Tag: instructional design
How Valpo Faculty are using (or not using) AI in the Classroom
In late July, CITAL hosted a two-day Summer Faculty Institute on AI as part of the Lilly Endowment’s “AI in Higher Education” planning grant that Valpo received. Over 60 faculty attended and 29 faculty and staff presented on how they...
Two Faculty Innovators
By Cynthia Rutz, Director of Faculty Development, CITAL In this week’s blog, we highlight two Valpo faculty who have worked hard to update their pedagogy in response to real-world challenges. Paul Smith (Chemistry) has his students doing original research on...
Valpo’s First Quality Matters Certified Course
By Tiffany Kolba, Mathematics & Statistics When I first heard that Valpo planned to require online summer courses to achieve Quality Matters (QM) certification (as part of an HLC initiative), I was immediately wary and skeptical. I was concerned that...
The No Tech Classroom
By Cynthia Rutz, Director of Faculty Development Are you sometimes discouraged by seeing your students glued to their laptops or phones instead of engaging with you and their classmates? Three of your colleagues have decided to address technology use in...
My Experience at CITAL as a Student Aide
By Soniya Ottayil, Senior Nursing Major & CITAL student aide I began working at the Center for Innovation in Teaching, Assessment, and Learning (CITAL) during my sophomore year at Valparaiso University. When I first accepted the position, I was nervous...
Helping Students Connect Your Class to Their Future Career
By Cynthia Rutz, Director of Faculty Development Your students may not realize it, but in your classes, they are developing the skills that their future employers are seeking. To help your students understand this connection between classroom and career, Valpo...
January Teaching Tools Symposium
By Cynthia Rutz, Director of Faculty Development, CITAL On Tuesday, January 14, 2026, CITAL held our annual Symposium on Teaching Tools. Faculty learned from their colleagues and CITAL staff about some of the best online teaching tools available to enhance...
Faculty Development Fellowship Opportunity
Do you have some pedagogical ideas that you would like to try out in your classroom? Would you like to work collegially with other faculty to learn more and to hone your ideas? Then consider applying for CITAL's Faculty Development...
Valpo’s Honor Code and AI
By Cynthia Rutz, Director of Faculty Development, CITAL Faculty are increasingly encountering AI in the classroom, whether they want it there or not. Not surprising, then, that there is an increase in the number of Honor Council (HC) cases involving...