“The innovations I am proposing would create learning pathways that intentionally cater to different disciplinary skill sets as well as varying socio-economic backgrounds, with the goal of improving student performance, fostering student agency and promoting equity across the board.”
Sinclair Bell
Sinclair Bell is a professor in the School of Art and Design at NIU. He spent this past academic year introducing opportunities for students to respond to art and architecture in ways that harnessed their individual creativity.
Bell is one of 20 faculty members who received grants from the Curricular Innovation Grant Fund at NIU. Launched in spring 2023 to support university goals, this program is designed to encourage curricular innovation and experimentation, while providing opportunities for interdisciplinary courses and programs to emerge.
Members of the Innovative Teaching and Learning Advisory Committee and members of the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) reviewed the nearly 50 proposals.
The 20 funded grants represent all seven colleges. Each recipient was paired with a member of CITL to collaborate on designing and developing their projects.
“We originally intended to support 10 grants, but with the high number of quality proposals, that number was increased to 20,” said Jason Rhode, associate vice provost for Teaching, Learning, and Digital Education. “We are thrilled to have so many faculty members participating in this program and are excited to learn more about the positive outcomes for their students.”
A reception held April 17 on campus celebrated these innovative faculty projects.
“As educators, it is imperative for us to continually seek out and utilize innovation when it comes to developing the best possible curricula for our students. Technology continues to evolve, learning practices are ever-changing and programs like this one are keeping NIU at the forefront of effective teaching and instruction,” said executive vice president and provost, Laurie Elish-Piper. “Innovative teaching benefits our students in many ways. This also benefits the professional growth of faculty members, as they continue to learn and discover new ways to conduct courses.”
Check out the full story in NIU Today.
