**ONLINE** VoiceThread Basics 1: Upload, Comment, and Share
Tuesday, November 4, 2025 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
You will learn how to use VoiceThread to upload media, comment and annotate on that media, and share it with others. This will be a slow paced, step-by-step, hands-on workshop. It is led by VoiceThread staff. Register Now!
**ONLINE** Anthology Blackboard: The Exemplary Course Program: What’s New and How to Get Involved
Wednesday, November 5, 2025 from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Join Anthologists, Dr. Misty Cobb and Dr. Lisa Clark, as they introduce the Anthology Exemplary Course Program (ECP). They will highlight the key characteristics of high-quality courses, review the updated ECP rubric, and share practical guidance on building an exemplary course. You’ll also gain a clear understanding of the submission process and how to get involved.
For a course to be considered exemplary, it must meet several quality criteria as per the recently revised Exemplary Course Rubric. Categories of the rubric are Course Design, Interaction and Collaboration, Assessment Design, and Learner Support.
By the end of this session, participants will:
- Be familiar with the updated ECP Rubric
- Have the confidence to apply the rubric to evaluate their own courses
- Understand the submission process.
As this webinar is being offered by Anthology/Blackboard, you will need to register directly with their organization for more information and login details.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Inclusive STEM Teaching: Insights from Student-Centered Pedagogy
Wednesday, November 5, 2025 from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Are you looking to create a more inclusive and empowering classroom environment? Join us for an interactive workshop exploring how feminist teaching approaches can help close the persistent gaps in STEM degree completion, particularly for women and students from underrepresented groups. You'll discover practical strategies to challenge traditional classroom dynamics and create spaces where all students can thrive. We'll explore ways to validate diverse perspectives and learning styles while building supportive learning communities. Whether you're new to these concepts or already incorporating inclusive practices, you'll walk away with concrete tools to promote more equitable outcomes in your teaching. Bring your experiences and questions! Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Recenter, Recharge, Redesign: AI's Role in Student, Faculty and Staff Wellness
Wednesday, November 5, 2025 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
This interactive session explores the intersection of stress and burnout and the potential impact of AI in higher education, bringing together mental health perspectives and wellness strategies. Participants will examine how AI can both relieve and intensify stress, and how unhealthy reliance on AI may have unintended consequences. In this workshop, participants will also consider how AI can serve as both a coping strategy and a potential stress amplifier; brainstorm classroom and support strategies that promote motivation, resilience, and productive AI use to prevent burnout; add simple tools to their own self-care toolkit; and commit to one actionable step they can implement to reduce burnout in their professional context and/or teaching and learning spaces. Workshop is offered by and facilitated by University of Delaware. Register Now!
**ONLINE** LockDown Browser & Respondus Monitor: Prevent Cheating During Online Exams
Wednesday, November 5, 2025 from 1:00 PM to 1:45 PM
LockDown Browser is a custom browser that prevents digital cheating during an online exam. Respondus Monitor is a companion product for LockDown Browser that deters cheating when students take online exams in non- proctored environments. Students use their own computers with a standard webcam to record assessment sessions.
The training will cover:
- How to use LockDown Browser to prevent digital cheating in proctored testing environments
- How to use Respondus Monitor in non-proctored environments, to protect exam integrity and confirm student identity
- The student perspective using each application
- Efficient review of the assessment data collected, including the Review Priority system, timeline, and milestone features
- Best practices and tips for success with both applications
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Student Collaboration with Blackboard Groups
Thursday, November 6, 2025 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** Illinois Online Higher Education Symposium
Friday, November 7, 2025 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Join colleagues from across the state of Illinois for the inaugural 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** Enriching the Design of General Education - November 2025
Friday, November 7, 2025 from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM
The Enriching the Design of General Education (EDGE) initiative supports excellence in general education teaching by fostering a thriving and supportive community of practice among faculty and emphasizing the unique philosophy and practices that define general education courses. This online brown-bag event will be informal - feel free to bring your lunch!
AI is already shaping how students learn, work, and interact with the world—so how can we help them build the skills to use it thoughtfully? In this conversation, we’ll explore ways to bring AI literacy into general education courses, helping students think critically, ask good questions, and prepare for a future where AI is part of nearly every career path.
Register Now!
**NEW - ONLINE** Transformative Teaching: Elevating Student Learning Through Real-World Problem Solving
Tuesday, November 11, 2025 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is an engaging educational approach that immerses students in solving real-world problems. It revolves around three key components:
1. Real-World Problems: Students address a challenging issue without a straightforward solution.
2. Collaborative Learning: Teams work together, building communication, teamwork and problem-solving skills.
3. Self-Directed Inquiry: Students take charge of their learning, fostering curiosity and critical thinking.
Together, these elements deepen understanding and prepare students for the complexities of life beyond the classroom. Advance registration required. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Maximize Benefits of Diversity through Culturally Responsive Teaching in Your Classroom
Wednesday, November 12, 2025 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
This workshop will provide faculty with practical strategies to maximize the benefits of diversity through a culturally responsive teaching framework developed by Geneva Gay. Participants will explore effective ways to create a welcoming environment that recognizes and utilizes their students' diverse cultural, linguistic, and learning backgrounds. The focus will be on culturally responsive practices that affirm students' cultures while promoting positive academic outcomes. Faculty members will leave this workshop with actionable steps to take advantage of diversity in their classrooms. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Using Positionality Statements to Embrace Classroom Diversity
Wednesday, November 12, 2025 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
The diverse experiences, backgrounds, and identities that educators and learners bring to courses enrich discussions, writing, and critical thinking. While objectivity is often a goal in research and analysis, positionality—the way that we understand the world because of our identities and experiences—influences the way that we see the world and our place in it. Positionality statements give us a way to claim these influences, demonstrating that diverse identities bring important perspectives and recognizing the value of lived experience. In this workshop, we will discuss how to create and use positionality statements in our classes. Together, we'll explore how acknowledging identities and using positionality statements empower diverse learners. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Facilitating Group Work Online
Thursday, November 13, 2025 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Group work can be an excellent way to engage students in an online course. When effectively implemented, students working in groups or teams can foster critical thinking and dynamic interaction in an online environment. In this workshop, we will explore different types of group structures, identify the benefits and challenges of group work and discuss how to set up group online. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** LockDown Browser & Respondus Monitor: Prevent Cheating During Online Exams
Friday, November 14, 2025 from 11:00 PM to 11:45 PM
LockDown Browser is a custom browser that prevents digital cheating during an online exam. Respondus Monitor is a companion product for LockDown Browser that deters cheating when students take online exams in non- proctored environments. Students use their own computers with a standard webcam to record assessment sessions.
The training will cover:
- How to use LockDown Browser to prevent digital cheating in proctored testing environments
- How to use Respondus Monitor in non-proctored environments, to protect exam integrity and confirm student identity
- The student perspective using each application
- Efficient review of the assessment data collected, including the Review Priority system, timeline, and milestone features
- Best practices and tips for success with both applications
Register Now!
4th Annual NIU Fix Your Content Day
Tuesday, November 18, 2025 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Join colleagues across NIU for a campus-wide event dedicated to improving digital accessibility and preparing for the new Title II WCAG 2.1 AA compliance standards taking effect in 2026.
From panel discussions to hands-on workshops, this day offers practical strategies to make your digital course content more inclusive—and every fix counts! Fix Your Content Day is part of the global Anthology Ally Accessibility Challenge, where institutions worldwide compete to make the most content fixes in a single day.
Whether you’re revising a syllabus, captioning a video, or reformatting a PDF, each improvement you make through Blackboard Ally contributes to NIU’s progress on the global leaderboard and demonstrates our collective commitment to accessibility.
Register once to participate in the day’s events—morning panel, workshops, or drop-in sessions—or simply join the challenge by making fixes using Ally on November 18. Every edit, large or small, brings us closer to an inclusive digital learning environment for all Huskies. Learn More and
Register Now!
**ONLINE** VoiceThread Basics 2: Groups and Secure Sharing
Tuesday, November 18, 2025 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
You will learn how to create groups and subgroups, set sharing permissions within those groups, and privately share VoiceThreads with individuals. This session is led by VoiceThread staff. Register Now!
**ONLINE** LockDown Browser & Respondus Monitor: Prevent Cheating During Online Exams
Tuesday, November 18, 2025 from 2:00 PM to 2:45 PM
LockDown Browser is a custom browser that prevents digital cheating during an online exam. Respondus Monitor is a companion product for LockDown Browser that deters cheating when students take online exams in non- proctored environments. Students use their own computers with a standard webcam to record assessment sessions.
The training will cover:
- How to use LockDown Browser to prevent digital cheating in proctored testing environments
- How to use Respondus Monitor in non-proctored environments, to protect exam integrity and confirm student identity
- The student perspective using each application
- Efficient review of the assessment data collected, including the Review Priority system, timeline, and milestone features
- Best practices and tips for success with both applications
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Enhancing Career Readiness with Quinncia: A Faculty Workshop for NIU
Thursday, November 20, 2025 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
Join us for an interactive session to explore Quinncia, an AI-powered career readiness platform based on Applicant Tracking Systems. Quinncia is designed to help students build stronger resumes, practice interviews, and improve their confidence when entering the job market. This session will provide an overview of Quinncia’s features, including its AI-driven resume feedback, virtual interview tool, and LinkedIn review, as well as best practices for integrating Quinncia into your courses or career development curriculum. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Supporting LGBTQ+ Students in the Classroom
Friday, November 21, 2025 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
As educators, our effort to support LGBTQ+ students shouldn’t begin and end with acknowledging pronouns and identifying the nearest gender-inclusive bathrooms. Even if the topic of your course doesn’t include identity, LGBTQ+ students benefit when their perspectives are taken into consideration during course development. In this workshop, we will discuss ways to support LGBTQ+ students through class policies, materials, and delivery. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Creating Instructional Videos with Your Mobile Device
Monday, November 24, 2025 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Are you interested in creating your own videos to connect and engage with your students? Instructional videos can be easy to create using your mobile device (like a smartphone) and can be used to deliver content, introduce students to each module, or document a field experience. In this hands-on workshop, we will discuss tips and tricks for creating videos that are both well done and engaging for your students, and practice recording video. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** VoiceThread Basics 3- Moderating Comments, Private and Threaded Replies, and Copying
Tuesday, November 25, 2025 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
In the third workshop in the series, you will learn how to give private feedback, use threaded commenting, copy VoiceThreads for use with multiple groups, and use comment moderation to formatively assess student work. This session is led by VoiceThread staff. Register Now!
**ONLINE** Calculating Overall Grades with Blackboard Ultra Gradebook
Tuesday, November 25, 2025 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
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.
Register Now!
**NEW - ONLINE** Design Made Simple: Enhancing Course Materials with Adobe Express
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Do your course materials capture attention and communicate your message clearly? This hands-on workshop helps faculty explore how Adobe Express can streamline the process of creating course visuals and media. Participants will discover easy ways to build graphics, videos, and short webpages that support student learning and communication. The session emphasizes practical applications, showing how to create new content and how to transform existing course materials into more engaging formats. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Book Chat: Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms
Wednesday, December 3, 2025 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
In our book chats, we read the book so you don’t have to! Join us to discuss Joe Feldman's Grading for Equity, a guide to more accurate, bias-resistant, and motivational grading practices that empower teachers and enhance student learning. We will discuss how traditional grading can be detrimental, especially for underserved students. Let's connect and dive into practical strategies for a more equitable teaching and learning experience. NIU members with login credentials can access the e-book free online through the University Library. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
** ONLINE** Designing a Course: Learning Outcomes, Learning Activities, and Scaffolding Techniques
Thursday, December 4, 2025 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Effective course design begins with creating meaningful learning outcomes. The next step is aligning course activities with the learning outcomes. Incorporating the scaffolding instructional technique to provide students with temporary support while they learn a new concept also strengthens the course design. This workshop will cover strategies for applying course design principles and scaffolding techniques to your course. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Show Your Work with Adobe Express Webpages
Tuesday, December 9, 2025 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Ready to showcase your work and personality online? This hands-on workshop will guide you through the intuitive process of building dynamic and visually appealing webpages using Adobe Express. Learn how to create engaging educational portfolios to highlight your skills and projects, or craft a compelling personal profile page to share your story and connect with others. We'll cover everything from layout design and multimedia integration to sharing your finished webpage with the world. Come discover how Adobe Express can help you make a memorable digital impression. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**IN PERSON** Create Engaging Content in the Digital Media Studio
Wednesday, December 10, 2025 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 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.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Blackboard Office Hours: Calculating and Submitting Final Grades
Thursday, December 11, 2025 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
At the end of the semester, there is a short window to calculate grades and submit them by the due date. The Blackboard Grade Center can help you calculate final grades quickly, and then you can use the Blackboard Grade Submission Tool to publish grades directly to MyNIU, saving time and reducing the opportunity for data entry errors. During this session, staff from the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning will be available for you to ask questions individually about how grades are calculated and how to submit them automatically. And, if you already have grading done, you can submit while you are here! Pop-ins are welcome and advance registration is optional.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Navigating Tensions: Effective Strategies for Managing Hot Moments in the Classroom
Friday, December 12, 2025 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** Using the NIU Quality Essentials to Plan and Evaluate Your Online Course
Wednesday, December 17, 2025 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.
Register Now!
**IN-PERSON** Enriching the Design of General Education - February 2026
Friday, February 6, 2026 from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM
The Enriching the Design of General Education (EDGE) initiative supports excellence in general education teaching by fostering a thriving and supportive community of practice among faculty and emphasizing the unique philosophy and practices that define general education courses. This in-person brown-bag event will be informal - feel free to bring your lunch!
In this session, we will focus on teaching in each of the three knowledge domains. Join us to engage in a lively discussion with faculty who are teaching in the same knowledge domain and to compare success, challenges, and strategies for addressing the same general education outcomes from different disciplines.
Register Now!
**NEW - ONLINE** Community Engagement Brownbag: How to Create a Community Engaged Course
Thursday, February 19, 2026 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
If you're curious about how to get started teaching community engaged courses, join us on February 19, 2026 at noon, when Dr. Alicia Schatteman shares her experiences with community engaged teaching and learning at NIU. Learn about the new NIU community-engaged course designation and find out best practices to build and teach a successful community-engaged course. Register Now!
**IN-PERSON** Enriching the Design of General Education - March 2026
Friday, March 6, 2026 from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM
The Enriching the Design of General Education (EDGE) initiative supports excellence in general education teaching by fostering a thriving and supportive community of practice among faculty and emphasizing the unique philosophy and practices that define general education courses. This in-person brown-bag event will be informal - feel free to bring your lunch!
General education courses provide opportunities for innovation at every turn including exciting topics, bold approaches to teaching, and unexpected perspectives on learning. This session will feature a panel of faculty who have taken new and fascinating approaches to teaching general education courses.
Register Now!
**IN-PERSON** Enriching the Design of General Education - April 2026
Friday, April 3, 2026 from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM
The Enriching the Design of General Education (EDGE) initiative supports excellence in general education teaching by fostering a thriving and supportive community of practice among faculty and emphasizing the unique philosophy and practices that define general education courses. This in-person brown-bag event will be informal - feel free to bring your lunch!
Don't miss this exciting session!
Register Now!
**NEW - ONLINE** Community Engagement Brownbag: Engaged Classrooms, Stronger Research: Expanding Faculty Capacity Through Teaching
Tuesday, April 14, 2026 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
Discover how Professor Melani Duffrin integrates research and teaching — two pillars often viewed separately in academia. Over the lunch hour, we’ll explore how experiential learning can transform your research capacity while providing invaluable experiences for students. This approach not only enhances student learning but also expands your research capabilities, diversifies funding sources and brings fresh perspectives to your work. Register Now!
