Tag: UF teaching and learning

Timely Topics the Focus of Teaching TechXploration

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The annual Teaching TechXploration will be held on Thursday, Nov. 30, from 1:30-4:30 p.m. This virtual event is part of UFIT’s Tech Byte series and registration is free for the UF community. 

The virtual, conference-style Teaching TechXploration format features short presentations–or lightning rounds–on educational technologies and solutions to teaching challenges. Session topics include: 

  • A faculty panel on AI’s impacts on teaching 
  • Adapting assessments with AI in mind 
  • Tools available within Canvas to enhance your teaching 
  • Podcasting as teaching and assessment strategy 
  • Feedback from faculty using Feedback Fruits, a group evaluation tool 
  • Resources and services from campus partners 
  • Requesting new teaching tools and grants to fund those tools 

Instructors, instructional designers, and graduate students with teaching loads can all benefit from attending and learning about UF’s learning tools and services as you are planning for the spring semester. Once registered, you will be added to the Microsoft Team where the event will take place. Anyone with questions about this year’s Teaching TechXploration may contact UFIT’s Associate Director for Teaching and Learning Technology, Ryan Yang. 

Announced: 2022-23 Tech Fee Grants

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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.

Enhance UF Academics With Tech Fee Grant

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Your technology-related idea to enhance UF’s academic environment could become a reality: Consider submitting a proposal to the Tech Fee grants for funding. All faculty, students, and staff are encouraged to submit ideas fitting the submission guidelines. The process for submitting a proposal is outlined in the 2023 Tech Fee template.

Among many tech options initially paid for by Tech Free grants are: express digital scanning, LinkedIn Learning, MADE@UF for Infinity Hall, and iPads for borrowing at Smathers.

The submission deadline for review by a UFIT director (all of whom are listed on the template) is Friday, March 10, 2023. After the Technology Fee Advisory Committee reviews the proposals, those they recommend will be forwarded to the vice president and chief information officer for funding consideration. Program information, guidelines, and templates may all be found on the Tech Fee website. Anyone with questions about submitting a proposal is welcome to contact Anne Allen, support administrator for the Technology Fee Advisory Committee.

Fostering Inclusive Communities for Learning

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Fostering Inclusive Communities for Learning is the third workshop in the Teaching for Inclusivity and Accessibility series. This workshop focuses on helping instructors strategize ways to build an online environment where all students feel safe, respected, and comfortable enough to collaborate and learn.

This workshop is asynchronous workshop and is held over a six-week period. Instructors enrolled in the workshop can expect a total time commitment of eight to 10 hours from Oct. 24 through Dec. 10. At the completion of this workshop, participants will have developed tools for effectively communicating with students, for facilitating positive interactions in their online courses, and gained additional tips for in-person class meetings. This workshop counts toward the Center for Teaching Excellence’s Passport to Great Teaching program.

Explore UFIT’s Teaching for Inclusivity and Accessibility workshop overview page to learn more and to register.

Tech Equipment Rentals in Smathers Libraries

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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.