The Center for Instruction and Technology (CIT) started with one part-time employee back in 2001; 10 years later it has grown into a flourishing and ever-growing department under ITS offering a wide range of training and technology adoption initiatives.
A decision was made in 2001 to expand the technical resources available to faculty and staff. Now CIT is staffed by individuals dedicated to providing faculty/staff (and sometimes students, too) technical training that they can apply in their own offices and classrooms.
Ginny Wallace acts as the Distance Learning Instructional Designer, a.k.a. Blackboard, Turnitin, and wikis. Ken Yoshioka is the Graphic Media Training Specialist. He runs trainings on program support with video and media. Eileen Lai acts as Lead Support/Web Designer. Many of you may be familiar with Ektron, our website content management system. Eileen runs trainings for Ektron in addition to training on graphic design and page layout. Recently added to that list is Xavier Gomez who provides instructional design support for Blackboard (and multimedia) for the recently launched USF Online Degree Program. John Bansavich directs the CIT and has been the there since 1997. He provides training in assessment technology, such as Survey Monkey and i>clicker.
Some of the great services CIT offers have been outlined in previous blogs posts, like lynda.com — a web-based technology training service, Lecture Capture — a way for Faculty to record their lectures, and Podcasting and Video Streaming. But there are so many other things CIT provides.
One of the best tools is i>clicker. i>clicker allows faculty to provide an interactive environment for their students. For example, a teacher can distribute an i>clicker to each student in the class and then ask multiple choice questions. The student simply clicks A, B, C, D, or E in correspondence with what they think the answer is. The teacher can view how the students answered based on a histogram.
CIT is in the midst of planning its first Learning Technology Fair which will take place from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm on January 19. Eight different vendors will participate in the fair, including the producers of the i>clicker, Blackboard, and Echo 360 (automated classroom recording system). This fair is an opportunity for faculty to learn about new types of technology they can incorporate in their classrooms.
Also, CIT is currently conducting another iPad study. This study consists of 30 students and four-eight faculty for a year-long study on how iPads can be used in an educational environment. Participants keep the iPad as long as they are enrolled in a Digital Media and Learning course, a Graduate Program in the School of Education. Also available is the CIT Certificate Program. This is a professional development program aimed to develop the technical skills of USF faculty and staff. It consists of five classes and one work-related project geared towards the individual’s department, at the end of which participants receive a certificate. This looks great to a supervisor or on a resume.
Also new is the Blackboard Exemplary Course Program that will launch this coming January. This program helps teach faculty how to better utilize Blackboard to enhance instruction and learning. It. So keep an eye out for all the great things coming up in the CIT and remember what a great source they already are. As CIT Director John Bansavich put it, “We are about exposing you to new technology and helping to keep you current.” For more information, visit the CIT website.