Check-in begins at 8:30 AM. We will have breakfast available, including coffee. The institute will begin at 9 AM.
Fall 2024 Teaching Effectiveness Institute
Empowering Students through Digital Literacy
August 16, 2024, 9 AM - 4 PM
In-person at the Holmes Student Center
Facilitated by Justin Hodgson, Director of the Indiana University Digital Gardener Initiative
Click the "Register Now!" button above to log in and register online
Overview
In today’s rapidly evolving educational environment, the integration of digital literacy and creativity into our work with students is more than mere enhancement; it’s a necessity. By weaving digital literacy and creativity into the fabric of our classrooms—whether podcasting, creating posters, or engaging with generative AI—we do more than prepare students for a digital future; we craft meaningful learning experiences that bolster engagement, retention, and success.
Imagine a classroom where students are active creators, with their narratives and/or course projects unfolding in compelling and innovative forms that enrich their learning journey. In integrating digital literacy practices into our work with students, we can open avenues of learning that extend beyond traditional academic discourse. These practices often intrinsically create a real-world sense of audience and purpose while providing students with opportunity to represent their identities authentically. This shift is not merely about keeping pace with technological trends or the generative AI revolution; it’s about fostering impactful engagements that equip students to navigate and contribute to the digital world confidently and creatively.
To learn more about how you can embrace digital transformation and pedagogy, join us for a series of dynamic conversations and hands-on challenges led by digital innovator Justin Hodgson. During the institute, you will explore digital literacy as a concept as well as practical strategies for integrating into your curriculum while lowering barriers to student success. You will also create your own digital artifacts using Adobe Express (an easy-to-use visual design platform). This full-day program is designed to empower you with the tools and insights to nurture a generation of digitally savvy, creative, and engaged learners.
Speaker
Justin Hodgson is a digital transformation leader at Indiana University, where he directs the Digital Gardener Initiative — a system-wide series of programs focused on professional development and student success designed to integrate digital literacy, digital creativity, and digital learning into the curriculum and culture at IU. The Digital Gardener Initiative, now in its fifth semester of operation, directly impacts more than 16,000 students per semester across all seven IU campuses.
Justin is also an Associate Professor of Digital Rhetoric and Director of Online Composition at IU Bloomington, the founding editor of JUMP+ (Journal for Undergraduate Multimedia Projects), and a digital innovation and faculty development consultant. He has more than 20 years of experience in higher education, working at institutions ranging from community colleges to commuter campuses to research intensive universities. While his scholarly interests focus on rhetoric, aesthetics, human-technology relationships, and playable media, and his book, Post-Digital Rhetoric and the New Aesthetic, was published as an open access monograph with Ohio State University Press, he has built his career around innovation in the classroom. His commitments as a teacher are rooted less in building better lectures and more in building better learning experiences, and these efforts have resulted in his being awarded the 2023 Social Learning Innovator Award from Hypothesis, the 2021 IU President's Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Technology, and the 2015 IU Trustees Teaching Award. He is active on LinkedIn, blogs with varying (in)frequency at justinhodgson.com, and tweets with even less consistency at @postdigitalJH.
Registration Information
The Institute is open to NIU faculty, instructors, and SPS and Civil Service staff. Please register by the deadline so that we can ensure we have sufficient space available.
Registration Deadline: Tuesday, August 13, 2024. Register Now!
After you register, if you are unable to attend, please cancel your registration by Wednesday, August 15, 2024 at citl.niu.edu/myprograms.
The Institute is open to NIU faculty (including tenured / tenure-track, clinical, research, visiting, and instructional faculty), SPS, and Civil Service staff.
The Teaching Effectiveness Institute is typically offered every fall and spring. We invite presenters who are well-known for their expertise and experience in higher education teaching. The Institute is geared toward those who are new to teaching as well as experienced faculty wanting to learn about new and exciting teaching topics.
The Teaching Effectiveness Institute will be delivered in-person. It will not be live-streamed or recorded in order to promote open dialogue among participants.
Yes, if the presenter makes their handouts and presentation materials available electronically, we will make them available just prior to and after the event. Contact the center at citl@niu.edu for further information on receiving institute handouts.
For Fall 2024, the institute will include a number of hands-on activities with Adobe Express, so you will need a laptop computer and charger. A personal laptop will be fine. If you do not have a laptop, we recommend asking to borrow one from your department. We will have a limited number available at the event that can be borrowed.
It would be helpful to bring a pen and a notebook or some paper to take notes. We want you to be relaxed and comfortable, so please dress casually. Bring a sweater or jacket in case of room temperature changes.
There is no fee for attending the Teaching Effectiveness Institute; the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning offers the institute free of charge. However, it is expensive to provide the Institute, not to mention the time our staff devotes to planning and executing the program. The center does not receive student fees or grants to fund the Teaching Effectiveness Institute and other programs. Therefore, we would appreciate that you attend as much of the Institute as possible. If, after you register, you know that you will be unable to attend, please cancel by the deadline so that those on the waiting list can be given the opportunity to register and/or program expenses can be reduced.
If you have purchased a blue or red parking permit, the parking garage on Normal Road is the most convenient parking location because it is centrally located. If you do not have a parking permit, you may park in the visitor pay lot located on Carroll Avenue for a daily fee. View a map of all parking lots at NIU's DeKalb campus. For more information, visit the Campus Parking Services website.
We understand that the week before classes is busy for many faculty. We encourage you to attend as much of the Teaching Effectiveness Institute as possible, but you may leave if you have other commitments.
Due to the expense and logistics as well as the interactive nature of the event, it will not be streamed or recorded.
Yes, lunch will be provided. The menu has not yet been finalized, but we will ensure that we have vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options available. If you are concerned about whether the lunch will meet your dietary needs, you are welcome to bring a lunch with you.