Category: Enable Student Success

Teaching TechXploration – Fall 2022

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Explore the intersections of technology and teaching at the Fall 2022 Teaching TechXploration. The event is on Wednesday, Nov. 9, from 1:00-4:00 p.m. Registration is open and free to the UF community.

The virtual, conference-style Teaching TechXploration will be held via Microsoft Teams. The format features 30-minute presentations on educational technologies and solutions to teaching challenges, as well as sessions for instructors to practice new strategies. Presentation topics include:

● Applying UX Principles to Design Human-Centered Courses
● Using NameCoach to demonstrate a commitment to equity and inclusion
● Zoom into Whiteboarding
● Tips for teaching with Microsoft Teams
● Survey Tools for Teaching & Learning
● New Tools in Learning Analytics and Assessment
● Troubleshooting Assignment Alignment
● Creating Interactive Widgets using Lumi and H5P
● Video Resources

Instructors, instructional designers, and graduate students with teaching loads can all benefit from attending and learning about new services before fully solidifying their teaching plans for the spring term. Once registered, registrants will be added to the Teams site where the event will be held. Anyone with questions about this year’s TechXploration may contact UFIT’s Associate Director for Teaching and Learning Technology, Ryan Yang.

Increase Equitable Access: NameCoach

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Two of UF’s core values are inclusion and community and implementing NameCoach makes the UF community safer, more welcoming, and more inclusive. NameCoach is an online tool that provides students, faculty, and staff the ability to record the pronunciation of their names and enter their gender pronouns. Funding of this service is through the Technology Fee Academic Innovation Grant (“Tech Fee“) program, with an initial three-year campus-wide license.

Utilizing NameCoach is an opportunity to strengthen a sense of belonging and togetherness and makes UF’s learning environment more inclusive by honoring the differences in identities of the Gator community. Available in e-Learning, NameCoach enables correct name pronunciation–an important step for an institution with 15,000+ minority students and nearly 6,000 international students.

UFIT published a webpage with tips for using NameCoach. Instructional faculty who would like help incorporating NameCoach into a course may request a consultation with the Center for Instructional Technology and Training.

Showcase of Instructional Support Services

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On Tuesday, Oct. 18, UFIT’s Center for Instructional Technology & Training (CITT) is showcasing its services for faculty. Faculty are invited to stop by the second floor of the Hub from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. and talk to experts from the instructional design, instructional technology, learning analytics, video production, and web services staffs.

The CITT Open House will be held on the second floor of the Hub, located at 1765 Stadium Road. In addition to learning about services available, attendees can get new headshots taken or record a holiday themed message in UFIT’s multi-studio digital production facility, both offered free of charge. Faculty interested in a consultation for any of our instructional services can request one via this link on the CITT homepage. Consultations may be requested for multiple CITT services.

Stop by the CITT Open House and visit with staff dedicated to your teaching and learning success. Faculty can get a quick consultation or pick up a snack! Faculty with questions about the event or who cannot attend but would like to schedule a consultation or video studio time may complete the request form here (https://citt.ufl.edu/request-assistance/), or email Digital Production Services Manager Greg D’Angio.

Fostering Inclusive Communities for Learning

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Fostering Inclusive Communities for Learning is the third workshop in the Teaching for Inclusivity and Accessibility series. This workshop focuses on helping instructors strategize ways to build an online environment where all students feel safe, respected, and comfortable enough to collaborate and learn.

This workshop is asynchronous workshop and is held over a six-week period. Instructors enrolled in the workshop can expect a total time commitment of eight to 10 hours from Oct. 24 through Dec. 10. At the completion of this workshop, participants will have developed tools for effectively communicating with students, for facilitating positive interactions in their online courses, and gained additional tips for in-person class meetings. This workshop counts toward the Center for Teaching Excellence’s Passport to Great Teaching program.

Explore UFIT’s Teaching for Inclusivity and Accessibility workshop overview page to learn more and to register.

Expert Help with Thesis and Dissertation Submissions

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The UFIT Help Desk staff includes the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Support team (ETD), whose expertise can save you a lot of time and heartache. The ETD team’s goal is to help graduate students throughout the process of formatting their thesis or dissertation according to UF Graduate Editorial Office’s guidelines, and do so within a friendly and supportive environment. They also maintain Word and LaTex templates to use in the production of these documents. Dates to know for the Fall 2022 semester are:

Sep. 16: Degree Application
Sep. 30: Doctoral Dissertation Submission
Oct. 26: Master’s Thesis Submission
Nov. 18: Final Submission (all ETD students)
Dec. 17: Final Clearance
Jan. 6: Clear Prior (to the upcoming term)

Visit https://it.ufl.edu/helpdesk/graduate-resources/ to book an appointment. The week leading up to each deadline is extremely busy, so students should plan ahead and make appointments as soon as they can. Students can also call (352-392-HELP/4357, and select option 5) or visit 132 Hub (between Starbucks and the UF International Center) to schedule an appointment.

IT Info Page for New Students

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Want to know what the student tech requirements are for UF? Learn them and be prepared for Gator academic life by visiting UFIT’s student resources site.

Bookmark the site to easily access information about technology services and systems, including:

• UFIT Help Desk location and services
• UF Canvas e-Learning system, used for most courses
• UF email (GatorMail) assistance and how to get GatorMail on your phone
• Where to get a Gator 1 Card (your campus ID)
• Location of labs and learning spaces and what each space has available
• Establishing two-factor authentication (2FA) for UF accounts
• How to make the most of ONE.UF

UFIT wants to help students get a smooth start to academic life. Anyone experiencing a technical issue with their GatorLink account, having an eduroam internet connection issue, or other campus IT need may call (352-392-HELP/4357) or visit (132 Hub) the UFIT Help Desk. Help Desk in-person walk-in hours are posted here.

Here for You: The UFIT Help Desk

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The UF Computing Help Desk, also known as the UFIT Help Desk, will assist you with a variety of technical support needs. Consultants can also connect you with the appropriate UFIT group, or college or department IT staff if a technical problem requires more in-depth analysis to fix. There are multiple ways to get help whether you are in Gainesville, at an off-campus research facility, or a distance learning student:

Call: 352-392-HELP/4357
Email: helpdesk@ufl.edu
Visit: 132 Hub
Submit a Ticket: https://my.it.ufl.edu/

Several self-help resources are online as well, like instructions for updating your GatorLink password, campus connectivity tips, and GatorMail email troubleshooting. Some of the most popular reasons for contacting the UFIT Help Desk are:

• Technical Consulting: Connectivity assistance to the UF Network or UF’s VPN. Consultants will also help with UF email configuration and GatorLink authentication issues
• Software Sales: Faculty, students, and staff can save up to 80% on software titles, including Adobe, Grammarly, and SPSS
• Support for Administrative Computing: Get questions answered about using myUFL, ONE.UF, and other campus-wide systems
• Electronic Thesis & Dissertation Support: Graduate students can schedule appointments for formatting and submission help
• e-Learning Assistance: Help with UF’s online academic environment, including Canvas, Turnitin, Respondus, iClicker, and Qualtrics
• Account Services: The primary reason Gators contact the UFIT Help Desk! Consultants can fix GatorLink account lockout issues 24/7

Workshops to Enhance Online Learning

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The Best Practices for Teaching Online certificate provides instructional faculty with the opportunity to explore pedagogically sound course design principles that promote student success in the online learning environment. This series addresses the needs of diverse learners through student-centered activities, while also focusing on key issues such as accessibility, usability, and engagement. Each course also counts towards the Passport to Great Teaching program with the Center for Teaching Excellence.

Engaging Online Learners: August 29 – September 11
Participants will experience the online learning environment from the student perspective, while working through activities that demonstrate mastery of designing for student success, aligning student learning objectives, and creating engaging and accessible presentations. Register for the next offering of Engaging Online Learners.

Creating Student-Centered Assignments: September 12 – September 25
Participants explore ways to develop varied student-centered content while establishing a collaborative learning environment through the use of active learning and feedback.
Register for the next offering of Creating Student-Centered Assignments.

Accessible Online Environments: September 26 – October 9
Participants learn to address the different types of accessibility needs and implement improvements for making an online course more accessible.
Register for the next offering of Accessible Online Environments.

Instructors with questions about this certificate program are welcome to contact UFIT’s Center for Instructional Technology and Teaching Assistant Director Rodney Gammons.

Full Service Video Production For UF

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UFIT Video Productions offers in-studio and location production services for faculty and staff.  The production studio facility, located on the second floor of the Hub, features a variety of video recording tools to enhance your academic and outreach videos, and a team with multimedia expertise to assist you. Whether you need to record lectures for a course or create a department video for recruiting faculty or students, consider UFIT your one-stop shop for all things digital and video production!

Faculty and staff can request full-service studio production services or utilize the On-Demand Studio to self-record. UFIT can also film anywhere on campus to make your welcome video, alumni spotlight, interview feature, and department tour videos really stand out. A recent addition to our services is 360 video capabilities. Some examples of recent work are available on the Video Production Sizzle page.

Please submit the CITT’s https://citt.ufl.edu/request-assistance/ form to get started with a video project.  On behalf of UFIT, we look forward to working with you!

Tech Byte: 30-Minute Recipes to Increase Instructor Presence

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Ready to see a cooking show like none other? UFIT’s Center for Instructional Technology & Training is hosting a new type of Tech Byte event for faculty and staff. In this live one-hour cooking show, staff will present “30-Minute Recipes” using technology and tools to increase instructor presence in their courses.

Tech Byte: 30-Minute Recipes to Increase Instructor Presence
Virtual session on Monday, Aug. 22 │ 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Registration Link

Educational technologist Chris Sharp and instructional designer Leslie Mojeiko will explain the three dimensions of instructor presence, give demonstrations, and provide a cookbook handout at the end of the event so you can prepare these recipes on your own! Before the fall term begins, learn some quick and savory tips on using technology in your courses. This event is free for all UF faculty and staff.

This Tech Byte will provide some quick technology solutions that can help instructors increase their presence for students. After completing registration you will have access to the event’s Zoom link. Anyone with questions about the 30-minute recipes to increase instructor presence may contact Educational Technologist Chris Sharp.