Adapting, and Creating Open Educational Resources
Wednesday, October 7, 2026 from 3:10 PM to 3:40 PM
Emerging research provides compelling evidence that Open Educational Resources (OER) can contribute to student success, moving the conversation beyond affordability to their potential impact on learning, persistence, and completion. At the same time, finding, adapting, and developing high-quality OER can require significant faculty time and effort. Join Vincent Granito, Professor of Psychology, Lorain County Community College, USA, who will explore how generative AI can help reduce those barriers and support faculty across three stages of OER development: Curate—finding and evaluating existing resources; Adapt—customising and improving OER for specific courses and students; Create—using AI to assist in developing new content, activities, and supporting materials. Participants will leave with practical strategies for combining the openness of OER with the capabilities of AI to create more accessible, relevant, and engaging learning experiences. This webinar will be recorded. If you're unable to attend the live session, please register anyway to ensure you receive access to the recording afterward. This session is offered by OneHE. Register Now!
**ONLINE** Blackboard Assessment Tools to Measure Student Achievement
Thursday, October 8, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Blackboard Ultra offers instructors a variety of useful options for online assessment. Each tool can incorporate text, images, and multimedia into your assessments and student work is automatically available in gradebook for easy grading and feedback. In this workshop, you will have the opportunity to learn effective practices for using assignments, tests and graded discussions to measure student achievement. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Creating Presence at a Distance: Humor, Video, and Human Connection in the Online Classroom
Thursday, October 8, 2026 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Psychology professor Steve Ross of Mid Michigan College will share how he designed his online
courses with one major goal: helping students feel that someone is
genuinely teaching them. Drawing on educational research and examples
from his own courses, Steve will share strategies for creating
meaningful instructor presence through humor and intentional course
design. He will showcase welcome videos, weekly announcements,
talk-show-style lectures, humorous multimedia, and other techniques he
uses to humanize online learning, increase engagement, and build
stronger connections with students. Steve hopes attendees will leave
with practical ideas to make their own online courses feel more
personal, engaging, and welcoming. Workshop is part of The unDistance Learning Conference 2026, hosted by Georgia State University. Register Now!
**ONLINE** Navigating Tensions: Effective Strategies for Managing Hot Moments in the Classroom
Friday, October 9, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
This workshop is designed to provide educators with practical tools and strategies for managing emotionally charged and tense situations in the classroom. Together, we will explore effective ways to prepare your students for challenging conversations and learn how to intervene and de-escalate heated moments, fostering a supportive and inclusive learning environment. We will also discuss ways to promote empathy and understanding in the classroom, encouraging students to listen to diverse viewpoints shaped by different cultural, social, and personal backgrounds. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Media Management Strategies
Wednesday, October 14, 2026 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Discover best practices for storing and backing up your valuable media files, and don't let a technical glitch erase your hard work. How you store and back up your media files is an important digital literacy skillset. In this workshop, you will learn strategies to organize, secure, and preserve your digital content. We'll explore efficient file management techniques, compare cloud and local storage options, and provide hands-on demonstrations. You'll also gain insights into NIU's file storage and retention policies. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Inclusive Group Work: Fostering Teamwork among Diverse Identities
Thursday, October 15, 2026 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Collaborating effectively is an essential skill for achieving success in the workplace. Collaborative projects help students develop important interpersonal skills, such as communication and conflict resolution. Nevertheless, some students may feel uneasy working alongside others who have different backgrounds and perspectives. To foster trust and establish belonging, students need to comprehend their role within the group and how they can contribute to achieving its goals. This workshop will help you identify the characteristics of inclusive and collaborative group assignments and examine fair, equitable grading practices for group projects. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**NEW - ONLINE** AI for Program Level Assessment Planning Support
Tuesday, October 20, 2026 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Register to learn how to access and use AI tools that can support brainstorming, drafting, and revising learning outcomes, curriculum maps, assessment methods and rubrics. (Please note that we will focus on program level processes, but these tools can also be applied to classroom level assessment processes.) Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Best Practices for Synchronous Online Sessions
Tuesday, October 20, 2026 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Discover strategies to create engaging and effective synchronous online course sessions. Learn new ways to facilitate active learning, foster student interactions, and manage the unique dynamics of real-time online instruction. By the end of this session, you’ll feel prepared to design and deliver synchronous sessions that promote deeper student engagement and collaboration. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**IN PERSON** Create Engaging Content in the Digital Media Studio
Wednesday, October 21, 2026 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
CITL's Digital Media Studio features two innovative technologies designed to help you create engaging and effective video presentations and require minimum training or help. The One Button Video Studio allows you to create high quality videos with studio lighting, custom backgrounds, and presentation overlays. The Lightboard can be used to create recorded videos featuring handwritten presentation content, and unlike a classroom whiteboard, the Lightboard allows users to face their audience. The Lightboard can also host live sessions using Microsoft Teams or Zoom. In this face-to-face workshop, you will be introduced to tools and techniques that will engage your students with dynamic video content. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Guardrails, Not Gotchas: AI Ethics, Practice, and Policy That Support Real Learning
Wednesday, October 21, 2026 from 3:10 PM to 3:40 PM
Generative AI has become a standard part of student learning workflows, but most institutional policies and practices have struggled to keep pace. This session examines two interconnected challenges: building AI governance frameworks that are transparent, defensible, and practically usable by faculty and staff; and ensuring those frameworks do not entrench existing inequities in access, surveillance, and due process. Drawing on recent litigation, USA national survey data, and practitioner-developed tools, participants will leave with concrete approaches to policy design and classroom practice. This webinar will be facilitated by Christian Moriarty is a Professor of Ethics and Law at St. Petersburg College, the Ethics & Governance chair of the Florida Artificial Intelligence Learning Consortium (FALCON), and a director and treasurer of the International Center for Academic Integrity (ICAI) in the United States of America. This webinar will be recorded. If you're unable to attend the live session, please register anyway to ensure you receive access to the recording afterward. This session is offered by OneHE. Register Now!
**ONLINE** Improving PDF Accessibility
Thursday, October 22, 2026 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
PDFs are commonly used as course materials, but too often they create hidden barriers for students who use screen readers or other assistive technologies (note that PDFs are no longer permitted on NIU websites). While they can be difficult to make accessible, a few fixes can make a big difference. In this workshop, we’ll explore practical steps you can take to improve the accessibility of PDFs in your courses. You’ll learn how to check if your PDFs are readable, add tags, adjust reading order, and include headings and alt text. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** EDGE - Beyond Compliance: Accommodations that Foster Access and Student Success in General Education
Friday, October 23, 2026 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
General education courses serve students with a wide range of abilities, backgrounds, and learning needs. Moving beyond a compliance-centered perspective, this presentation explores how accommodations contribute to student success, engagement, and retention. This session examines the purpose of accommodations, clarifies faculty responsibilities, and offers guidance for implementing accommodations effectively. This is the second session of the Enriching the Design of General Education learning community for the 2026-2027 academic year. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**NEW - ONLINE** AI for Program Level Assessment Data Analysis and Decision-making Support
Tuesday, October 27, 2026 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Register to learn how to access and use AI tools to support making sense of how to use data gained from assessments of program level student learning outcomes. AI can't do the thinking for you, but it could help you facilitate conversations with colleagues in your department: better ways to present data, potential explanations to think about, next steps they might consider. (Please note that we will focus on program level processes, but these tools may be helpful making sense of classroom level assessment data as well.) Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Teaching Multilingual Learners: Lowering Barriers to Success
Tuesday, October 27, 2026 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
In a globalized higher education system, institutions must support multilingual learners by addressing language barriers and unfamiliar academic norms. This workshop aims to help educators support multilingual learners by addressing cultural nuances and language barriers. It will cover strategies for success, including instructional techniques and the use of digital literacy and AI for inclusion. Additionally, the workshop will discuss ethical considerations and challenges of using AI and technology to democratize English for multilingual learners. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Making Community Engagement Count: Promotion and Tenure Lessons From Recently Promoted Scholars
Wednesday, October 28, 2026 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Navigating promotion and tenure expectations can sometimes feel daunting for community-engaged scholars. In this webinar, recently promoted or tenured faculty will share practical insights from their own journeys, including strategies for documenting community-engaged scholarship, demonstrating impact, building a strong promotion dossier, and balancing institutional expectations with authentic community partnerships. Participants will gain firsthand advice, lessons learned, and actionable tips for making community-engaged work visible, valued, and successful throughout the promotion and tenure process. This session is led by the Engagement Scholarship Consortium (ESC). NIU is an ESC member institution. Register Now!
**ONLINE** Meeting the Needs of Students with Disabilities
Thursday, October 29, 2026 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
When courses aren’t created with students with disabilities in mind, educators may be unprepared for accommodating them. Designing your course with accessible features built-in can help you avoid scrambling to meet students’ needs. Accessible course design also ensures all your students can access content and participate in class without being shamed for their needs. In this workshop, we will discuss how to create accessible course materials and class policies and coursework that consider students’ needs. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Pedagogies of Care… for Whom? Myths and Misunderstandings about Teaching and Instructor Well-Being
Wednesday, November 4, 2026 from 3:10 PM to 3:40 PM
Following the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, the advent of generative AI, threats to higher education from politicians, changing demographics, and the perceived value of higher education, faculty are depleted and demoralized. These challenges are even more impactful for diverse and contingent faculty required to contribute additional, inequitable labor. Some campuses have provided help by offering programming targeting faculty and staff well-being – but much of this can actually hurt more than it helps. In their webinar, Chavella Pittman, Professor of Sociology at Dominican University, USA, and Sarah Rose Cavanagh Associate Professor of Practice in Psychology, and Senior Associate Director for Teaching and Learning at Simmons University, USA, will share thoughts on what many campuses get wrong about the intersection of teaching and well-being (e.g., mental and physical health, workload overload and overwhelm). They will then open the floor to a vibrant conversation with the audience about a path forward that truly values the well-being of both teachers and learners. This webinar will be recorded. If you're unable to attend the live session, please register anyway to ensure you receive access to the recording afterward. This session is offered by OneHE. Register Now!
**ONLINE** Illinois Online Higher Education Symposium
Friday, November 6, 2026 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Join colleagues from across the state of Illinois for the 2026 Illinois Online Higher Education Symposium! This free, one-day virtual conference brings together thought leaders and practitioners with expertise in online teaching and learning to discuss the latest trends in online learning--from pedagogy to technology. All who learn, teach, develop, support, or administer online education are welcome! Learn More and Register Now!
**ONLINE** Ethics, Equity, and Responsible AI Use in Community Engagement
Tuesday, November 10, 2026 from 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM
In this webinar, community engagement researchers will discuss their innovative approaches to responsibly integrating AI tools with their scholarship while maintaining rigorous ethical standards, transparency, and accountability to community partners. This session is led by the Engagement Scholarship Consortium (ESC). NIU is an ESC member institution. Register Now!
**ONLINE** Centering Demonstration of Essential Learning to Streamline Degree Paths: Competency-Based Education & Credit for Prior Learning
Thursday, November 12, 2026 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
As NIU and higher education in general adapt to the needs of current and future university students, competency-based approaches are increasingly being adopted. These approaches can enhance affordability and time-to-degree while focusing on attainment of the most important learning outcomes. High-quality assessment practices are central to the effective implementation of these practices, including granting credit-for-prior learning. Join us for a conversation about trends in the field and a panel of your colleagues implementing these practices at NIU. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Success Strategies for Unpacking Your Community Engagement Work Into Multiple Scholarly Pieces
Friday, December 11, 2026 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Do you have a great service-learning, outreach teaching, community-engaged research, or Extension project and are unsure how to write it up for a peer-reviewed publication? Are you interested in branching out into interdisciplinary community engagement journals? Then this interactive webinar is for you.
Diane Doberneck will focus on what makes publishing community-engaged work different than publishing traditional scholarship, how to incorporate community partner voices, how to unpack a robust project into multiple scholarly pieces, and how to achieve article “fit” with specific journals. She will share additional ideas on how to disseminate your community-engaged scholarship at community engagement-friendly conferences. She will also review several practical writing tools and where to access more writing resources and support. Come away from this webinar with next steps for advancing your writing and publishing success. This session is led by the Engagement Scholarship Consortium (ESC). NIU is an ESC member institution. Register Now!
**ONLINE** Navigating Tensions Between Personal and Institutional Values and Goals in Community-Engaged Scholarship
Monday, January 25, 2027 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Community-engaged scholars often pursue their work with commitments to relationship building, responsiveness to community priorities, reciprocity, and meaningful community impact. At the same time, universities operate within systems that emphasize individual initiative, productivity, efficiency, and metrics that reflect institutional prestige. While these goals may occasionally align, they can also create tensions that require difficult choices and ongoing negotiation. This panel will explore the challenges that arise when personal values, community priorities, and institutional expectations do not fully align. Panelists will share their experiences balancing relationship-centered engagement with academic demands, navigating competing definitions of success, and making decisions when commitments to communities conflict with institutional pressures. Participants will gain insight into strategies for approaching these tensions thoughtfully while remaining grounded in their values and goals. This session is led by the Engagement Scholarship Consortium (ESC). NIU is an ESC member institution. Register Now!
