Bridging the Gap Between IT and Teaching

The past year has brought significant changes and advancements to Oberlin's Center for Information Technology’s (CIT) Academic Technology unit, enhancing its role in the educational experience for faculty and students. These developments aim to integrate technology seamlessly into the academic environment, ensuring exceptional teaching and learning experiences. 

New Hires and Updated Plans 

The Academic Technology unit has welcomed new team members, including an Instructional Designer and a merger with the Audio/Visual Classroom Technology team. These additions, along with partnerships with the Gertrude B. Lemle Teaching Center and Tech committee, are part of a broader strategy to bridge the gap between IT and teaching. 

Key updates include: 

Teaching Center Partnerships: Partnering with the Lemle Teaching Center and other Academic and leadership units to cultivate meaningful educational technology and instructional design-based workshops. 

Focus on Faculty Feedback: Developing solutions that are truly beneficial and user-friendly by incorporating faculty and student input. 

Academic Software Support: Expanding support for tools like Blackboard and Zoom to facilitate effective teaching and learning. 

Instructional Design and Course Development: Helping faculty build courses that align with their educational goals through instructional design consultations. 

Enhancing the Oberlin Community's Learning Experience 

The Academic Technology unit extends a helping hand in positioning Oberlin to implement cutting-edge educational technologies while offering comprehensive support, ensuring faculty and students have the tools they need to succeed. 

Exciting projects on the horizon include: 

Expanded Instructional Design Services: Offering course design and development services alongside faculty development opportunities to maximize our learning management system and meet the needs of our modern students. 

Oberlin’s High Performance Computer Upgrades: Collaborating with the EdTech Committee and High-Performance Computing (HPC) sub-committee to update and innovate the college's existing and aging HPC cluster, providing more powerful resources for research and class instruction. 

Increased Accessibility: Integrating ‘Ally’ into Blackboard to make course content accessible to all students, particularly those served by the Office of Disability and Access (ODA). 

Notable Initiatives 

The Academic Technology unit aims to be a trusted partner in teaching and learning by building strong relationships with faculty and providing support that enhances their work, meeting HLC and DoE standards while maintaining their teaching methods and academic freedom. This collaborative approach ensures that faculty can focus on their teaching strengths, supported by a robust suite of services and resources that bridge the gap between pedagogy and technology. The Academic Technology unit and CIT are poised to continue positively impacting the educational experiences for our faculty and students by being your technology partners.