Does it feel like summer is slipping quickly away? There is less than seven weeks left until the start of the fall semester. But don’t worry: That leaves plenty of time to hone old skills and discover new ones with a Summer Institute workshop.

The Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology will offer more than a dozen professional development opportunities for teachers on campus between now and the beginning of August. Registration is required. Seating is limited.

Just click on a link for additional details and sign-up information. If you need a special accommodation to fully participate in an event, please contact the CTLT main desk at (309) 438-2542.

Effective Teaching with Clickers
9 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Monday, July 14
More than just technology training, during this full-day workshop you will learn how clickers can lead to effective pedagogy and effective student learning in classrooms of all sizes.

Voice Performance for Professors
9 a.m.–noon Monday, July 14
Narrated PowerPoints, videos, podcasts, recorded feedback for students—teaching with digital media may make you feel more like a performer than a professor. But you, too, can create clear and compelling voiceovers for all sorts of media projects. This workshop will focus on how to warm up your voice, prepare your script, and pull off narration like a pro.

Blended Courses: Quick Start
9 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 15
Planning to teach a blended course, combining online and face-to-face learning, in the coming academic year? This one-day crash course will provide you with an introduction to the blended course design process, get you started, and provide you with tips for how to make it a successful experience for both you and your students.

Building a Successful Grant Proposal: Working Collaboratively
9–11:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 15
Explore strategies about how to form, use, and sustain grant writing teams that can either collectively develop proposals or offer mutual feedback and support throughout the grant writing process. Information will be presented by both Research and Sponsored Programs staff and faculty who successfully use collaborative writing groups.

Navigating Cayuse SP
9–11:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 16
Research and Sponsored Programs has updated its Cayuse Software Suite to Cayuse SP. This upgrade will allow potential investigators more flexibility and usability in writing, submitting, and tracking grant and sponsored research proposals. This workshop is intended to demonstrate the new features and highlight the navigation of the new software.

iPad for Effective and Productive Professors
9 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Thursday, July 17
Congratulations, you’ve got an iPad! But now what? Explore apps that will enhance the classroom experience for both you and your students, including Evernote, Dropbox, and other apps that take advantage of screencasting and the cloud. Charge your iPad and bring it along for a day of discovery!

Creating Online Course Content
9 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 22
Well-designed, effective content is essential for your online and blended courses. In this workshop, learn to create interactive online modules, PowerPoint presentations with voiceover, and screencasts.

Creating Projects that Encourage Student Involvement
9–11:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 22
Create projects for students that integrate meaningful research, experiential learning, real-life situations, diversity issues, and civic and global engagement. Learn to construct assignments to help students become better writers and more active and engaged learners!

Introduction to ReggieNet
9 a.m.–3 p.m. Monday, July 28
Get a complete tour of the Illinois State University’s learning system and its popular tools. You will leave this workshop with the basic skills to add learning materials, activities, and assessments to your individualized ReggieNet course site.

Wikis and Online Collaboration
9 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 29
or 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Thursday, July 31
Transform your students from passive learners to active, collaborative ones. In this session, you will explore wikis and other useful online collaboration tools and learn the pedagogical principles that can make them highly effective learning environments.

ReggieNet: Communication
9 a.m.–3 p.m. Wednesday, July 30
Learn how the communication tools provided with ReggieNet can be used to encourage student interaction. You will be introduced to Discussion, Discussion Forums, Chat Rooms, Course Mail, and the Email Tool.

ReggieNet: Assessments
9 a.m.–3 p.m. Monday, August 4
Learn about the assessment tools available in ReggieNet, including Tests & Quizzes, Assignments, and File Drop. Explore the options available for different types of assessment, the limitations of the assessment tools, and instructional strategies for promoting academic integrity.

When “Students Can’t Write”: Assignments and Assessments
9 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Monday, August 4
This day-long discussion explores ways to use writing assignments to engage students and increase their motivation to do well. Learn about “best practices” in writing assignments and how to apply them to students’ work.

When “Students Can’t Write”: Response Practices
9 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 5
We’ve all heard the lament, “My students can’t write!” But what are we doing about it? In this workshop, we will consider two questions: What are the best practices in supporting developing writers? How can I incorporate these practices into my teaching and still have time to teach the content?

Go Mobile
9 a.m.–noon Tuesday, August 5
Your students are carrying a powerful learning device in their pockets. This workshop explores ways to tap into smartphone and other mobile technology as a means for critical learning. We’ll explore ways to encourage students to become media producers, providing content for discussions in class without having to become a smartphone expert yourself.

ReggieNet: Content and Organization
9 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 6
Explore several ways to organize course materials in ReggieNet, including the Modules and Calendar tools. This full-day workshop will also highlight Lesson Builder, a powerful tool that allows you to integrate resources from across your ReggieNet site into online lessons.