Category: Enable Student Success

Start Your AI Journey with the GAITOR Club

Posted on

As UF’s first AI-focused student organization, the GAITOR Club integrates learning and engineering to help students understand artificial intelligence (AI). The goal of the organization is for members to engineer real-world business and marketing solutions using AI applications.

“There is a starting place for everyone in AI,” said Cole Johnson, president of the GAITOR Club. “AI is often associated with being complicated, but the GAITOR Club wants to simplify that gap with practical applications of AI.”

To help students learn AI concepts, the GAITOR Club hosts Machine Learning Mondays and AI days, open to students across UF. The organization also offers AI training courses. On the engineering side, students can dive into AI concepts each semester in four collaborative teams: art, natural language processing, hardware, and thought-model analysis. Using HiPerGator AI, each team creates products to analyze data and influence business decisions. Patrick Lehman, head of the natural language processing team, focuses on providing valuable applications for a range of clients:

“I recognize the privilege in being able to produce AI-oriented projects with motivated people. Being a member of the GAITOR Club allows me to produce applications to value.”

Students regardless of year or major can begin their AI journey with the GAITOR Club. Follow the GAITOR Club on Instagram for information on their networking events and outreach activities.

Two New UFIT Brochures for Campus

Posted on

UFIT has new brochures on two of our most popular services.

2022 UFIT Help Desk Flyer
Besides updating services and support available, the UF Computing Help Desk flyer also sports a new, alternative name: the UFIT Help Desk. Both names are still correct, but the UFIT Help Desk is a modernized nickname that has become a common reference…so we’ve built the nickname into the 2022 flyer graphics.

2022 HiPerGator Trifold Brochure
The 2022 HiPerGator trifold brochure was developed for use inside the UF Data Center (UFDC). Getting a tour of the UFDC and HiPerGator Room has become a significant component of the research faculty recruiting process. The new trifold brochure gives potential faculty hires, along with state government officials and other constituents visiting the data center, an updated accounting of the compute power, number of cores available, storage, and speed of HiPerGator 3.0 and AI.

Deeper Interactions at 2022 Tech Fair

Posted on

The 2022 Tech Fair focused on helping students get to the next level. Whether that level is a full-time job or a space in their preferred graduate program, campus technology experts spent quality time helping students advance their dreams for the future.

“I was familiar with GitHub before Tech Fair, but Dr. [Matt] Gitzendanner helped me to learn new tools to make my profile stand out,” said junior Mario Molina. “I am excited to add my resume to my profile and keep growing my GitHub skills.”

UFIT partnered with the Career Connections Center to provide professional job hunting expertise in the Tech Fair tents. A goal of this year’s Tech Fair was to have deeper interactions with students. To achieve that, the event was extended to two days. Additionally, UFIT developed a student satisfaction survey and collected feedback on potential additions to ONE.UF. UFIT staff also solicited opinions on designs for future learning spaces. Sophomore Sherrine Fils-Aime really enjoyed this particular component of Tech Fair:

“Future-planning for classroom accessibility was very useful because I was able to produce
a classroom design that would be more functional and accessible to students with all learning capabilities.”

Anyone with questions about the 2022 Tech Fair, or who has suggestions for next year’s event, is welcome to email UFIT Communications.

Numerous Options for Video and Streaming Services

Posted on

UFIT provides software and web applications for faculty to record and stream lectures, discussions, learning material, and special events directly to computers and mobile devices. In addition to services for teaching and learning, a full media services menu is available for campus social, research, and administrative events.

A highlight of academic video recording and streaming options is that Mediasite recording technology is installed in several classrooms. To get started, just schedule your recording time and room and leave it to UFIT. The classroom recording functionality is fully automated, so instructors just put on the lapel mic and begin teaching! (More than 20 classrooms have automated Mediasite recorder capabilities.) A member of UFIT will monitor your recording and send a technician if needed. Your course’s video, audio, and computer feed will be uploaded to the course catalog, ready for your students to learn. Through MyMediasite, tools are available to create and manage your recordings. Recordings can be imported from Zoom or MS Teams, uploaded from your computer, or recorded using the Mediasite Mosaic software. MyMediasite can also be used to add quizzes to recordings and add recordings to Canvas.

UFIT regularly streams, records, and uploads online, face-to-face, and hybrid events for campus. Details for all services, including MyMediasite access and pricing information, is published on the Video Event Services webpage.

Build Your Online Profile with Free Expert Help

Posted on

Plan on attending the 2022 Tech Fair (Feb. 23-24, 11am-1pm). Whether you need to boost your LinkedIn, e-Portfolio, or GitHub profile (or all three!), UFIT and Career Connections Center (C3) experts will be available to help you. See you on Tech Plaza!

e-Portfolio
At the e-Portfolio tent, connect with UFIT’s technical experts to figure out which platform will be easiest for you to manage. C3 coaches will also be there to support you with:
• Organizing the content shared in your e-Portfolio
• Showcasing your experiences in a meaningful way
• Translating your past experiences to highlight your skills

AI and the Job Search
Career Connections Center staff will also be in the UF Informatics Institute to help you:
• Understand how AI is utilized in the job search process
• Customize your application materials to maximize your job search
• Explore strategies for interviewing through virtual and AI platforms

UFIT scientist and training lead Matt Gitzendanner will also be in the UF Informatics Institute. Leverage his expertise with Git and GitHub to maximize your GitHub profile!

LinkedIn
In the LinkedIn tent, get expert advice on courses to watch that can strengthen your market viability. Additionally, C3 staff can assist with:
• Completing your LinkedIn profile
• Maximizing your connections and build your network
• Exploring potential careers through the UF Alumni search and other LinkedIn tools

Accessibility Tools and Training for Campus

Posted on

UFIT provides numerous services to enable compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act as well as all other applicable federal and state regulations. Among the available services are
Site Improve access, which checks current website content for accessibility issues, and the SensusAccess document conversion tool. UFIT also has two web and content accessibility training opportunities:

Accessibility Basics, an easy to follow, free, online self-paced video course is designed for staff. The Accessibility Basics training takes approximately two hours and provides instruction on how to create accessible documents (e.g., Word, images, .PDFs) and website content.

Accessibility Fundamentals, created for an instructor audience, is also a free, self-paced online training. Accessibility Fundamentals shows how to design accessible online course materials. The course covers different types of accessibility needs and suggestions for making an online course more accessible.

UFIT is here to help instructors and staff who post online content!  Visit UFIT’s digital standards and website recommendations page for additional compliance tips and resources.

Experiential Tech Fair: Feb. 23-24

Posted on

Listening to student feedback, 2022 will be the first time Tech Fair is a two-day event. So, if your lunchtime schedule (11am – 1pm) is full on Wednesday, Feb. 23, you can stop by on Thursday, Feb. 24. This year’s experiential Tech Fair has a twist: participants are solely focused on helping students successfully get to the next level.  Whether that means your first full-time job up the career ladder, a coveted internship, or being offered a place in the graduate program of your choice, stop by Tech Fair!  UFIT is partnering with the Career Connections Center (C3) to enhance the expertise offered in the event tents.  Here are two examples of what’s available at the 2022 Tech Fair:

  1. ePortfolios                                                                                                                                 Get expert assistance and recommendations on which app to use to build your professional ePortfolio. In addition to learning how to best showcase your skills and experience technically, our partnership with the C3 means that a content expert will also be on hand to answer your questions and offer suggestions for making your ePortfolio stand out to recruiters.
  2. LinkedIn Learning                                                                                                                      Always a part of Tech Fair, this year the LinkedIn Learning tent will feature an education technology expert to help you build a course list to assist you on your professional journey. In addition, we’ll have a curated list available that focuses on building a LinkedIn profile to get you noticed, using LinkedIn to network, and videos to help you prepare for an interview.  UFIT provides LinkedIn Learning free to students, faculty, and staff.

The 2022 Tech Fair will also have AI-focused experts on hand to answer career planning  questions and discuss apps that could enhance your job market value. More information about Tech Fair will be posted regularly on UFIT’s Twitter and Instagram channels.

Free Statistical Training Offered by UFIT

Posted on

Two FREE, fully online statistical trainings are available in spring 2022. Faculty, postdoctoral researchers, staff, TAs, and graduate students can learn to perform statistical analyses on while earning a certificate in SPSS and SamplePower 3, or in the R programming language. These instructor-led and self-paced trainings utilize the software through practical application and hands-on exercises. Pre-registration is required for both offerings. Anyone with questions about either training may email Senior IT Training Specialist Jose Silva-Lugo

SPSS and SamplePower 3
Jan. 5 – Feb. 25 | Register: https://training.it.ufl.edu/calendar/. Use the keyword: SPSS
• Navigate the SPSS & Sample Power interface
• Create and import datasets
• Conduct exploratory data analysis
• Create different types of charts
• Transform data
• Perform inferential statistics for the mean, proportion, and categorical variables
• Carry out bivariate linear regression, correlation and multiple linear regression
• Perform analysis of variances, analysis of covariance and logistic regression
• Conduct Power Analysis for each statistical test

R Programming Training: An Introduction for Data Analysis and Graphics
Feb. 22 – Apr. 15 | Register: https://training.it.ufl.edu/calendar/. Use the keyword: Programming
• Introduction to R
• Data preparation
• Exploratory data analysis
• Mean and median comparison
• ANOVA, correlation, and linear regression
• Multiple linear regression
• Proportion comparison
• Logistic regression

Seeking Instructors for My Learning Analytics Pilot

Posted on

UFIT is seeking instructors to join the My Learning Analytics (MyLA) pilot study in the spring semester. MyLA empowers students to improve their academic outcomes by providing data visualizations for their customized goals and progress monitoring; and to view their activities relative to their peers. Online courses will provide the most data but any course using Files, Assignments/Quizzes, and Grades will generate actionable data for the students.

If you choose to participate, it just takes a few clicks to enable MyLA in your spring course shell and notify your students. Data collection will include student surveys and instructor focus groups and/or interviews, as well as system logs data. Your participation in this activity is completely voluntary. We believe there are no risks to you for participating in this study. There is also no direct compensation to instructors who elect to participate. If you have questions about your rights, contact the UF IRB office, PO Box 100173, Gainesville, FL 32611, and reference #202102061.

Please contact Dr. Heather Maness (htdaniel@ufl.edu) in UFIT’s Center for Instructional Technology and Training with any questions you may have about the spring 2022 pilot, your participation rights, or to participate.

Getting Started Pages for Faculty, Students

Posted on

New webpages are available to facilitate the transition to UF teaching, learning, and research.

● Faculty Resources https://it.ufl.edu/resources/faculty-resources/

● Researcher Resources https://it.ufl.edu/resources/researcher-resources/

● Student Resources https://it.ufl.edu/resources/student-resources/

The new faculty resources page has informational links on primary services such as email, UF’s VPN, and Zoom. But the faculty page drills down to services and support focusing on facilitating learning and collaboration. Likewise, the researcher services page also has information for getting started with everyday IT services, but also includes links for grant support and research project consulting. The student page provides an overview information on student support, links to review before you arrive on campus, and IT resources for your student life once you are here.

All UF community members can browse UFIT’s service catalog for information on additional campus-wide technology services and support.