Tag: Academic Technology UF

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.

Course Accessibility Consultations Available

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Instructors interested in improving their Canvas course’s accessibility score can request one-on-one consultations to learn how. UFIT’s Center for Instructional Technology and Training (CITT) recently launched a new service to assist instructors remediate course files to make them more accessible.

Remediating course content provides access to students with disabilities while enhancing the usability of course materials for all learners. During the consultation,  instructional support assistants will explain how to use the Ally tool in Canvas. They will also provide an overview of accessibility concerns within the course, evaluate what content to remediate, and work with instructional faculty to improve the overall course accessibility score. During the consultation, the instructional support assistant will model remediation techniques for content in Canvas, including Word or Google docs, PowerPoint presentations, Google Slides, spreadsheets, videos, and PDFs.

Commit to creating classroom content for all students. UFIT has additional training and resources to help instructors build and update courses with accessibility needs in mind.  Submit an Accessibility Consultation request to get started. A member of the CITT staff will follow up with you to schedule a consultation.

 

Empowering K-12 Innovation at P.K. Yonge

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Hi-definition digital signage now welcomes everyone entering P. K. Yonge Developmental Research School, UF’s public K-12 school that serves North Central Florida’s diverse and vibrant community. But the splashy new entrance is just a taste of the enhanced technologies designed and installed by UFIT to support teaching and learning in the university’s laboratory school.

“We are thrilled to have partnered with UF Information Technology [A/V Installations group] to provide students and teachers with learning spaces where technology is seamlessly integrated into the learning process. The impact of this new hi-tech learning environment was immediately apparent,” said Dr. Lynda Hayes, Director of P.K. Yonge. “The new technologies are enabling teachers to seamlessly include students in learning events both from home and in the classroom synchronously. And the experience of working with the professional staff in UFIT could not have been better.”

Installations include 86” LCD displays with both wired/wireless connectivity in 28 classrooms. In addition, 15 collaboration tables for students’ use, each with 49” LCD display and a wired connection wall plate, are now supporting curious learners throughout the school’s campus. UFIT also upgraded the technologies in 14 breakout/support/conference rooms and eight teacher planning rooms.

Colleges and departments interested in audio/visual room design, integration, and installation services may call (352-273-1874) or email UFIT’s A/V Installations Project Manager Lon Vance.