“Better luck next time,” the handwritten note on the letter read. “We’ve got him.” The him, in this case, is Gaylen Kapperman. The we’ve is NIU. And the recipient? Ohio State University. It stemmed from an innocent mix-up at the University of
Read moreNIU curricular innovation grants enable faculty to try new tech, teaching styles
In 2023, NIU’s Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning piloted a Curricular Innovation Grant Fund. Congruent “with university goals and priorities,” the program was “established to provide competitive grants for experimenting with innovative teaching methods such as transdisciplinary learning, virtual reality, digital
Read moreCongratulations!
Congratulations to these members of the NIU College of Education family – and watch future issues of the Ed News for full coverage of these announcements. Hope (Bess) Wilson, the College of Education and the Department of Special and Early Education have
Read moreAnalyze this: Brandon Perez takes reins of BCBA master’s, certificate programs
NIU’s M.S.Ed. in Special Education: Behavior Analysis is under new management. Brandon Perez, assistant professor in the Department of Special and Early Education, is now coordinating the program led for years by Professor Jesse “Woody” Johnson, the college’s senior faculty fellow for
Read moreBCBA program partners with Westside, Turning Pointe agencies for new cohort
Thirty staffers of Westside Children’s Therapy and Turning Pointe Autism Foundation are beginning coursework this fall toward NIU’s M.S.Ed. in Special Education: Behavior Analysis – with tuition covered by their employers. Following completion of their master’s degrees in May 2026, the graduates
Read moreNo ‘lion’: Double-alumna multiplies impact in visual disabilities, deafness
When Lisa Borgo started taking babysitter jobs at age 11 or 12, she already was looking forward to Dundee Crown High School’s classes in cooking, sewing and, best of all, child care. Bonus: District 300’s deLacey Family Education Center “was right next
Read moreSummer Camp 7.0 poses tough questions, encourages humanity
Exactly 12 hours later, the challenge to follow her example – and the fortitude, reflection, work and commitment that requires – was made plain. Michael Manderino, one of the four camp counselors with James Cohen, Joseph Flynn and Dana Isawi, delivered a
Read morePLEDGE-ECC cheers fourth ElEd cohort, celebrates Early Childhood trailblazers
Ask Ania Tyrka why she wants to become a teacher, and she immediately smiles and points right at 10-year-old Anthony. “This little guy – my son,” said Tyrka, a “mom, homemaker and wife” who also credits 12-year-old daughter, Zosia, for the decision
Read moreWelcome to the Blindness Experience: New course launches with 80 students
Eighty NIU students have gained a vivid understanding of the lives of people who are blind or visually disabled, thanks to a new course in the Department of Special and Early Education. SEVI 205/505: The Blindness Experience, an eight-week, 3-credit and asynchronous
Read moreAlumna Dominique Yackley inspires graduates at New Teacher Send-off
As a new group of NIU College of Education licensure majors prepared to graduate and become professionals in the classroom, a seasoned veteran advised them to pack well for the journey ahead. Their luggage, said Dominique Yackley, must include “exuberance.” “If you
Read moreOrientation and Mobility students travel to experience The Seeing Eye guide dogs
Six Orientation and Mobility majors in NIU’s Visual Disabilities program traveled to Morristown, New Jersey, in April to visit The Seeing Eye, Inc. The philanthropic organization strives to enhance the independence, dignity and self-confidence of people who are blind or visually disabled.
Read more‘A positive influence’: Laura Hedin ready to retire, continue impacting teachers
Teaching, at least in the classroom sense, wasn’t Laura Hedin’s intention. She liked the humanities and contemplated a career in creative writing, “but my dad kept telling me I’d never make any money.” Plan B: Her older sister, Teresa, worked as a
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