CITL Newsletter - Issue 8 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.

Accessibility in Action: Hands-On Workshops and On-Demand Recordings Available

Have you attended a Quick Start Accessibility Workshop thus far? This workshop series is part of CITL's mission to implement a campus-wide Digital Accessibility and Excellence Training and Education initiative that supports our commitment to accessibility for all. Past session recordings are available to view the topics that include Document Accessibility (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and PDF), Course Accessibility (Canvas and Moodle), Video Accessibility, and the Pope Tech accessibility tool. View session recordings.

There is still time to register for live sessions and get hands-on experience. Visit the Training Opportunities page on the Make Your Course Accessible website.

What to Do About GenAI? Start with a Simple Conversation

By Jim Wentworth (CITL)

Many students are already experimenting with AI tools, and while some uses are helpful, others risk undermining learning by outsourcing the mental work needed to make information stick. The important thing to emphasize is that AI is a great tool to generate text and summarize ideas, but it can’t do the learning for us. Rather than taking a monitoring or enforcement approach, consider inviting students into a conversation to distinguish between using AI as a support versus using it as a shortcut.

Consider these tips:

• Ask students how they’re using AI and invite them to reflect on whether it helps them understand or just complete work.
• Share a quick example of when struggling with a concept (even imperfectly) leads to deeper understanding than relying on AI to do the thinking for them.

Remain clear about your own expectations and policies; every course is different and it’s appropriate for faculty to define AI use in ways that make sense for their goals and discipline. Whether you encourage, discourage, or limit AI use in your courses, a thoughtful policy paired with open dialogue can help keep the focus on learning.

For more strategies on the successful use of AI, sign up for our Summer of AI bi-weekly newsletter.

Neurodiversity and UDL: Strategies for Supporting All Brains

By Marc Thompson (CITL)

University classrooms are full of diverse thinkers, including students with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and anxiety. Neurodiversity encourages us to see these differences not as deficits, but as natural variations in how people learn. This month’s UDL Tip highlights five quick, practical strategies grounded in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) that support neurodiverse students.

✅ Offer multiple ways to access course content 
✅ Provide choices to increase autonomy 
✅ Create predictable, supportive course structures 
✅ Reduce cognitive and sensory load 
✅ Scaffold planning and organization 

These small changes can create more inclusive, empowering learning environments for all students. Read the full article for details and examples.

Summer of AI at Illinois 

Join CITL and campus partners from the Library, Technology Services, NCSA, and more for the Summer of AI—a series of hands-on workshops, guest talks, and conversations on the future of teaching and learning. Most live events will be available remotely, so wherever you are this summer, you can stay connected.

Subscribe to our bi-weekly Summer of AI newsletter full of Gen AI tips, workshop and event highlights, and more.

The 2025 LLTLC Annual Conference is on the Horizon!

The Lincoln Legacy Teaching and Learning Community (LLTLC) is hosting its annual conference for educators and instructional technology professionals on Monday, May 19, and Tuesday, May 20. The conference features outstanding presentations on the topics of Applied Innovations in Teaching and Learning, Designing for Student Engagement and Accessibility, Supporting Student Learning, Enhancing Teaching and Learning with AI, and Emerging Issues in Higher Education. Attend the LLTLC Annual Conference.Registration is open.

Reinforce Academic Integrity Without Taking Class Time: A Self-Paced Student Resource

The Provost’s Office, in partnership with the Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning, offers this asynchronous training course for students to understand how the University defines Academic Integrity and what students’ responsibilities are to maintain it in their coursework. This is a valuable resource for instructors who want to reinforce academic integrity without taking up class time. Here is how to do it:

✅ Make it a required component by sharing this link/QR code: https://go.illinois.edu/AcademicIntegrityCourse.
✅ Have students submit their completion badge via your preferred method, for example, creating a simple Canvas quiz where students submit their badge URL. 

Summer Course Design Series

Join Lucas Anderson and the CITL Grad Affiliates for their annual summer course design series. This summer, the focus is on getting the work done! Each hour-long session features a short overview of an important course design topic, with the rest of the time dedicated for you to work on that aspect of your course while Lucas and the Affiliates are there to help. Perfect for those about to teach their first course, also great for those who want to take a fresh look at an old course. The sessions take place Wednesday, June 25, Friday, June 27, Monday, June 30 and Wednesday, July 2 in person on campus. For details, see the summer workshop series and registration information (PDF)

Final Exams: Exam Services Extended Hours

Exam Services will be open the following hours during final exam week to process exams administered with Scantrons:

• Friday, May 9: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Monday, May 12 through Thursday, May 15, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

We will remain open over the lunch hour from noon to 1 p.m. Please note that we are located in room 151A on the first floor of the Armory. Contact us at 217-244-3839 or exams@illinois.edu.

Upcoming Workshops & Events

🔹 Quick Start Workshop Series: Digital Accessibility
📅 Tuesday, May 6 | ⏰ 2 - 3 p.m. | 💻 Online (Make Your MS Word Documents Accessible)

🔹 Virtual Global Classrooms Across Campus – The Art of Teaching Lunchtime Seminar Series
📅 Thursday, May 1 | ⏰ noon - 1 p.m. | 💻 Online

Recurring Events

🔹 Innovation Studio Open Hours
📅 Mondays & Tuesdays | ⏰ 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.