ATS Team Achievement Award 2021

In April 2021, 黑料网 President Jane Close Conoley selected Academic Technology Services as one of two winners of the President鈥檚 Team Achievement Award. Although this annual award is intended for one team, President Conoley determined that Academic Technology Services and Student Health Services both made such significant contributions during 2020 that each deserved to win equally.

President Conoley formally announced the awards during the event on Friday, June 11, 2021.

ATS Teams Focus on Service to the Campus Community 

On the first day of the stay-at-home order in March 2020, Academic Technology Services went into high gear supporting faculty with alternative modes of instruction, improving remote access for students, and assisting staff to set up home office workstations. A Virtual Support help desk was established immediately via Zoom so that faculty could drop in as needed to get support. Due to the overwhelmingly positive response, virtual office hours have been adopted as a permanent option.

During the campus closure, the Classroom Support team also took advantage of the empty classrooms to upgrade equipment and create HyFlex-ready spaces -- an instructional model that gives students the option to attend class meetings in person, online, or a combination of both.

Academic Technology Services continues to support faculty, students, and staff to make sure the university can offer a high-quality academic and work experience for the 黑料网 community.

ATS Highlights & Achievements Related to AMI March 2020 to Present

  • Established the Keep Teaching website and a Keep Teaching Toolkit [PDF] with comprehensive resources for teaching online.
  • Created Faculty Guides for using Zoom, BeachBoard, online labs, Respondus Lockdown Browser, Academic Engagement Tools, Digital Writing Surfaces
  • Established via Zoom and expanded help desk personnel to meet demand (Zoom specialists).
  • Developed a myriad of faculty workshops and professional development programs, some of them stipend-based:
    • Online Learning Studio: Basics for building an online course
    • Go Virtual Symposium: two-week program, over 800 attendees, multiple faculty and student panels, guest experts
    • Quality Matters Workshops: introduction to QM Rubric and aligning courses to standards
    • Webinars on Zoom, BeachBoard, Using Rubrics, Creating Videos (weekly in early 2020)
    • Creating a Culture of Academic Integrity
    • Beach 2030 Faculty Panel
    • Faculty Lightning Talks
    • Rethinking the Classroom
    • Intro to Blackboard Ally
    • Build Your AMI Modes of Instruction Toolkit 
    • Tech Tuesday: New Software Tools
    • Online Learning Studio
    • Quality Essentials Certificate Program: advanced online teaching training for faculty who had met earlier QE criteria.
    • Peer Review Training: preparing faculty to lead future QE training
    • Student Online Learning Success Program:  self-paced BeachBoard course for students to enhance their online learning skills (stipend-based)
    • Leveraging Technology in the Online Experience: half-day conferences open to all faculty, staff, and students (2 offerings/ separate dates)
    • AMI Faculty Certificate Program
  • Developed the Course Alignment Blueprint- an evidence-based set of criteria to meet online course quality standards.
  • Built a set of BeachBoard Course Templates for faculty to quickly and easily set up an online course according to established quality standards.
  • Developed and deployed a 鈥淐hatbot鈥 and embedded it into BeachBoard and ATS website to answer FAQS about BeachBoard, Zoom, and Respondus Lockdown Browser and Monitor software.
  • Developed a Mobile Learning Glass 鈥淕o Kit鈥 for faculty to record lectures at home.
  • Purchased and offered Wacom tablets for home checkout to faculty.
  • Opened a student computer lab in the USU to serve those who needed access to the internet and equipment (with social distancing and cleaning protocols).
  • Started testing and integration of new tools to facilitate remote teaching and learning:
  • Developed staff Resources for Working Remotely website.
  • Implemented the Grade Import application to facilitate the transfer of grades from BeachBoard into PeopleSoft.
  • Converted in-person Qualtrics Training course into an online course (Beginner and Intermediate levels).
  • Developed a database of faculty enrollment in professional development to customize learning pathways.
  • Converted paper-based Student Perceptions of Teaching (SPOT) process to an online process.
  • Upgraded classrooms with new media equipment for lecture capture and Hyflex instruction.