Events
Registration for events is now handled through iPeople, unless otherwise specified. When registering from off campus locations, users may be asked to complete Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). Users can see what they have previously registered for and cancel registrations by logging in to this tracking page.
If you have questions about the content of a workshop or need an accommodation to fully participate, please email ProDev@ilstu.edu. If you receive an error message while attempting to register, please contact the Technology Support Center.
Technology Consultations and Courses (New!)
We've recently redesigned our long-standing "Technology Short Courses" offerings, seen on our new Technology Consultations and Courses page. There you can find technology and online teaching workshops (also listed on this page), workshops offered by partner units at Illinois State (for example, Teams and the News.IllinoisState system), and contact information to connect you with experts on various software and teaching tools.
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Browse our Summer Institute 2024 events, organized by the Framework for Inclusive Teaching Excellence (FITE).
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Thriving with Artificial Intelligence
Join us for the final lunch-and-learn event, Opportunities with Disruptive Technologies at ISU, on Friday, May 3. This series is intended for those engaged in teaching or scholarship who are interested in productive and positive discussions about GenAI. Registration is required, and light snacks will be provided.
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Summer Grant Writing Program
Join a cohort of Illinois State peers in an eight-week online experience journey through the basics of the application process to develop competitive grant proposals. Sponsored by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies at ISU in conjunction with University of South Florida.
- Build Confidence in Creating Inclusive Course Materials
- Building Regular and Substantive Interaction into Your Online Courses
- Canvas Tips All Instructors Should Know
- Community Partner Lunch and Learn
- Create Videos Within Canvas
- Effective Practices for Peer Feedback on Teaching
- Engage Your Students with Instructor Video
Summer Institute Workshops
Strategies to Support Student Success in Your STEM Courses
Register by:
Tuesday, May 14
Asynchronous work:
May 17 to May 21
Synchronous sessions:
Thursday, May 16 • 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Friday, May 17 • 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Wednesday, May 22 • 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Location:
Williams Hall 314
Facilitator:
Sarah Boesdorfer, Center for Mathematics, Science, and Technology
Important note: This workshop is funded through a grant from the National Science Foundation and is only open to instructors (including instructional staff and graduate teaching assistants) in the following departments: Agriculture, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Geography, Geology & the Environment, Health Sciences, Information Technology, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, and Technology. Many students struggle to learn and succeed in early STEM courses, but there are some simple, quick, and research-based actions you can take that will improve student learning. Our discussions will begin using the book Teach Students to Learn (you do not have to read it to participate) and extend our explorations to additional research-based sources. We will look at some of the structures, supports, and actions we can put into our courses that will aid all learners to success in STEM. Come learn about the possibilities and develop a ready-to-implement action plan for at least one of your courses in the coming academic year. Participants will receive a voucher for lunch at campus dining facilities on May 16. Registration is required.
A $400 stipend is available to eligible participants who complete the program.
Community Partner Lunch and Learn
Register by:
Monday, May 20
Synchronous sessions:
Tuesday, May 21 • 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Location:
Alumni Center 116
Facilitator:
Dana Karraker, Center for Integrated Professional Development
Paige Buschman, Center for Civic Engagement
Rachel Waring-Sparks, Center for Civic Engagement
Interested in incorporating civic engagement or service learning in your courses? This session can connect you with potential community partners. Join us for a lunch and meet representatives from agencies in town who would like to collaborate with Illinois State instructors and students. At this event, community partners will give a short overview of their programs, services, and needs, and then faculty will have the opportunity to talk with community partners and discuss possibilities. Registration is required.
There is no stipend for this event.
This workshop falls under the AAC&U High-Impact Educational Practices of Service Learning, Community-Based Learning.
Build Confidence in Creating Inclusive Course Materials
Register by:
Thursday, May 30
Asynchronous work:
May 31 to June 11
Synchronous sessions:
Wednesday, June 12 • 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Location:
Online
Facilitator:
Sarah Schafer, Student Access and Accommodation Services
Jen Bethmann, Web and Interactive Communications
Gain the knowledge you need to support students with disabilities. In this workshop, presenters will guide you step-by- step to improve the curation and creation of your digital course content, including how to use images, color contrast, and formatting in programs like Word, PowerPoint, and Acrobat. You will create an individual plan to update course content using tips and tricks for choosing documents and media universally designed for all students at Illinois State University. Registration is required.
A $100 stipend is available to eligible participants who complete the program.
This workshop falls under the AAC&U High-Impact Educational Practice of Diversity/Global Learning.
Effective Practices for Peer Feedback on Teaching
Register by:
Tuesday, June 11
Synchronous session:
Wednesday, June 12 • 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Location:
Williams Hall 308
Facilitators:
Dana Karraker, Center for Integrated Professional Development
Mayuko Nakamura, Center for Integrated Professional Development
Peer observation can be a valuable tool for gathering feedback on teaching practices. When used formatively, feedback gathered from peer observation can encourage scholarly teaching and has the potential to transform teaching and learning (Barbeau & Happel, 2023). This workshop will examine the role peer observations play in professional growth, identify effective practices in the classroom observation process, and provide strategies for giving formative feedback. Because this workshop focuses on peer dynamics, it is only open to tenture-track and non-tenture-track faculty or staff with teaching responsibilities. Registration is required.
A $50 stipend is available to eligible participants who complete the program.
Teaching Civic Skills Through Deliberative Dialogues
Register by:
Monday, June 24
Synchronous sessions:
Tuesday, June 25 • 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Wednesday, June 26 • 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Location:
Williams Hall 314
Facilitators:
Dana Karraker, Center for Integrated Professional Development
Paige Buschman, Center for Civic Engagement
The National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation describes dialogue and deliberation as “innovative processes that help people come together across differences to tackle our most challenging problems.” By incorporating these processes into the curriculum, we can give students opportunities to productively engage with society's challenging problems in authentic ways.
In this two-day workshop for course instructors, you’ll learn about deliberative pedagogies and how to teach the civic skills of investigating social issues, exploring perspectives, and gaining a deeper understanding of complex problems. You’ll start by learning about the theoretical foundations of deliberative pedagogies and then participate in a Deliberative Dialogue. You will also identify complex problems related to the courses your teach and plan how to incorporate Deliberative Dialogues into that learning experience. Upon completion of the workshop, you will be trained as a Deliberative Dialogue facilitator. Registration is required.
A $100 stipend is available to eligible participants who complete the program.
Engaging Students with Online Primary Sources
Register by:
Tuesday, June 25
Synchronous sessions:
Wednesday, June 26 • 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Location:
Milner Library 165
Facilitator:
Rebecca Fitzsimmons, Milner Library
Libraries, museums, and archives provide online access to unique and rare materials on just about any research topic imaginable, but knowing where find them can be a challenge. Learn about the various strategies for locating relevant primary source materials across institutions. You will then explore ideas for incorporating these resources, such as diaries, letters, oral history interviews, newspapers, business records, and more into lectures, classroom activities, and assignments. We will cover in depth a few easy to use tools, methods, and project ideas that use primary source materials as the starting point, with time during the workshop for hands-on exploration of each resource. Bring your own laptop or use a computer in the Digital Scholarship Lab. Participants will receive a voucher for lunch at the Bone Student Center. Registration is required.
A $100 stipend is available to eligible participants who complete the program.
Inclusive STEM
Register by:
Thursday, July 11
Asynchronous work:
July 14 to July 21
July 24 to July 25
July 26 to August 1
Synchronous sessions:
Tuesday, July 23 • 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Williams Hall 313
Friday, July 26 • 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Online
Thursday, August 1 • 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Williams Hall 313
Facilitator:
Sarah Boesdorfer, Center for Mathematics, Science, and Technology
Steve Travers, Center for Integrated Professional Development
Important note: This workshop is funded through a grant from the National Science Foundation and is only open to instructors (including instructional staff and graduate teaching assistants) in the following departments: Agriculture, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Geography, Geology & the Environment, Health Sciences, Information Technology, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, and Technology.
As educators, we work hard in developing our course environments because we know that when students feel connection to the class or the material they are more engaged and more successful. The Inclusive STEM Teaching Project advances the awareness, self-efficacy, and the ability of faculty, postdocs, and doctoral students to cultivate inclusive STEM learning environments for all their students and to develop themselves as reflective, inclusive practitioners. Learn to implement inclusive teaching methods in your STEM classes which will reduce gender and traditionally underrepresented minority disparities in performance and improve students’ sense of belonging, self-efficacy, and STEM identity. Drawing on embodied case studies and vignettes, participants will engage in deep reflection and discussions around topics of equity and inclusion in learning environments across a variety of institutional contexts. This NSF funded project developed this course to positively impact retention and degree attainment in STEM fields over time. Join colleagues from Illinois State University as we pace through this online course together, extending the asynchronous online activities with in-person and online meetings. Registration is required.
A $1,200 stipend is available to eligible participants who complete the program.
This workshop falls under the AAC&U High-Impact Educational Practice of Diversity/Global Learning.
Revamp Your Course Materials in the Age of AI
Register by:
Wednesday, July 31
Synchronous sessions:
Thursday, August 1 • 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Location:
Williams Hall 314
Facilitators:
Jen Friberg, Center for Integrated Professional Development
David Giovagnoli, Center for Integrated Professional Development
Whether you're embracing AI in the classroom or hoping to mitigate its use by your students, this workshop will guide you through crafting syllabus and assignment language to help communicate your expectations clearly. You will leave with a completed or nearly-completed policy for your syllabus, so please bring artifacts from a course you plan on teaching in the fall. You will also explore a framework that you will be able to use while creating your documents and in planning other classes.
Lunch will be provided, through a voucher for on-campus dining, and you can join the group at Watterson Dining Commons or eat on your own. Registration is required.
There is no stipend for this event.
Canvas Workshops
Quick Start for Canvas
Register by:
Wednesday, June 5
Monday, August 5
Synchronous session:
Thursday, June 6 • 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Tuesday, August 6 • 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Online
New to teaching in Canvas? Still working on building out your Canvas site and need a quick crash course as the semester begins? This workshop packs a lot in just 90 minutes: Learn how to get started with the most important settings and tools, create basic course content using Pages and Modules, communicate with students using Announcements and Inbox, create Assignments, and navigate the Gradebook. The Quick Start for Canvas workshop is a fast-paced combination of several of our most popular workshops. Registration is required.
There is no stipend for this event.
Facilitator:
Allison Hauser, Center for Integrated Professional Development
Building Regular and Substantive Interaction into Your Online Courses
Register by:
Monday, June 10
Synchronous sessions:
Tuesday, June 11 • 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Online
Explore ways to increase interactivity and engagement within your online courses, while also meeting federal regulations for distance education. Regular and substantive interaction (RSI) is a federal requirement for all online courses that distinguishes “distance education” from “correspondence education.” Come and learn what constitutes RSI and how you can build RSI into your courses to increase interactivity and engagement (Hint: You may already be doing some of this). Registration is required.
There is no stipend for this event.
Facilitator:
Tony Piña, Center for Integrated Professional Development
Canvas Tips All Instructors Should Know
Register by:
Wednesday, June 19
Synchronous sessions:
Thursday, June 20 • 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Online
Instructors at ISU who are using Canvas have had a year to familiarize themselves with using the LMS. In this workshop, we will briefly discuss several “tips and tricks” that can enhance your Canvas courses. These tips can help you address minor troubleshooting questions, enhance your course design, and streamline your Canvas experience. Registration is required.
There is no stipend for this event.
Facilitator:
Steve Travers, Center for Integrated Professional Development
Create Videos Within Canvas
Register by:
Tuesday, June 25
Synchronous sessions:
Wednesday, June 26 • 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Online
You do not have to be a tech to incorporate video into your Canvas courses. Import videos from your computer or record video from your webcam or screen capture—quickly and easily. All videos will be automatically closed captioned. You can record videos once and embed them into multiple courses for teaching, assignments, assessment, and feedback. You can also see how long each of your students has watched your videos. You will also learn how to easily edit your videos and share them with users inside and outside of ISU. Registration is required.
There is no stipend for this event.
Facilitator:
Tony Piña, Center for Integrated Professional Development
Greg Maier, Center for Integrated Professional Development
Engage Your Students with Instructor Video
Register by:
Monday, July 1
Synchronous sessions:
Tuesday, July 2 • 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Online
Students report that courses which incorporate instructor videos into their Canvas courses are much more engaging and effective than those containing only text and still images. In this workshop, you will learn how to build interactivity into your videos by inserting hyperlinks and test questions to turning videos into graded assignments. You can also create assignments where students can record videos within Canvas and submit them as gradable assignments in Canvas SpeedGrader. You can also create video-based discussion boards. This workshop assumes that you have attended the “Create Video Within Canvas” workshop or have used Canvas Studio. Registration is required.
There is no stipend for this event.
Facilitator:
Tony Piña, Center for Integrated Professional Development
Greg Maier, Center for Integrated Professional Development
Rethinking How We Grade: Schemas, Equity, and the Math Behind the Canvas Gradebook
Register by:
Wednesday, July 24
Synchronous sessions:
Thursday, July 25 • 9 a.m. to 12 a.m.
Online
This half to day workshop will ask participants to investigate and establish the grading practices for a given course. We’ll be considering different approaches to grading and set up a gradebook, while considering best practices that promote equity. Then, we’ll do a deep dive into the math behind the Canvas gradebook to ensure that scores are adding up as you intended. This workshop will include time to discuss, determine, and build your Canvas gradebook and grading policies. Registration is required.
There is no stipend for this event.
Facilitator:
Allison Hauser, Center for Integrated Professional Development
Sustaining Student Engagement and Motivation Online
Register by:
Tuesday, July 30
Synchronous sessions:
Wednesday, July 31 • 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Online
Online courses can appear to be an obstacle to student engagement and motivation when compared to face-to-face courses. There are challenges in online courses that instructors face, such as the absence of non-verbal cues seen in student faces, the ability to show enthusiasm for the content being taught, and the apparent absence of a community feeling found that is natural to the traditional classroom. This workshop will help instructors overcome those apparent obstacles by examining methods for online instruction and course design that can encourage and sustain student engagement and motivation in the online environment. Registration is required.
There is no stipend for this event.
Facilitator:
Steve Travers, Center for Integrated Professional Development