Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

Education

Engineering Bioengineering professor Jennifer Amos, seated, and postdoctoral research associate Gabriel Burks standing to her left with a laptop that displays public engagement coordinator Lara Hebert on the screen.

Students use TikTok to learn about biomechanics during engineering virtual summer camps

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — During the COVID-19 shutdown, many families passed the time recording videos of themselves dancing and posting them to the video-sharing site TikTok. For hundreds of high-school students who attended a virtual summer camp hosted by Grainger College of Engineering, creating short dance videos helped them learn the science of biomechanics and the […]

Life sciences Photo of Kashif Ahmad standing outside the Carle Illinois College of Medicine

What tips can help educators convert in-person courses to online instruction?

Editor’s note: Dr. Kashif A. Ahmad is a teaching professor and medical education facilitator with the Carle Illinois College of Medicine who has taught online courses for a decade. Ahmad, who has instructed in Pakistan, the United Kingdom and Singapore and mentors other faculty members who are new to distance education, spoke with News Bureau […]

Social sciences Social work professor Kevin Tan and alumna Jenna White standing outdoors

Study examines impact of high school teacher and student views of freshmen’s social, emotional needs

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — When high school freshmen’s teachers give them lower scores on communication skills, the students receive four times as many disciplinary referrals as some of their peers, a new study found. Students whose teachers rated them lower on several social skills – including communication, cooperation, self-control, empathy and engagement – than the students […]

Education Life Sciences U. of I. psychology professor Dolores AlbarracĂ­n has spent much of her career studying how people respond to public health messages asking them to change their behavior.

Holistic approach best for tackling nonmedical drug use, study finds

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Health practitioners are constantly developing new ways to help those with drug and alcohol addictions wean themselves from their substance of choice. Most such programs have limited success, however. A new study finds that interventions that take a multidimensional approach – tackling the biological, social, environmental and mental health obstacles to overcome […]

Expert viewpoints Melissa Wong

What challenges are professors and college students facing with the migration of classes online?

Editor’s note: Most universities around the country have ended classroom instruction, told students to go home and asked professors to continue teaching their courses online, to help stop the spread of the new coronavirus. Melissa Wong, an instructor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been teaching online […]

Expert viewpoints Photo of education policy professors Mary Kalantzis and Bill Cope

Could the social distancing of COVID-19 revolutionize online learning and higher education?

Editor’s note: As the rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus prompted residential colleges to suspend classroom instruction, many faculty members are suddenly scrambling to adapt their courses to online media. Former College of Education dean Mary Kalantzis and Bill Cope, both professors of education policy, organization and leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, […]

Education Photo of the alma mater statue on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus

College of Education expanding doctoral programs in special education

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The College of Education is expanding the capacity of its doctoral programs in special education to help address a nationwide shortage of researchers and faculty members in the field. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs recently awarded funding under several different grants that will enable the special education […]

Education Photo of mother and daughter bending toward each other and smiling widely

Program for parents aims to help youths with autism successfully transition to adulthood

CONTACT: Sharita Forrest, Education Editor 217-244-1072, slforres@illinois.edu CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A 12-week training program will be offered in Naperville, Illinois, for parents of youths and young adults with autism so they can help their children successfully transition to adulthood. The Advocating for Supports to Improve Service Transitions program is open to parents of young people […]

Education Photo of alma mater statue on the Univeristy of Illinois campus

Direct college admissions conference on campus Dec. 6

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A national conference on direct college admissions policies will be held Dec. 6 on the University of Illinois campus. The daylong Direct Admissions Conference at the I-Hotel and Conference Center will explore how these programs can reverse college access gaps among low-income, rural and urban populations; can help mitigate admissions and financial […]

Education Photo of special education professor Meghan Burke, her son Rogan and Lily Ho, a senior in computer science

New website rates local restaurants on accessibility for people with disabilities

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Dining out can be challenging for people with disabilities. Accessible parking spaces may be limited, bathrooms may be cramped and large-print or Braille menus may not be available – causing what should have been an enjoyable outing to become overshadowed by frustration and embarrassment. A new website, Access Urbana-Champaign, was created by […]

Social sciences Photo of Camille Farrington

Expert on academic equity, mindsets to speak at the U. of I.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Camille A. Farrington, an expert on academic equity and mindsets, will speak at a seminar on the University of Illinois campus. “Creating Social Impact: Enhancing Skills for Educators and School-Based Community Service Personnel” will be Nov. 14-15 at the School of Social Work, 1010 W. Nevada St., Urbana. Farrington is a senior […]

Education Photo of Eboni Zamani-Gallaher, the director of the Office of Community College Research and Leadership at the Universityof Illinois

OCCRL hosts conference on racial justice, equitable outcomes in higher education

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Issues of race on community college campuses will be the focus of an upcoming conference in San Diego. The Advancing Racial Justice and Equitable Outcomes in Community College Institute, scheduled for Sept. 12 at San Diego Mesa College, is the third such meeting organized by the University of Illinois Office of Community […]

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