Tag: UF Students

Student Perspectives on AI (Live Event)

Posted on

UF Information Technology’s (UFIT) Tech Byte series continues this spring with a unique, student panel event. Current undergraduates from diverse majors will talk about their use of AI in coursework, how AI is showing up in their lives, and about AI’s impact on their career path and plans for the future.  UFIT will livestream this moderated panel on Thursday, April 18, at 2:00 p.m.  If you’d like to submit specific questions to be asked of the student panel, email Associate Director of Academic Technology Ryan Yang.

Register now to watch and listen in to this innovative panel: https://ufl.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwqc-irqzkjH9OO23WdTpgkIrMOhW1vdvuc#/registration

For further details on this event or on UFIT’s Tech Byte series, visit: https://citt.ufl.edu/workshops/tech-bytes/

Connecting Students with Tech Resources

Posted on

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.

Money Available for Tech Purchases that Enable Student Success

Posted on

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.

 

Stay Up to Date on Campus IT

Posted on

UF Information Technology (UFIT) provides updates on social media about new services, enhancements to existing services, the HiPerGator supercomputer and the research computing ecosystem, IT training opportunities, information security issues impacting higher ed and their effect on Gator Nation, IT-based university policies, and special events on campus with a tech flavor.

UFIT maintains Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook pages. Multiple updates are posted weekly on each channel. There is also a @GoGatorsUFIT YouTube channel, with more than 120 videos and curated playlists for Gator students, staff, instructional faculty, and on HiPerGator and its support of UF research.

Have a question about a service or information posted on a UFIT social media channel? You are welcome to email UFIT’s communications group at it-comm@ufl.edu.

Announced: 2022-23 Tech Fee Grants

Posted on

Under the guidance of the Student Technology Fee Advisory Committee members and faculty director Dr. Jeremy Waisome, eight proposals were recommended. VP & CIO Elias Eldayrie approved eight proposals for 2022-23 Tech Fee funding:

• Enhancing Access through Assistive Technology
• Enhancing Student Learning through a Campus-Wide Podcasting Studio
• uConnect: A One Stop Shop for the Future of Work
• FeedbackFruits Group Member Evaluation Tool: Facilitating Collaborative Learning at UF
• Enabling Interdisciplinary Advanced Sonic Instruction and Research
• Arts & AI Virtual Workstation Studio
• AI Education for Graduate Students at UF School of Architecture
• Enabling Stunning Student Astrophotography through Innovative Use of Technology

The Student Technology Fee Grants program funds projects proposed by faculty, students, and staff focused on enhancing campus educational technology services. The creation of the MADE@UF virtual reality lab, modernization of the Pugh Hall Ocora, and the expansion of campus 3D printing options are just a few of the previously funded projects. Please contact Technology Fee Advisory Committee Support Administrator Anne Allen with questions about the proposal and selection process.

Tech Equipment Rentals in Smathers Libraries

Posted on

A variety of tech equipment is available for checkout in Smathers Libraries. Before buying something new, see if what you need is available through Marston, Education, Library West, Architecture, or the Health Science Center libraries. Items are first come, first serve and can be rented for two hours to a month, depending on the device. After checking availability online, simply present your Gator1 ID at a library front desk and pick up your item.

Forgot your laptop charger? The libraries have you covered. Essential items like device chargers and headphones are regularly loaned to students for a few hours at a time. Several iPads are available to rent for up to a month and can be borrowed from several libraries on campus. Other rentable items include podcasting kits and sewing machines. Virtual and augmented reality headsets, portable 3D scanners and 3D printers, and even a handheld voice translator that supports 70 languages are all available in our campus library system.

For a complete list of rental items, rental procedures, and availability, visit the George A. Smathers Take-Home Equipment page.

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.

The Cost of Phishing: Money, Time, Personal Files

Posted on

“I should have recognized the red flags. I thought it was easy to avoid phishing emails, but I was wrong. I should have taken the email more seriously, and I had to try to get my account back and missed a test. Thankfully, that’s the only thing I missed.”

When it comes to phishing, it’s possible to lose everything in one click, but you’ll never understand the consequences until it happens to you. In UFIT’s video, three students share real stories from victims of cybercrime.

These examples show what could happen after falling for a phish, from locking you out of your computer to rerouting financial aid money to a cybercriminal’s bank account. But the impacts aren’t limited to one person. One incident is all it takes to shut down UF systems or expose student records, research data, and patient information. With so much at stake, it’s important for everyone at UF to remain skeptical of what arrives in their inbox.

The UF Information Security Office has more information about phishing on its website. You can also participate in the Secure the Swamp! online scavenger hunt from October 25-29 to sharpen your cybersecurity skills.

Funding Available to Enhance UF Academic Life

Posted on

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

Posted on

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.