**ONLINE** Using Blackboard Ally to Support Accessibility in Your Course
Tuesday, June 23, 2026 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Blackboard Ally is a powerful tool for providing your students with more accessible content. NIU is full of diverse students with unique learning abilities, and Ally allows students more choice in a format that works best for them. The best part is that this is done automatically. In this workshop, you will discover how Blackboard Ally generates alternative formats for students to download and gives instructors feedback on how to improve their courses accessibility. We will also discuss some other practical strategies for incorporating Universal Design for Learning principles in your course. Advance registration required.
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**ONLINE** LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor: Protect the Integrity of Online Tests
Wednesday, June 24, 2026 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 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 session provides a detailed demonstration of both applications, including enhancements that make Respondus Monitor even more effective and easy to use. Workshop is led by staff from Respondus. Register Now!
**ONLINE** Using the NIU Quality Essentials to Plan and Evaluate Your Online Course
Wednesday, June 24, 2026 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Online learners are resilient, persistent, self-directed learners, but you have an important role to play in helping them be successful. In this workshop, we'll identify and discuss research based standards (NIU Quality Essentials) to enhance your course design. Whether you're developing a course or interested in assessing an existing structure, you can explore the key components that will enhance any online learning space. Advance registration required.
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**ONLINE** Creating Inclusive Classrooms: Strategies for Equitable Learning Environments
Friday, June 26, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
When we create inclusive learning environments, all of our students can be more successful. This includes examining our policies and classroom management strategies to accommodate diverse learning needs. In this interactive workshop, we will use case studies and group activities to implement practices that ensure all students feel valued and supported. Advance registration required.
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**IN PERSON** Create Engaging Content in the Digital Media Studio
Wednesday, July 8, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
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 Collaborate, 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.
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**ONLINE** Managing the Online Teaching Workload
Thursday, July 9, 2026 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
We often tell students that they need to be organized to manage their workload when they take an online course. But, it is even more important for you to manage your own time when teaching an online course. The lack of pre-defined, scheduled class times, combined with navigating the tools for online grading and communication can make it feel overwhelming. This workshop will introduce you to some strategies for keeping up with the course, techniques that can save you time, and best practices to manage student expectations of you, including some simple suggestions for saving time and increasing your efficiency. Advance registration required.
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**ONLINE** Creating an Equitable Classroom with Student Reflections
Friday, July 10, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
When used intentionally, reflections allow students to engage in critical thinking, develop metacognitive skills, communicate their needs, and deepen their understanding. Instructors can create a more equitable environment with the information that reflections provide. This equity can be achieved by valuing students' perspectives and addressing their needs through course content adjustments, assignment revisions, and personalized support. In this workshop, we will explore the benefits of reflective practices for both students and instructional faculty. We will also examine instances where reflection can be used as a tool to gather student feedback and provide support. Advance registration required.
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**ONLINE** Teaching Digital Literacy with Adobe Express
Thursday, July 16, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
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 create a self-portrait for course use, learning to generate customized content. Discover how to easily supplement your instructional materials with suitable images. Advance registration required.
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**ONLINE** Top Hat Summer Camp, Week 2: Teaching for Thinking in the Age of AI
Thursday, July 16, 2026 from 12:00 PM to 2:30 PM
Explore how educators can design meaningful learning experiences that promote deeper thinking in the age of AI. This event highlights creative, open-ended assignments that give students greater ownership of their learning, practical approaches for developing AI guidelines with students, and strategies for using chatbots, simulations, interactive games, video assessments, and adaptive practice to help students reason, reflect, and apply concepts in authentic ways.
Agenda:
- 12:00-1:00 - Students as Producers: Creative Assignments for Deep Learning, Dr. Derek Bruff, University of Virginia
- 1:15-2:00 - Designing More Engaging Learning with AI, Dr. Demian Hommel, Oregon State University, and Dr. Ross Avilla, University of California, Merced
- 2:00-2:30 - Teaching for Thinking (Activation Session), Clare Castro and Harleen Dhami, Top Hat
This event is organized by Top Hat. Register Now!
**ONLINE** Empowering Self-Directed Learners: Strategies for Academic Success and Lifelong Skills
Wednesday, July 22, 2026 from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Have you ever paused to think about what sets successful students apart from those who struggle? What if we could create classrooms that truly empower every learner and foster students' agency, making education meaningful and inclusive? By mastering self-directed learning skills, students can grow into their potential and confidently steer their own educational journeys. Join us for a discussion of practical strategies designed to help self-directed learners not only excel academically but also cultivate essential skills that will serve them for life. Advance registration required.
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**ONLINE** Calculating Overall Grades with Blackboard Ultra Gradebook
Thursday, July 30, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
In the Blackboard Ultra course view, the Gradebook is a useful tool for tracking student grades and helping students understand their progress throughout the semester on individual assessments, but it can also efficiently calculate an overall grade on an ongoing basis, as well as a final grade. The overall grade is visible to students on the Grades page in the base navigation and provides students with a sense of their current performance. At the end of the semester, NIU faculty can then use the Grade Submission tool to publish grades from the Gradebook directly to MyNIU, saving even more time. In this online workshop, we will discuss how to calculate overall grades, including how to use the weighted total feature, share best practices, and answer questions about specific grading systems. Advance registration required.
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Fall 2026 Teaching Effectiveness Institute - Designing for Access: UDL, Accessibility, and Inclusive Course Design
Thursday, August 13, 2026 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Accessibility at NIU is more than compliance—it reflects a core commitment to inclusive excellence and student success. By intentionally designing courses that anticipate and remove barriers, we create learning environments where all students, regardless of ability, background, or learning preference, can fully engage and thrive.
This interactive institute explores how accessibility and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) work together to support effective, student‑centered teaching. You will examine practical approaches that make learning more flexible, engaging, and equitable for everyone. Learn more at citl.niu.edu/fall-tei
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