CITL Newsletter - Issue 5 for 2025

Welcome to the CITL Newsletter, your go-to resource for professional learning, teaching strategies, and innovative practices in education. Stay informed, get inspired, and explore new ways to enhance student learning and engagement.

Start Early with Accessibility: Create, Don’t Remediate!

New Title II guidelines under the ADA mean that by Spring 2026, all online materials—syllabi, assignments, PDFs, and slides—must be fully accessible. Creating accessible documents is simple with tools already built into Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Canvas! Keith Hays (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) and Marc Thompson (Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning) encourage faculty to start now—small changes can save hours of remediation later. Plus, even if federal rules shift, Illinois law still requires accessibility compliance.

💡 The Title II implementation team has put together a website of resources, Making Your Course Accessible, which includes guides and a calendar of workshops, to help get you started with making accessible course documents. 

🎥 Join Hays and Thompson in the Art of Teaching Lunchtime Seminar Series to learn more!

Befriending Generative AI

By Przemyslaw Andrzej Bosak

Generative Artificial Intelligence is a front and center issue for many in higher education. It has certainly shifted the landscape of the teaching profession. The six teaching tips that follow are designed to help instructors harness the full power of AI. Read on for tips on best practices and effective uses of generative AI in teaching and learning.

Gain more practical tips to use GenAI in teaching and learning. Visit CITL’s Innovation Studio during its open hours (noon - 4 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays) or schedule a consultation with one of our staff members. 

Graduating Seniors: Share Your Experience in the Chancellor’s Senior Survey

The Chancellor’s Senior Survey is currently being administered to undergraduate seniors graduating in May 2025. All graduating undergraduate seniors at Illinois are invited to take the survey. The survey prompts students to reflect on their Illinois experience by answering questions about participation in activities and services, perceived gains in abilities linked to the Illinois (campus-wide) student learning outcomes, campus climate, disability support services, attributions of success, barriers to success, and overall satisfaction with the Illinois experience.

Fall 2024 List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students

The Draft Fall 2024 list is now available! You can check to see if your course is missing by checking your instructor report against the criteria in the draft list located online (go.illinois.edu/lotrae). At least five students must have completed the relevant item(s) and you must have released your sections for inclusion on this draft list. For questions or corrections, email ices@illinois.edu

Register Now for the Spring 2025 MCOT Cohort

CITL's Master Course in Online Teaching (MCOT) is a deep-dive into online teaching strategies that goes beyond earlier summer teaching institutes. Prior participation in an instructional development series is not required but professional experience with university-level instruction is strongly encouraged. MCOT provides an opportunity for social learning and networking with a supportive interdisciplinary learning community.

The MCOT Canvas Course opens on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, and our synchronous meetings occur at 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. on the following four Wednesdays - March 26, April 2, April 9, and April 16. Certificates will be presented to those who complete all course requirements. Register here to join the spring 2025 cohort.

Upcoming Workshops & Events

🔹 Quick Start Workshop: Make Your MS PowerPoint Documents Accessible
📅 Thursday, March 27 | ⏰ 1 - 2 p.m. | 💻 Online

🔹 Innovation Studio Open Hours
📅 Mondays & Tuesdays & Friday, March 21 (Spring Break Bonus Open Hours) | ⏰ noon - 4 p.m. | 📍 Innovation Studio, Armory 172

🔹 Canvas Open Office Hours
📅 Thursdays | ⏰ 11 a.m. - noon | 💻 Online

Stay tuned for this spring's events! Bookmark the CITL Event Calendar for all upcoming workshops and the Training Services (formerly FAST3) Calendar for additional training opportunities.