A little over ten years ago, on September 4, 2014, when Teaching & Learning Innovations was just getting started, our neophyte team launched the Teaching & Learning Innovations blog. We didn’t know what it would become. What we knew was that we needed a space to talk about our work. A space to share the small steps and big leaps we were taking as a teaching community at CSU Channel Islands. We aimed to heighten the visibility of the innovative teaching taking place at our campus. Little did we know how much would be in store for higher education when we started. Changes have come in so many forms, from new technologies, to the rise of online learning, to a global pandemic, and now Artificial Intelligence. 

Since that first post, 82 unique authors have added their voices to this platform, many writing multiple times. Together, we’ve built an archive that tells the story of our campus, its commitment to our students, to the teaching mission, to learning, innovation, and technology over the past decade.

A Chronicle of Innovation

The earliest years of the blog were filled with exploration: flipped classrooms, open pedagogy, and early forays into blended learning course design. Posts like “What is Open Pedagogy’ and “Online Teaching: Overcoming Loneliness” showed our faculty taking risks, testing ideas, and sharing what they learned—not because it was perfect, but because it mattered.

The blog documents the development of the Faculty Innovations in Teaching (FIT) Studio, which still today gives educators a space to explore new tools and rethink the role of physical and digital environments in learning. In the blog, we can see our long-standing commitment to accessibility, support for the use of emerging technologies, the growth of the current Digital Learning Mentors program, and more. 

As the blog evolved, contributors engaged more deeply with themes of equity, access, and student voice. Posts such as Danna Lomax’s “Culturally Responsive Teaching: Sweet Connection and Deeper Learning Through Culture” and “Servingness Through Culturally Sustaining Learning Design” emphasized the importance of affirming students’ cultural identities and reimagining course design through a servingness lens. In “Re-Thinking Collaboration: Strategies for Culturally Responsive Group Work”, Rachael Jordan explored methods to make group work more culturally responsive, discussing the importance of understanding students’ cultural backgrounds in collaborative settings. These reflections helped position the blog as a space for imagining a more just and student-centered approach to teaching and learning.

Navigating the Pandemic

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, the blog became not only a reflective space but also a tool for survival. As we pivoted to virtual instruction, our contributors shared practical resources, encouragement, and hard-won lessons. In the “Resilient Teaching” series, faculty shared the creative ways they engaged students when we were not able to come together in person. 

The posts during this period reminded us that pedagogy is not neutral. How we show up for students matters. From sharing about new tools to engage students online to flexible assessment practices, the posts were as much about care as they were about content.

Celebrating Our Top Contributors

The richness of the TLI blog lies in the diversity of voices it holds. Each post is a snapshot of a moment, a course, a challenge, or a breakthrough. Some posts came from seasoned educators, others from faculty trying something new for the first time, and still others from staff supporting the learning environments on campus.

Among our most dedicated contributors, we extend special recognition to:

• Dr. María Ballesteros-Sola, whose commitment to global learning, social entrepreneurship, and service-learning has shaped our understanding of experiential education.
  
• Dr. Stacey Anderson, whose thoughtful work on writing pedagogy and curriculum design consistently asks us to center student voice and agency.
  
• Dr. Rachael Jordan, who has guided us through technological shifts with clarity and compassion, helping faculty navigate new platforms without losing sight of pedagogy.
  
• Dr. Jaime Hannans, whose work on humanizing online learning and virtual reality reminds us that teaching is more than delivering content; it is relational. 

These educators, along with a long list of other authors, have shaped the identity of this blog. They’ve modeled what it means to take risks and grow in public.

Looking Ahead

This blog represents the best of who we are as educators at CI: Curious. Collaborative. Courageous. Committed to our students, even when the way forward is unclear. As we celebrate a decade(+) of posts, practices, and people, I’m deeply grateful for everyone who has contributed, commented, or shared. As this blog evolves, it continues to reflect a community that learns together.

Special thanks to Kristi O’Neil-Gonzalez, Michael McGarry, Michelle Pacansky-Brock, and Michael Berman for kick-starting this effort and the rest of the TLi team (past and present) for keeping it going. 

Here’s to the next ten years of innovation, reflection, and the shared work of teaching and learning.