Money Available for Tech Purchases that Enable Student Success

Could your college or major benefit from a new software or hardware purchase? Is there a tech resource you wish UF’s libraries offered? The 2024 Student Technology Fee grant submissions cycle is now open to all students, faculty, and staff with IT-based purchase ideas that support teaching and learning at UF.

The annual proposal review process involves the randomized selection of a committee comprised of several students along with one faculty member to determine which proposals are recommended to CIO Elias Eldayrie for funding. Students are encouraged to submit their ideas because part of their tuition each semester funds the Tech Fee program–at a rate of $5.25 per credit hour for undergraduate courses and $6.56 per credit hour for graduate courses. In other words, this student-led initiative is paid for and determined by YOU.

Winning proposals from the 2022-23 Tech Fee funding cycle include a podcasting studio at Marston Science Library (available to all students regardless of major), the Arts & AI Virtual Workstation Studio for College of the Arts students to experiment with AI technologies, and state-of-the-art equipment purchased for the Quest 2 astrophotography course. Your one-time proposal could change course instruction and the student experience at UF for years to come!

Did you know that LinkedIn Learning and iPads for borrowing at Smathers were both proposals initially funded by your Tech Fee? The deadline for submitting a proposal is Monday, March 18, 2024. Students must partner with a UF department or college on their proposals so get started now! Review the 2024 Tech Fee Proposal Template for submission guidelines, including how to format your proposal and who you must send it to for review prior to deadline. Important dates for the 2024 funding cycle are listed on the Tech Fee Grants webpage. If you have questions, please email UFIT Manager Anne Allen (alallen@ufl.edu), support administrator for the Technology Fee Advisory Committee.


 

UF is #1 in LinkedIn Learning Usage

UFIT provides faculty, students, and staff with FREE year-round access to LinkedIn Learning, the online educational platform with 20,000+ courses available in 13 languages. Popular courses with Gators include Excel, project management, several programming languages, and marketing and branding courses. UF is once again ranked no. 1 in overall usage among colleges and universities with a campus-wide LinkedIn Learning contract. In fiscal year 2023 (July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023), the university community clocked in with more than 454,000 videos viewed and logged nearly 22,000 course viewing hours.

Courses are available in a variety of areas–technical, creative, and personal enrichment. In addition to what you’d expect–like spreadsheet and AutoCAD–there are courses like “Chair Yoga” and “Happiness Habits” that allow you to spend a few minutes each day on your well-being, perfect for busy professionals at UF! Users can also track course progress and customize their dashboard with LinkedIn Learning’s goal tracker. Those who prefer podcasts and audio books can listen to book summaries and enjoy a variety of recorded courses.

Whether you’re looking to learn Python, master Adobe Premiere Pro, or practice mindfulness, LinkedIn Learning has a video for you. Log in with GatorLink credentials to start your free access.

Funding Available to Enhance UF Academic Life

Did you know that several 3D printing and campus VR/AR tools are the result of successful Tech Fee proposals? UFApps and free access to LinkedIn Learning also began their UF life as Tech Fee proposals. If you have a great technology-related idea for enhancing UF’s academic environment, then consider submitting a concept paper for a Tech Fee grant. All students, faculty, and staff are eligible–and encouraged–to submit ideas fitting the submission guidelines.

Concept papers for the 2022 funding cycle must be submitted by January 28, 2022.

A concept paper is a simple, two-page proposal that you complete via the template available on the Tech Fee website. After the Technology Fee Advisory Committee reviews the approved concept papers, finalists will be invited to submit a full proposal for possible funding. Program information, guidelines, templates, and previously funded projects may all be found on the Tech Fee website.

Please contact Anne Allen, support administrator for the Technology Fee Advisory Committee, with any questions about the submission process. Good luck!

Free Self-Paced Statistical Software Training

Two FREE, fully online trainings on statistics software will be offered during the fall term. Faculty, staff, postdocs, TAs, and graduate students can learn how to perform statistical analyses on research data while earning a certificate in SPSS and SamplePower 3 or the R programming language. In these self-paced trainings, participants will use the software through practical application and hands-on exercises. The training series introduces data analysis and visualization features that can help further research. Pre-registration is required. Use the links below to view the course flyer and to register:

SPSS and SamplePower 3
Aug. 23 – Oct. 7, 2021 | Register

R Programming Training: An Introduction for Data Analysis and Graphics
Oct. 4 – Dec. 3, 2021 | Register

Anyone with questions about either training may email the instructor, Senior IT Training Specialist Jose Silva-Lugo.

Save Time with Pre-Assessed “Fast Path Solutions”

UF’s Integrated Risk Management
(IRM) program was created to support the university’s mission of teaching, research, and service by providing faculty and staff with a single point of contact for their digital business tools and solutions needs.

IRM’s foundation is Fast Path Solutions, a comprehensive list of pre-assessed software and computing environments. The Fast Path Solutions are searchable by product name or by software category. Faculty and staff working with non-restricted data may use the Fast Path Solutions without additional review by UF administrative, compliance, and risk management offices.

Several Fast Path Solutions are pre-assessed for use with restricted data, but faculty and staff are still required to register restricted data use to ensure the proper collection, transmittal, processing, and storage of restricted data on campus. Additional review may be required for software and computing environments using restricted data not listed as a Fast Path Solution.

Fast Path Solutions are one of a series of enhancements currently underway to streamline the review of risk and compliance across UF. The IRM team invites you to visit the https://irm.ufl.edu/getting-started/ webpage. Your feedback is also welcome! Please email questions or comments to IRM@ad.ufl.edu or phone the IRM team, 352-294-2589.