January 2026 Issue

CTL Newsletter

Colleagues — Welcome back, and Happy New Year! I hope your winter break offered you time to rest, recharge, and reflect. As we begin a new semester, the Center for Teaching and Learning is excited to continue supporting your teaching and professional growth.

Over the break, our team has been enhancing classroom and instructional technologies and preparing a new slate of workshops, events, and faculty learning opportunities. Be sure to keep an eye out for a few of our greatest hits!

PLIG applications, due January 26 — thinking through an innovation in your teaching? We encourage you to apply!
Our annual Summer Institute, coming May 13-15 — the call for proposals will be shared in February, please consider applying.
Teachers on Teaching, we are offering several opportunities to hear from RIT faculty on their teaching endeavors – watch this space to learn more.

As always, if you have questions or need support, our CTL staff and Faculty Fellows are here to help you navigate the semester with confidence. We look forward to partnering with you in 2026!

Neil Hair
Executive Director, Center for Teaching and Learning

News + Updates

Student classroom scene with diverse learners attentively engaging in lecture, using laptops, with instructor presenting information on screen in modern educational environment

Key Steps for A Purposeful First Class
Learn how help students feel welcomed, informed, and engaged from the very start. >

black box with a small decorative orange triangle inline with white letters stating mycourses

New myCourses Demo Course Shells
Explore the new myCourses demo shells showcasing learner-centered design and best practices. >

teachers collaborating in a faculty meeting

Exploring Efficiencies in Managing Student Accommodations
CTL Faculty Fellows are exploring ways to streamline student accommodations and welcome faculty insights. >

black box with white letters stating Faculty Fellows 2025 and an decorative orange line in bottom left corner

Faculty Fellows Spotlight
Meet three of your CTL Faculty Fellows in The Arts, Engineering and Humanities. >

black box with white letters stating RIT CourseLeaf and two decorative lines, one yellow and the other gray, in top right corner

CourseLeaf Coming to RIT
Heard about CourseLeaf and wondering if it is to replace myCourses, SIS, or other systems? Good news—it’s not! >

Classroom Reminder

As the Spring 2026 semester begins, take a few minutes to confirm your technology is ready for the semester.

Visit your classroom. Review the room layout and test the AV system before your first class.
Check laptop compatibility. Confirm your laptop connects to the display and you have the correct adapter (HDMI, USB‑C, etc.).
Update and restart. Install pending updates and restart your device to ensure smooth performance.

A quick tech check now helps prevent first‑day disruptions and keeps your classes running seamlessly.

Upcoming Events

myCourses Help Session | JAN 7
Join our myCourses Drop-In Q&A: Get your questions answered in real-time.

Course Prep Drop-In Sessions with Your Faculty Fellow | JAN 7
Join Faculty Fellows for a dedicated work session to prepare your spring courses and exchange tips, ideas, and best practices.

Paper-Based Assignment Grading - Avoid AI Use! | JAN 7
Moving to paper-based assignments to avoid AI use? Gradescope can help speed up grading.

Putting AI to Work for Policies and Assignments | JAN 8
From coding to conversation—see what happens when students let Gemini take a spin in their class projects!

Course Prep Drop-In Sessions with Your Faculty Fellow | JAN 8
Join Faculty Fellows for a dedicated work session to prepare your spring courses and exchange tips, ideas, and best practices.

Beyond the Roll Call: Creative Attendance Strategies | JAN 13
Creative ways to track attendance—beyond roll call! Forms, quizzes, tickets & more!

myCourses Help Session | JAN 15
Join our myCourses Drop-In Q&A: Get your questions answered in real-time.

From boring to beautiful: Give student work a "glow up" with Adobe Express | JAN 21
Explore how Adobe Express can support creative assignment design in your course.

Refresh Your Lecture Delivery Style | JAN 23
Refresh your lecture style with techniques that strengthen clarity, presence, and student connection.

Are They Getting It? Check Understanding with In-Video Quizzing using Panopto | JAN 28
Turn passive viewing into active learning by using Panopto's in-video quizzes to check student understanding.

Learn How to Build and Use Google Gemini Gems | JAN 29
Gems are customized chatbots that can help save time on repetitive tasks. Learn how to use them with RIT's Google suite vendor.

Redesign Your Course with AI in Mind | JAN 30
Explore practical ways to redesign your course with AI in mind during this three-part workshop series.

Save the Date!
2026 Summer Institute for Teaching and Learning | MAY 13-15

See full list of Events

Looking for Customized Support?

Departments and Faculty Groups
Tailored workshops and training designed to meet your teaching goals. Request a Custom Workshop.

Individual Consultations
Collaboration on questions specific to your teaching needs.
Request a consultation.

Tools for Teaching

myCourses
Learning Management System (LMS) used to share course expectations, course materials, and activity instructions to students.

Zoom
Video conferencing solution used to facilitate synchronous remote classes, include guest speakers, and provide additional collaboration opportunities.

Panopto
Video hosting platform used to store asynchronous course videos for streaming in myCourses.

View the full list of tools