**ONLINE** From Classroom to Career: Empowering Students with Creative AI Skills for the Future
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Join the third webinar in the Creative Core Series to discover how integrating Adobe Firefly and Creative Cloud into your curriculum can help students build in-demand skills across every major.
Speakers will share:
- Strategies for embedding creative AI tools into diverse academic programs
- Insights into how Adobe micro-credentials and portfolios enhance employability
- Real-world examples of students leveraging Adobe skills to land jobs faster and advance in their careers
Prepare your students for a future defined by innovation, adaptability, and creative leadership. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how your institution can lead the way in shaping tomorrow’s workforce.
If you can't attend live, register anyway and you’ll receive the full recording after the session. This session is managed by Adobe. Register Now!
**NEW - ONLINE** Ask the Expert: Book Chat with Jessamyn Neuhaus, Author of Snafu Edu
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Let’s continue the conversations launched during the Spring 2026, Teaching Effectiveness Institute, Teaching Beyond Perfection: Embracing Challenges, Inspiring Growth. Why do teaching challenges happen—and how can we handle them? Join us for an interactive conversation with Dr. Jessamyn Neuhaus, who tackles the inevitable “snafus” of higher education in her book Snafu Edu. This is your chance to ask questions, share experiences, and learn practical strategies for responding to classroom challenges with confidence and creativity. Bring your toughest teaching questions—let’s talk solutions!
In book chats, we read the book so that you don’t have to! NIU members with login credentials can access the e-book free online through the University Library. Advance registration required.
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!
**ONLINE** Pathways of Social Impact: Current Uses at Swarthmore College
Thursday, February 19, 2026 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
The Pathways of Social Impact framework presents a typology designed to help educators better understand and support students’ evolving civic identities and engagement strategies. Each pathway overlaps with multiple other pathways, so that activities falling in one pathway may also exist in another. The Practitioner Profiles acknowledge this interconnectivity while working to clearly articulate the knowledge, skills, and attributes from the perspective of each pathway. In this session from Campus Compact, we take a closer look at a campus using the Pathways Framework: Swarthmore College. Register Now!
**ONLINE** LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor: Protect the Integrity of Online Tests
Thursday, February 19, 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** Multimedia Accessibility
Thursday, February 19, 2026 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Is your content reaching everyone, even those who may have disabilities or challenges in their learning? In this one-hour workshop, we'll dive into the essentials of multimedia accessibility using tools available to all faculty, students, and staff at NIU. You'll learn simple, practical strategies for creating media presentations accessible for all learners. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
Open Classroom Weeks - Rana Jaber (Online)
Monday, February 23, 2026 from 8:00 AM to 11:59 PM
Online Observation Anytime 2/22 - 2/27
Open Classroom Weeks is a program that provides you with the opportunity to sit in on a colleague's course or a co-curricular learning event. Participating in Open Classroom Weeks is an opportunity to learn new approaches to teaching and make connections across disciplines. Unlike peer observation for tenure and promotion, the focus is on learning as opposed to critiquing. This is an asynchronous online course that you will be able to access in Blackboard.
Register Now!
Open Classroom Weeks - Jamie Mayer
Monday, February 23, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 10:50 AM
Open Classroom Weeks is a program that provides you with the opportunity to sit in on a colleague's course or a co-curricular learning event. Participating in Open Classroom Weeks is an opportunity to learn new approaches to teaching and make connections across disciplines. Unlike peer observation for tenure and promotion, the focus is on learning as opposed to critiquing. Jamie Mayer uses a multimodal approach to teaching and learning.
Register Now!
Open Classroom Weeks - Kimberly Gatz
Monday, February 23, 2026 from 11:00 AM to 12:15 PM
Open Classroom Weeks is a program that provides you with the opportunity to sit in on a colleague's course or a co-curricular learning event. Participating in Open Classroom Weeks is an opportunity to learn new approaches to teaching and make connections across disciplines. Unlike peer observation for tenure and promotion, the focus is on learning as opposed to critiquing. This is a general education course that is skills-based.
Register Now!
**NEW - ONLINE** NAVIGATE: Midterm Progress Reporting: Help Students Stay on Track
Monday, February 23, 2026 from 2:15 PM to 3:00 PM
Help your students stay on track at midterm with a quick overview of NIU’s Midterm Progress Reports
This Navigate Learning Session will show you how to submit reports, what concerns to flag, and how your feedback triggers coordinated outreach from advising and student success teams. Identifying concerns at midterm allows NIU to re‑engage students while there’s still time for them to succeed. The session will also share key trends from prior terms to show how midterm reporting supports student progress and course completion.
Topics Included:
- How to access and complete Midterm Progress Reports in Navigate
- What concerns to report (e.g., attendance, missing work, low performance)
- What happens after your alerts are posted in Navigate Staff
- How midterm feedback drives timely outreach from advising and student success teams
- Results and insights from prior midterm campaigns, including student response patterns and alert trends
Register Now!
Open Classroom Weeks - James Cohen
Tuesday, February 24, 2026 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Open Classroom Weeks is a program that provides you with the opportunity to sit in on a colleague's course or a co-curricular learning event. Participating in Open Classroom Weeks is an opportunity to learn new approaches to teaching and make connections across disciplines. Unlike peer observation for tenure and promotion, the focus is on learning as opposed to critiquing. James Cohen is known for his inclusive teaching approaches.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor: Protect the Integrity of Online Tests
Tuesday, February 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!
Open Classroom Weeks - Jamie Mayer
Wednesday, February 25, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 10:50 AM
Open Classroom Weeks is a program that provides you with the opportunity to sit in on a colleague's course or a co-curricular learning event. Participating in Open Classroom Weeks is an opportunity to learn new approaches to teaching and make connections across disciplines. Unlike peer observation for tenure and promotion, the focus is on learning as opposed to critiquing. Jamie Mayer uses a multimodal approach to teaching and learning.
Register Now!
Open Classroom Weeks - Nicole Clifton
Wednesday, February 25, 2026 from 11:00 AM to 12:15 PM
Open Classroom Weeks is a program that provides you with the opportunity to sit in on a colleague's course or a co-curricular learning event. Participating in Open Classroom Weeks is an opportunity to learn new approaches to teaching and make connections across disciplines. Unlike peer observation for tenure and promotion, the focus is on learning as opposed to critiquing. Nicole Clifton is teaching a course on the Technologies of the Word; this session is hands-on in the BookLab.
Register here (Waiting List Only)
**ONLINE** Creating Podcasts with Adobe’s AI Powered Tools
Thursday, February 26, 2026 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Adobe Podcast is an online platform which simplifies podcast creation and editing using AI-powered tools. Allowing users to record, transcribe, edit, and enhance audio directly in their browser. This makes podcasting easier by offering features like speech enhancement, text-based editing, and collaboration tools. This workshop will cover how to engage faculty and students with their educational content by leveraging audio podcasts. As part of NIU’s Adobe License, NIU faculty, staff, and students now have access to the Adobe Podcast online tools. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Blackboard Communication Tools
Tuesday, March 3, 2026 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Communication is a critical element of a successful course, and Blackboard Ultra Course View has a wealth of tools to facilitate building community, encouraging academic discussion, and fostering interaction with and between your students. In this session, you will be introduced to the asynchronous and synchronous tools available in the Blackboard Ultra Course View, including discussions, announcements, conversations, messages and web conferencing. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Supporting Neurodiverse Students in the Classroom
Wednesday, March 4, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
The number of students diagnosed with neurodivergent conditions has increased significantly in the last decade, which means that traditional methods of teaching and grading may not be the most effective ways for students to learn. This workshop is designed for educators to enhance their understanding of neurodiversity and learn practical skills that will help create an inclusive learning environment for neurodiverse students. Together, we will think critically about the varying needs of neurodiverse students and how we can create environments that support their learning instead of overlooking or punishing them. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**IN PERSON** Presidential Teaching Professor Seminar: Dr. Mylan Engel, Philosophy
Thursday, March 5, 2026 from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM
The Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning and the Office of the Provost are delighted to announce the Spring 2026 Presidential Teaching Seminar, featuring Presidential Teaching Professor Dr. Mylan Engel, one of NIU’s inspiring and transformational educators. This is a fantastic opportunity to hear from a faculty member whose courses students describe as “life‑changing”—and whose approach to teaching continues to shape futures both inside and outside the classroom.
Join us at 11:30 a.m. for informal conversations with Dr. Engel and colleagues. Then, stay for a compelling, energizing seminar that will challenge your thinking about student engagement, intellectual development, and the power of reflective teaching.
About Dr. Mylan Engel
Dr. Mylan Engel, Jr. is a Professor of Philosophy who has been inspiring NIU students for more than two decades. A Presidential Teaching Professor, he is celebrated for making philosophy both accessible and deeply relevant. Through rigorous yet inviting Socratic inquiry, Dr. Engel encourages students to examine their beliefs and values, helping them develop the critical thinking and self‑reflection needed for academic and personal growth.
Why You Should Attend
This seminar offers a chance to learn from one of NIU’s thoughtful and inspiring Presidential Teaching Professors. Dr. Engel’s insights into critical thinking, student transformation, and the purpose of higher education will leave you motivated, energized, and equipped with new strategies for your own teaching or student support work.
No registration is required. Bring your lunch, bring a colleague, and join us!
We look forward to seeing you!
Walk-In, No Registration Required
**ONLINE** Using Blackboard Ally to Support Accessibility in Your Course
Thursday, March 5, 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.
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!
**ONLINE** Teaching Digital Literacy with Adobe Express: Memes
Tuesday, March 17, 2026 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 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 investigate the use of memes in education and learn how to create memes easily using the tools in Adobe Express. Advanced registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Improving PDF Accessibility
Tuesday, March 17, 2026 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
PDFs are everywhere in our courses, but too often they create hidden barriers for students who use screen readers or other assistive technologies. The good news is that a few simple fixes can make a big difference. In this workshop, we’ll explore easy, practical steps you can take with the tools you already have to improve PDF accessibility. You’ll learn how to check if your PDFs are readable, add tags, adjust reading order, and include headings and alt text. Join us to discover how small changes now can help ensure all students can fully engage with your course materials. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Inclusive Group Work: Fostering Teamwork among Diverse Identities
Wednesday, March 18, 2026 from 3:00 PM to 4:00 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!
**ONLINE** Energizing Minds: Strategies for Boosting Cognitive Engagement in the Classroom
Thursday, March 19, 2026 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Cognitive engagement is the mental effort students invest in mastering content, creating an inspiring and dynamic classroom. It embodies perseverance, reflection, and sharing insights that ignite a passion for learning. Join our workshop to discover techniques that enhance cognitive engagement and build a vibrant classroom community. Secure your spot today and inspire your students to reach their full potential! Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Best Practices for Synchronous Online Sessions
Monday, March 23, 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!
**ONLINE** Improving Accessibility in Microsoft Word
Tuesday, March 24, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Ensure every student can fully engage with your course materials. In this hands-on workshop, you'll explore practical strategies for making Word documents accessible to all learners, including those who use screen readers. By the end of the session, you'll be able to use Word’s built-in Accessibility Checker effectively and apply best practices for formatting and designing documents. Join us to enhance your document design skills and create a more inclusive learning environment for everyone. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Teaching Multilingual Learners: Lowering Barriers to Success
Wednesday, March 25, 2026 from 3:00 PM to 4:00 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** Media Management Strategies
Thursday, March 26, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
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** Motivating Students to Engage with Assigned Readings
Monday, March 30, 2026 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
It's a common challenge: students often come to class without having completed the assigned readings, which can limit their ability to fully engage in discussion and activities. In this workshop, we will discuss ways to encourage students to read through activities, differing modalities, and methods of accountability. Whether you teach a reading-intensive course or incorporate reading as part of a broader curriculum, this workshop will offer strategies to help motivate students to complete their assigned readings and engage more deeply with course materials. Advance registration required.
Register Now!
**ONLINE** Technology Driven Formative Assessment
Tuesday, March 31, 2026 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Formative assessment is a planned, ongoing process used to gather evidence of student understanding and progress. Its primary goal is to inform instruction and improve student learning outcomes by identifying areas where students struggle and adjusting teaching strategies accordingly. In this session, we will explore how digital tools from Blackboard, Kaltura, Adobe, and Microsoft can help you gauge student understanding in real-time. Join us to explore innovative ways to check student comprehension, foster engagement, and tailor your instruction to meet diverse learning needs. Advance registration required.
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!
**ONLINE** Pathways of Social Impact: Theoretical, Empirical, and Critical Reflections
Tuesday, April 14, 2026 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
The Pathways of Social Impact framework presents a typology designed to help educators better understand and support students’ evolving civic identities and engagement strategies. Each pathway overlaps with multiple other pathways, so that activities falling in one pathway may also exist in another. The Practitioner Profiles acknowledge this interconnectivity while working to clearly articulate the knowledge, skills, and attributes from the perspective of each pathway. In this session from Campus Compact, we reflect on the theoretical, empirical, and critical implications of the pathways framework. Register Now!
