CITL Newsletter - Issue 17 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.

Exploring the Origins and Future of AI: Highlights from the Fall Into AI Session

Presenter: Przemek Bosak (CITL)

Przemek Bosak led a Fall Into AI session focused on the historical and technological contexts of generative AI, reminding us that the idea of a thinking machine went back to the ancient Greeks and that Alan Turing famously asked, “Can machines think?” Przemek drew attention to Illinois’s contributions to computing and machine intelligence. For example, Illiac Suite (1957) was the world’s first computer-composed piece of music, developed on ILLIAC I (1952), itself the first computer built by an educational institution.

While AI has been modeled on human cognition, we should note that experts admit we know very little about how human thought works. If we do not understand human intelligence, how can we understand artificial intelligence? Przemek shared a provocative quote from Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, who said, “My kid is never gonna grow up being smarter than AI.” In responding to the question "What can’t AI replace?", CITL Director Michel Bellini answered: “creativity, empathy, collaboration, and the ability to ask the right questions.”

In the question-and-answer session, the idea that generative AI will lead to machine superintelligence was regarded with concern, yet many did not want to slow progress and hoped Illinois would be a leader in generative AI.

To view the full discussion about What is AI? Access the recording here.

Fall Into AI: Exploring the Future of Teaching and Learning at Illinois

The Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning (CITL) is hosting the Fall Into AI at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Throughout this Fall series faculty and staff will have the opportunity to participate in hands-on workshops, guest talks, and conversations on how artificial intelligence (AI) impacts the future of education and beyond. Make sure you subscribe to our Gen AI newsletter to stay informed about all things generative AI. Also, block out your calendar to attend an upcoming event!  

New AI Professional Development Series for Staff

Build confidence, skills, and strategies to use AI responsibly. Two tracks: one for employees, one for leaders. Learn to leverage AI in daily work with clear guardrails. Hands-on, interactive sessions with immediately applicable information. Register for single sessions or the full series.

ihr@illinois.edu • Illinois Human Resources | Learn More

Call for Participants: Small Teaching Reading Group (Spring 2026)

CITL is offering an 8-hour reading group during the Spring 2026 semester, led by Grad Affiliate Kathleen McGowan. We will be reading James M. Lang’s Small Teaching, 2nd edition (2021), which focuses on powerful, practical, and research-backed interventions for course design and teaching. This is a great opportunity to explore pedagogical literature, meet requirements for CITL teaching certificates, and learn how to apply concepts to your teaching philosophy.

$\text{👉}$ To register your interest, please fill out this availability form.

Design, Develop, Deliver: Support for Your Online Course or Program

Turning your course or program vision into reality? This session will highlight the end-to-end support available to help you succeed — from market research and learning outcome design to online pedagogy and technology innovations. Whether you’re creating a brand-new course, revising an existing one, or converting it for online delivery, you’ll discover the tools, expertise, and personalized guidance available to bring your online offering to life. Co-sponsored by the Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning (CITL) and Strategic Communications & Marketing. Learn more about the Online Program Development Series.

📅 Friday, November 14, 2025, from 1 to 2 p.m.
🔗 Register for Design, Develop, Deliver workshop
🏅 *Participants will receive a participation badge for each workshop, and those who attend all workshops in the series will also receive a series certificate.

Illinois AnyWare: Your Virtual Computer Lab for Teaching and Learning

Illinois AnyWare is a virtual computer lab that supports both blended and remote learning. It provides students with secure access to over 100 academic software applications—anytime, anywhere. Whether students are on campus, off campus or attending class remotely, Illinois AnyWare helps ensure they have the tools needed to succeed. 

Instructors can also use Illinois AnyWare in place of reserving a physical computer lab, making it easier to integrate specialized software into your courses without location or scheduling constraints. Learn more and get started on the Illinois AnyWare webpage.

Upcoming Workshops & Events

🔹 Fall Into AI Events
📅 Friday, October 31 | ⏰ 2 - 2:50 p.m. | 📍CITL Innovation Studio (Armory 172) &💻 Online (AI & the Creative Lens: Digital Media, Storytelling, and the Future of Learning by Michel Bellini, Terrence Masson, and Anthony Giacchino)
📅 Monday, November 3 | ⏰ 10 - 10:50 a.m. | 📍CITL Innovation Studio (Armory 172) &💻 Online (Breaking the Assessment Bottleneck: Finding Human-AI Balance in Feedback at Scale by Adam King and Julia Sabin)
📅 Thursday, November 6 | ⏰ 10 - 10:50 a.m. | 📍CITL Innovation Studio (Armory 172) &💻 Online (CareerGPT: The Intersection of Generative AI and University Career Services by James Castree)

🔹 Quick Start Accessibility Workshops
📅 Thursday, October 30 | ⏰ 2 - 3 p.m. | 💻 Online (Make Your MS Excel Spreadsheets Accessible, Part 1 by Lori Lane)
📅 Tuesday, November 4 | ⏰ 10 - 11 a.m. | 💻 Online (Make Your MS Word Documents Accessible by Dan Hahn)
📅 Tuesday, November 4 | ⏰ 1 - 2 p.m. | 💻 Online (Integrating Audio Description into Presentations and Videos by Bob Dignan)
📅 Wednesday, November 5 | ⏰ 2 - 3:15 p.m. | 💻 Online (Make Your MS PowerPoint Documents Accessible by Kathy Adams and Chrissi Guarnieri)

🔹 General Workshops
📅 Thursday, October 30 | ⏰ 10 - 11 a.m. | 📍Siebel Center for Design, Sunrise Studio (Room 1046) (The Five-Room Dungeon Approach to Lesson Planning by Lucas Anderson)

Recurring Events

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

🔹 Innovation Studio Open Hours
📅 Mondays and Tuesdays | ⏰ Noon - 4 p.m. | 📍Armory 172

🔹 Master Course in Online Teaching (MCOT)
📅 Thursdays | ⏰ 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. | 💻 Online

🔹 CITL Faculty Book Club
📅 Tuesday, October 28 | ⏰ 10 - 11:30 a.m. | 💻 Online Group
📅 Friday, October 31 | ⏰ 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. | 📍 In Person Group, Armory 103

Bookmark the CITL Event Calendar for all upcoming workshops and check with Technology Services for additional training opportunities.

Designing Workshops for Everyone: A UDL Approach

By Marc Thompson (CITL)

This October UDL Tip of the Month article considers UDL from a professional development perspective; specifically, how we can apply Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to design and deliver workshops that engage everyone, whether they’re new faculty, seasoned staff, or graduate instructors. To learn more about specific strategies and examples that show how UDL can help make our workshops more inclusive and impactful, see the full UDL Tip of the Month article on workshop design.