Tag: Center for Instructional Technology and Training

Connecting Students with Tech Resources

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UF Information Technology (UFIT) hosted its annual Tech Fair on Wednesday, Feb. 28. Tech Fair allows students to explore various free campus tech resources and services available, regardless of major. Among the resources for students to discover this year were AI tools for building e-portfolios, AI prompts for effective studying, and the Career Connections Center’s AI resume-reviewing tool, Quinncia.

Camila Diaz-Borges, a classical studies freshman, said she left Tech Fair with a deeper understanding of the AI certificate offered to UF students after speaking with Career Connections Center staff.

“I think I might apply for the AI certificate now that I know more about it,” Diaz-Borges said.

Students explored equipment available to check out from the George A. Smathers Libraries and how to make the most of their free, UFIT-provided LinkedIn Learning subscription. Students also had a chance to learn what IT training is offered by UFIT and Help Desk staff were also providing on-site IT assistance.

Rachael Yacuzzo, a junior history and women’s studies double major, stopped by the ONE.UF booth, where students were encouraged to share what improvements should be made to the mobile app.

“Something that I found really troublesome with the app was that I could never [open] my degree audit on it, so I’m glad they asked for feedback,” Yacuzzo said.

Computer science graduate student Nicholas Sily and general business freshman Jenna Vell said the range of equipment available to rent from Smathers Libraries caught their interest.

“I’m really impressed with the video-filming equipment that students can check out from the libraries,” Sily said.

“We’re learning about 3-D printing in class, so it’s great to know we have 3-D printing services right here in Marston,” Vell said.

This year’s event tracked 523 student interactions. For any questions about the 2024 Tech Fair, email UFIT Communications at it-comm@ufl.edu.

Upgrades to UFIT’s Video Production Studios

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New equipment has been installed and is ready for instructor use in UFIT’s video production studios.

Instructors can now more easily share files and discuss visual concepts when filming their course videos. A larger green screen has been installed in one of UFIT’s studios, allowing for much wider shots than before, so the person being filmed has more mobility during their video shoot. Additionally, a 28″ Surface Studio was part of this recent equipment upgrade, providing a touchscreen-based personal computer, interactive whiteboard, and digital pen for use during your video shoot.

UFIT’s video production studios has multimedia specialists available for consult and who will support you and your project throughout the process. The studios are located on the second floor of the Hub. Filming can be done in-studio or in the field, so if you require location shooting for projects like welcome videos or the recording of in-class lectures, this isn’t an issue. Visit https://citt.ufl.edu/services/video-production/ to learn more, schedule a consult, or to book time in the studio.

Anyone with questions about the services offered is welcome to email UFIT Production Manager Greg D’angio. 

Participate in National Higher Education Survey

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EDUCAUSE, the leading nonprofit association that advocates for strategic use of technology and data in higher education, sponsors an annual national survey at colleges and universities. The survey focuses on the use of classroom technologies and technology adoption by faculty and students.

An ‘invitation to participate’ email was sent to instructors and undergraduates on Monday, Oct. 23. The survey will remain open through Friday, Nov. 17. This is an opportunity for instructors and undergraduates to let UF Information Technology (UFIT) know how the division can better support teaching and learning. All feedback is anonymous.

UFIT activities are driven by the University of Florida’s Strategic Plan for IT: 2020-2025. Several of the goals in the strategic plan will be supported by faculty and student responses to the EDUCAUSE survey. And, since the survey is administered at hundreds of universities, information collected at our university becomes part of a large research project, enabling UF to benchmark its data against other public land-grant institutions. Members of the university community with questions about EDUCAUSE’s survey data collection process are welcome to contact them through their online “Contact Us” form.

Summer Tech Byte: Generative AI Prompts

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UFIT is continuing its online Tech Byte cooking shows this summer! Instructional designer Leslie Mojeiko and educational technologist Chris Sharp are back in the test kitchen. Or shall we say…tech kitchen!

Wednesday, July 26
2:30-3:30pm

Join UFIT’s Center for Instructional Technology & Training (CITT) for a fun, free event to learn generative AI “recipes” to enhance course design and teaching. Leslie and Chris will share tips for writing effective prompts for ChatGPT and AI image generators, and suggest ways how generative AI can help make class prep and assignment design more efficient. This one-hour cooking show includes demonstrations of AI in action. Register today and prepare to gather recipes for course preparation. You’ll leave this Tech Byte with your very own ‘cookbook’ to get started with “prompt engineering!”

Visit The AI Prompt Cookbook — Generative AI Recipes Designed to Enhance Teaching webpage for more information.

Developing Courses for Fall 2023

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Instructors: it’s that time of semester! Faculty who would like to work with UFIT’s Center for Instructional Technology & Training (CITT) to develop or revise a course for Fall 2023 should contact the CITT by Friday, April 28. The instructional design staff would love to work with you to develop or revise a traditional, flipped, hybrid, or online course, or a flipped advising site.

If you are teaching this fall but cannot commit to a full course development, you can work with an instructional designer to develop or revise some aspects of your course. The CITT will help you to create a custom plan for just the items you want to focus on. Customization will enable you to work with an instructional designer for a week or two, or a few months–whatever time you have to commit, our staff can commit to you! Let the CITT experts help you develop assessments, course content, videos, or any combination of services offered.

To start working with the CITT, just complete the assistance form and a staff member will follow up ASAP to schedule an appointment.

iClicker Cloud Training Offered March 23

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UFIT is coordinating an iClicker Cloud training, open to both novice and seasoned users. Taught by an iClicker company representative, this FREE training is open to all UF faculty:

iClicker Cloud Training
Thursday, March 23
10:00-11:30 a.m. (via Zoom)
Registration Link

iClicker Cloud is a learning platform that improves student engagement in a variety of ways. The learning tool includes both synchronous and asynchronous options such as polling, quizzing, and assignments, and seamlessly integrates with Canvas. Regardless of class size or delivery method, iClicker can help instructors increase attendance and participation, provide instant feedback, and identify knowledge gaps in real-time.

Please email ufit-training@ufl.edu for more information about the iClicker Cloud training or about any other offering on the UFIT training schedule.

New Workshop: Applying Learning Analytics

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As part of the university’s ongoing efforts to enhance student success, UFIT created a new unit whose sole focus is on learning analytics and assessment. One of the first outputs of this unit is a new workshop highlighting how learning analytics tools can be utilized to enhance student outcomes.

Registration is now open for the Applying Learning Analytics workshop. The online workshop was developed with fellow Unizin member institutions as a cross-institutional effort to prepare faculty to use learning analytics data ethically, effectively, and equitably. It has been added to Canvas Commons as an open educational resource and is being piloted at several institutions, including UF. The workshop introduces instructors to course-level learning analytics data in Canvas and other educational tools. Participants will learn how analytics can inform changes in their course design and provide customized student guidance during the learning process. Over a three-week period (March 30-April 13), participants are required to attend two 90-minute synchronous sessions (Zoom available). There is an option for an additional 90-minute synchronous or asynchronous session. All synchronous sessions are held on Thursdays from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Instructors with questions about the new learning analytics and assessment unit or the workshop are welcome to email Dr. Heather Maness, assistant director of the Center for Instructional Technology and Training.

Course Design Assistance for Summer 2023

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It’s that time of semester again! Instructors: please contact UFIT as soon as possible if you’d like to work with an instructional designer (ID) at the Center for Instructional Technology & Training to develop or revise a course for Summer 2023. Our IDs would love to work with you to develop or revise a traditional, flipped, hybrid, or online course or flipped advising site.

If you would like to develop some aspects of your course but can’t commit to a full development, UFIT will work with you to create a custom development plan for just the items you want to focus on. The CITT staff can work with an instructor for a week or a few months–we’ll maximize the time you have available–to develop assessments, course content, videos, or any combination of our services.

Visit UFIT’s instructional design page to learn about the CITT services, or complete the “request assistance form” if you’d like an ID to contact you.

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.

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.